1 SITXMGT401 Resources

Learners Guide
Monitor work operations

SITXMGT401
2014 Edition didasko.com

Disclaimer
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this product is free
from errors and omissions and is not misleading in any way, Didasko International (‘Didasko
Learning Resources’) makes no representations or warranties and is not liable for any loss or
damage or injury of any kind (however caused) under any theory of law including negligence
resulting from or in any way connected with the use of its products.
Version number 1.0
Copyright 2014
© This product and the concepts, information and material contained in it are the copyright of
Didasko International ACN 146 241 223 (‘Didasko Learning Resources’) and may not be used or
reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written consent of Didasko. All rights reserved.
Contents
TEXT
Overview ........................................................................................................ 3
Monitor and improve workplace operations ................................................... 3
Plan and organise workflow ......................................................................... 33
Monitor and support team members ............................................................ 55
Solve problems and make decisions............................................................ 61
Glossary .............................................................................................................. 73
Please note the following condition:

The Didasko learning resource provided here should be used as a training tool for students
and trainers. While the information contained within addresses the elements, performance
criteria, required skills and knowledge of individual competencies it remains the responsibility
of the training organisation to ensure it meets training framework requirements and to
provide additional documentation where necessary.
© 2014 Didasko International (‘Didasko Learning Resources’). All Rights Reserved.

This page has been intentionally left blank.
SITXMGT401 Monitor work operations
Overview
As a frontline manager, how do you know if things are running according to plan?
Your employees seem busy, but are they busy doing the right things?
Part of your role is to monitor the workplace operations in your area to ensure your team
provides quality products and services to customers, while working efficiently towards
achieving company goals.
Would you like to know more about how to set up systems and processes that assist the
workplace operations to run smoothly: systems that help you to better manage your time?
Then this is the unit for you.
Let’s look at what you will learn on completion of this unit.
Section 1: Monitor and improve workplace operations
Section 2: Plan and organise workflow
Section 3: Monitor and support team members
Section 4: Solve problems and make decisions
1.0 Monitor and improve

workplace operations
Let’s look at what you will learn on completion of this section.
• Monitor efficiency and service levels through close contact with day-to-day operations.
• Ensure that workplace operations support overall organisation goals and quality
assurance initiatives.
• Identify quality problems and issues and make appropriate adjustments to procedures
and systems, with relevant approvals.
• Proactively consult with colleagues about ways to improve efficiency and service
levels, including potential for new technologies and other innovations.
• Provide feedback to colleagues and management to inform future planning.
• Identify and take opportunities to evaluate current and emerging industry trends and
practices for relevance to own work situation.
• Assess and respond to opportunities to improve sustainability of day-to-day operations.
didasko.com 3 2014 Edition

What does a manager do?

Monitoring is a function or key part of any manager or team leader’s role, so before you
can learn more, you need to know a bit about what a manager does.
A manager today may have direct responsibility for a whole organisation, a group of
people in one department, or just supervise a single person. A manager might also
coordinate the work activities of a team comprised of people from several different
departments. It is also not uncommon for a worker to have management and operational
responsibilities and be part of a work team.
A manager is responsible for coordinating the work people do to achieve specific goals.
They must balance the needs of the organisation to make a profit, the needs of his/her
staff, and the needs and expectations of customers.
So, what is management? Click on the icon to find out more.
Management could be described as the process of getting activities done through other
people. This involves the organisation, decision-making, and deployment of resources to
achieve organisational goals.
Resources are what you use to get the job done. This can include financial resources,
human resources, information technology and equipment.
Successful management is often measured in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Let’s

look at this next.
Efficiency and effectiveness

Efficiency is about how well resources are used. It’s about getting the most output from
the least input. Resources are often scarce and have to be used wisely. A carefully
constructed roster is an example of the efficient use of human resources.
Effectiveness relates to goal achievement. It’s not enough to use resources well if goals
are not achieved. Managers need to direct activities and resources towards attaining
goals and display success in goal achievement.
Managers are people within the organisation who direct the activities of others. Managers
need to balance efficiency and effectiveness.
2014 Edition 4
What’s the difference between leading and managing?

Just as monitoring is a key part of a manager’s role so is leading. When your position
involves some degree of responsibility for directing and overseeing the work of other
employees, you need to be an effective leader.
Click on the icon to learn more about the role of a leader.
 Motivating and inspiring others

 Acting as a positive role model: leading by example
 Establishing and communicating a clear vision and organisational goals
 Coaching, mentoring and training
 Developing relationships, networks and commitments
Throughout this unit, we will use the term leader and manager interchangeably. We will
delve into the skills required by team leaders, supervisors and frontline managers to
monitor the quality of day-to-day work operations.
Why is planning important?

If you’ve completed the unit Lead and manage people, you will already be familiar with the
planning process.
Planning involves thinking about where you want to be in the future. All managers
undertake some type of planning. Some of it might be informal: where the plans are not
written down or necessarily communicated with others. On the other hand, formal
planning involves setting goals (desired outcomes) for a particular time period and
communicating them clearly to all concerned. Plans not only include goals but the overall
strategy for how those goals are achieved.
Click on the icon to learn more about the purpose of planning.
Click on the headings to find out more.
Coordinates efforts Without planning, you could be working at cross-purposes:

different departments doing different things, and conflicting with
each other. Departments need to be coordinated in their efforts.
Reduces uncertainty While no one can accurately predict the future, having a plan
forces you to consider the future and to be prepared for a range
of different situations that might occur.
Minimises waste Careful planning can make the best use of resources and helps
discover inefficiencies. Without planning, the precious resource
of time can be wasted.
Helps prioritise Planning helps you focus on what is important and directs
resources to completing these tasks first.
Improves productivity Plans help you organise your resources so you have enough of
all you need to get the job done.

The hierarchy of plans

It’s important to have a general understanding of the types of planning and goal setting
that can go on in an organisation. This can help you see how workplace operations
support overall organisational goals and quality assurance initiatives
Plans are generally defined in terms of their length and breadth.
Click on each part of the diagram to learn more.
Values These are what the organisation holds to be important. They are the
guiding principles of the business. They are usually written in point form,
or is a short statement, for example,
‘Food with Integrity’ (Chipotle Restaurants).
Vision The vision is an overall picture of where the organisation wants to be in
the future. It is an ideal description, providing inspiration, and aligns with
the organisational values.
Here’s an example of a clear vision.
‘Our vision is to make organic and healthy food yummy and affordable to
everyone.’
‘We will provide five-star service at three-star prices.’
2014 Edition 6
Mission The mission statement briefly describes the company and its purpose in
a more concrete way than the vision. It generally identifies the customers
the business intends to serve.
Here’s an example of a good mission statement.
‘Our mission is to provide a superior family holiday experience by
exceeding the expectations of our customers. We will listen to our
customers and respond to their needs so they will want to keep coming
back. We will provide only the best quality accommodation and act in a
socially responsible way.’
Strategic Strategic plans provide direction for the whole organisation for the next
plans five years and take into account stakeholder needs. Strategy is
formulated by examining and analysing the external and internal
environment to better understand what the business does well and how it
can better position itself in the marketplace. Various tools can be used to
help with this process, including a SWOT analysis, which identifies
strengths and weaknesses (internal focus) and opportunities and threats
(external focus).
Strategic plans generally start with the vision and mission and then move
to creating a values statement, or a set of guiding principles. SWOT and
competitor analysis follows and then long-term goals are created.
CSFs (Critical Critical Success Factors are used to guide the planning process. A
Success business needs to ask itself: ‘What factors are critical to our success?’
Factors) Examples can include the following.
• Satisfied customers
• Superior product and service
• Controlling costs
Operational Operational plans establish the activities and budgets for key functions
plans the business performs and the resources it uses.
Operational plans contain specific goals; actions required to achieve
these goals; and use of resources, including time, people and money
(budgets).
Standing Standing plans are ongoing plans that guide the day-to-day activities of
plans people. Examples include Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), rules
and policies.
KPIs (Key KPIs are specific targets and measures for CSFs. More on these later.
Performance
Indicators)
Single-use Single-use plans are one-off plans to guide a unique situation, for
plans example, a plan for the refurbishment (glossary) of your business.
Individual Employees can make individual plans for professional development goals
plans they would like to achieve to improve performance and achieve rewards.

Goals need to be SMART!

Whether you are setting KPI targets or goals and objectives, you are thinking about
outcomes you want to achieve. Exactly what do you want to achieve and by when? It’s
important that what you set can be measured. It’s useful to remember the term SMART to
help you write your outcomes.
Click on the letters to learn more about SMART goals.
What are some common features of well designed goals?

It can be up to the leader and/or team to decide how goals are achieved, but well
designed goals share common features. They are written in terms of outcomes, and they
are measurable and quantifiable, challenging and clearly communicated.
What is meant by ‘monitoring work operations’?

Monitoring is a process of determining how well your plans are implemented.
‘Work operations’ refers to the work itself and includes systems, procedures, staff
performance and service levels.
Frontline managers need to monitor efficiency, productivity, service levels and service
standards on an ongoing basis. The best way to do this is through close contact with day-
to-day operations.
2014 Edition 8
Click on the tabs to learn more.
What does monitoring involve?

• Comparing actual performance against planned performance
• Identifying, and when necessary, documenting differences between actual and planned
performance
• Correcting differences and applying strategies to get performance back on track
What are service standards?

‘Service standards’ are the quality level, depth and range of services offered. For
example, some organisations provide a five-star, full service experience, while others
provide a more limited service experience.
What are service levels or service rates?

In quality systems management, service levels or service rates are the performance
metrics used to measure the customer service. For example, how quickly customers are
to be served, how many customers can be served per employee or team per hour.
What are productivity rates?

Productivity commonly refers to the physical products produced by employees in a given
time, for example, meals made, documents produced, data entry rates, etc.
What is quality management?

Quality management, sometimes referred to as Total Quality Management (TQM), is a
management philosophy driven by customer needs and expectations.
It’s a total commitment to customer satisfaction.
Click on the outside bubbles to learn more about the principles of quality
management.

Customer
feedback
Factual Quality
decision- systems/
making assurance
Empowerment
Quality Quality
management standards
Continuous
Benchmarking
improvement
Teamwork
Quality standards
Australian and international quality standards guide managers to establish, administer,
maintain and improve their competitiveness through quality systems.
Benchmarking
This is researching competitor process (and even companies outside your industry) to
examine practices with the aim of adapting, modifying and applying them in your own
company.
It’s searching for and developing what’s considered ‘best practice’ in any company in any
industry anywhere in the world so you can use it within your industry/company.
Quality systems/assurance
Implement systematic analytical tools and techniques that allow for the control and
monitoring of quality service/products standards.
Customer feedback
The customer is an integral part of the service delivery. What do customers want, need
and expect? Seek feedback from customers. Use research tools to obtain feedback.
Teamwork
No one person can meet customers’ needs and expectations within the organisation.
Each department and staff member must work together as a cohesive team, focused on
providing the best service experience.
2014 Edition 10
Continuous improvement
Continually evaluate and seek ways to improve all aspects of the business product and
service delivery.
Empowerment
Staff at all levels of the organisation need to have the authority and ability to make
decisions about their own work processes and solve customer service problems.
Factual decision-making
Decisions concerning what to improve and how to improve are based upon qualitative and
quantitative data.
What is quality assurance?

Quality assurance or QA is a way of preventing making mistakes in the development of
products and the delivery of services by building in a system of controls at each point of
the product development and service delivery chain. This helps the company to ‘assure’ or
guarantee customers that its products and services are of a consistently high standard.
QA takes a company-wide quality approach. Click on the squares to find out what
this entails.
Structure:
Quality culture:
Job controls, such Hierarchy,
Job competence: Codes of conduct,
as Standard informal and
Staff with the right team spirit,
Operating formal decision-
skills, experience motivation,
Procedures and making processes
and qualifications attitude all
duties checklists enable quality to
directed to quality
be achieved

What is quality?
Quality is determined by product users, clients or customers. Every business needs to
understand what quality means to their customers and identify ways to provide quality in
the product/service cycle.
Quality has many dimensions and could be described as:
• a measure of excellence
• the best, the finest, the greatest, the most expensive, superior
• free from defects, deficiencies and significant variations
• consistent, uniform, trustworthy
• safe
• effective
• doing the right things right.
What are the principles of quality customer service?

Service is any assistance you and your staff offer customers. Developing quality customer
service practices puts you and your organisation one step ahead of the competition. But
what are the principles that underpin quality service? What should you do to meet quality
standards?
Click on the pictures to learn the key characteristics of quality customer service.
Quality culture
• Make sure staff understand, are aligned with and focused on the organisation’s mission
as well as their individual and team responsibilities.
• Form teams which involve staff at all levels. Motivate them to identify and solve
problems together, continually improving work systems, products and services.
• Create team spirit by motivating staff to help each other achieve customer service
outcomes. Your teams will not only survive, but thrive under pressure.
• Customers can feel the positivity, creativity and togetherness as staff performs at their
best to get the job done.
Quality systems and processes

You can reliably and consistently produce quality service through controlling your systems
and processes. Work with employees to examine, streamline and standardise them. This
reduces mistakes and variations from the established norm.
Quality service
• Quality service stems from quality organisational culture, systems and processes.
• Familiarise employees with the establishment’s mission statement and make sure they
have clearly defined roles, KRAs (glossary) and KPIs which are aligned with it.
• Lead staff in continuous improvement by providing regular, standardised training to
improve performance.
• Train staff to exceed customers’ needs and proactively deal with problems/complaints.
2014 Edition 12
Quality product
• Systematically build quality into products.
• Regularly monitor all products for quality.
• Use specific systems and processes as well as qualitative and quantitative (glossary)
tools to do so. These help to pinpoint and resolve problems.
Quality monitoring
• Consistently measure your innovation, performance, productivity and quality.
• Compare your figures with those of other departments or organisations. (This is known
as benchmarking.)
• Use your measurements and comparisons to make continuous, systematic
improvements across all levels of the organisation.
Quality relationships
• To provide quality products and services, you need to manage the whole integrated
value chain (glossary).
• Build relationships and work with your internal and external customers (glossary) to
develop better ways of meeting customers’ needs.
• Form trading partnerships, strategic alliances, etc. to combine your strengths. This
way, you can produce higher quality products/services and deliver them cheaper and
faster.
Value for money

Systematically provide extras which go beyond customer expectations. They want to get
the most for their money. This is largely a matter of perception!
Here are some of ways to increase the value or perceived value of products and services.
• Guarantees
• Packaging and presentation
• Quality assurance
• Free gifts/complimentary items
• Loyalty vouchers
• Superior service
Click to the next screen to look how systems and procedures are used to assure quality.
Hot tip
Because quality service meets (and exceeds!) customers’ expectations, it’s whatever the
customer tells you it is! In this way, what defines ‘quality customer service’ is actually
always fluctuating.
To manage this, you need to be in close communication with customers and on top of an
ever-changing game in order to keep them satisfied.

Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Every business has standards and procedures to follow, which are documented in
manuals (electronic and paper) commonly referred to as SOPs. SOPs detail the operating
principles and practices that allow for quality control. They help manage performance and
achieve consistent results.
Standard: the quality aspects or levels expected, e.g., speed, accuracy, response times,
aesthetics (how something should look).
Procedure: the step-by-step process in which something is done.
Click on the icon to learn about the benefits of having SOPs.
 SOPs detail specifications for quality control.

 Well-designed SOPs can be explained visually with flowcharts and diagrams to help
employees to do their jobs.
 SOPs can help reduce and prevent errors, variations and waste.
 They streamline procedures and provide consistency in all aspects of your
business, including situations where the business operates across multiple
locations.
 They assist in limiting liability regarding WH&S (workplace health and safety)
practices and other areas where there may be liability for a breach of quality product
and service delivery.
 They provide the foundation for training content and design and make it easier to
assess employee performance.
You can have organisation-wide SOPs and department specific SOPs. Certain elements
of SOPs are written after undertaking a benchmarking process.
Typical standards and procedures

Organisations include a standard operating procedure for every aspect of business.
Click on the pictures to learn more about the different types.
Administration
• Recruiting and selecting staff
• Inducting a new employee
• Requesting leave, such as annual or sick leave
• Conducting performance appraisals
• Document presentation, e.g., reports, letters, faxes, brochures, etc.
WH&S
• Manual handling procedures
• Food handling procedures
• Emergency procedures: fire, bomb threat, natural disaster, etc.
• Accident or incident procedures
2014 Edition 14
Service standards
• Complaint handling
• Answering the phone
• Meeting and greeting guests
• Handling VIP guests
• Personal presentation standards
• Product and quality service guarantees
Technology
• Use of social media at work
• Email management
• How to use relevant software
Work practices
• Taking a reservation
• Cleaning procedures
• Performing a stocktake
• Receiving goods
• Finalising an account
Click on the icon for an example of QA applied to the presentation of a document.
You’re asked to prepare a written document. The organisation is likely to have set
procedures you must comply with. These might include:
• Type of paper to be used, e.g., letterhead

• Header and footer information for document identification
• Font size and style
• Who can authorise and issue documents
• Guidelines and policy on what the document can and cannot contain.
What are the common characteristics of standards and

policies?
For your documented standards and procedures to be successfully implemented, they
should have certain key characteristics.
Click on the dot points to find out what these characteristics are.
 Relevant
 Current (updated regularly)
 Written in collaboration with staff
 Supported by training and induction
 Readily available

What does monitoring actually involve?

It’s helpful to look at the monitoring process as a series of steps.
Click on each of the steps to learn more.
Step 1
Establish what needs monitoring
• Review guest service cycles and work procedures for points during the process where
monitoring could occur.
• Use KPIs. Establish them if they are not already set for your department or team.
Step 2
Establish specific monitoring methods
• Develop a system for monitoring operational progress on a daily, weekly or monthly
basis. Use flow charts, Gantt charts (glossary), progress reports, sales figures, or
whatever is appropriate to your department.
• Use key performance indicators to track and measure progress.
• Involve staff in the monitoring process, where possible.
Step 3
Compare what is happening to what should be happening and reduce variations
• Where possible, apply quantitative measuring or work-study tools, using numerical
skills to analyse results. For example, analyse actual sales to budgeted sales, actual
customer numbers per hour to predicted customer numbers, etc.
• Improve procedures and record the new process or workflow.
• Train staff and upgrade skills where necessary.
Step 4
Plan for continuous improvement
• Identify checkpoints for improvement.
• Plan for monitoring changes in the workflow.
• Involve staff in planning for continuous improvement.
• Look at investing in equipment and technology to streamline operations.
Step 5
Evaluate and assess opportunities for improvement
• Take into account relevant constraints.
• Examine potential problems and pitfalls.
• Seek approval from relevant management.
Step 6
Provide feedback
• Provide feedback to relevant staff, including your team and management.
• Formally and informally acknowledge staff involvement in achieving goals and targets.
2014 Edition 16
Note
Seek the ideas and opinions of staff throughout and involve them in monitoring and
evaluation processes. Not only does this make your job easier, but it shows staff you value
them and their contribution.
Refer to the unit Lead and Manage People for more information on developing KPIs.
STEP 1: ESTABLISH WHAT

NEEDS MONITORING
Click on the checkboxes to learn what to monitor.
 The employee’s use of time.

 Whether standards and procedures are being applied. Examples could include
employee grooming and hygiene standards, food safety standards, WH&S
procedures, or whatever is relevant to your department.
 Progress towards KPI targets and goals relevant to your department.
 Use of physical resources, such as products and equipment. Are they being used
correctly? Is there unacceptable waste?
 Changes to the external environment, for example, an increase in customer phone
calls, or budget cuts.
Is there anything I shouldn’t monitor?

Don’t monitor or measure things that are:
• difficult or expensive to measure

• difficult to interpret or understand
• are not the direct responsibility of your team or individuals within the team
• won’t cause individuals or teams to act differently
• don’t impact on your KPIs or goals.

STEP 2: ESTABLISH SPECIFIC

MONITORING METHODS
Anything that helps you check actual performance against planned performance can be a
method of monitoring. It could be as simple as greeting your team at the start of a shift so
you can subtly check that employees are at their work area on time and in uniform.
Click on the tabs to learn more about methods of monitoring.
Formal
Formal methods are the specific quantitative measures.
• Reports: statistical reports, financial reports, customer feedback reports, employee job
satisfaction reports, etc.
• Checklists: HACCP plans (food hygiene), duties checklists, cleaning schedules, end-of-
shift checklists, etc.
• Work planners, such as Gantt charts and work-flow plans.
• Information used to measure KPI target achievement: sales data, customer complaint
logs, customer numbers, etc.
• Software tracking systems that monitor employee time, security systems, customer
numbers, etc.
• Visual data that helps display KPI progress: logs, charts, graphs, etc. This can be
displayed electronically, or on notice boards.
Informal
Informal methods are qualitative. They involve observing and making judgements about
quality and standards.
• Don’t hide away in an office. Regularly get out and chat to staff and customers. Are
employees doing what they should be doing and when they should be doing it? Do
customers seem satisfied?
• Ask staff for feedback when appropriate, for example, during quiet times and at shift
and department meetings.
Hot tip
Don’t over-monitor or supervise staff. No one likes to feel like their manager doesn’t trust
them. Set up systems, procedures and standards and include suggestions from staff.
Train and empower employees to monitor their own work.
2014 Edition 18
Monitoring in action
Click on each of the staff members for examples of a monitoring method in action.
Craig
‘I undertake a lot of quality checks when receiving goods. I record the temperatures of
cold food to ensure it is between 1 and 5 °C and frozen food is less than minus 15 °C. I
check that packaging is not torn and products are well within their ‘best-before’ dates.
Fruit and vegetables must look fresh and be free of bugs and mould. I reject anything that
doesn’t meet these standards. I record the dates, time and temperatures in log books.’
Ashanti
‘We encourage customers to give us feedback by completing surveys. These can be done
online and on paper during check-out. We also invite customers to ‘like’ us on Facebook
and rate us on Trip Advisor. The marketing department gives us a report each month and
we discuss the feedback in meetings. We use this feedback to make amendments to our
services and procedures.’
Luke
‘I do spot checks on rooms to ensure they have been cleaned to standard. The room
attendants have their cleaning schedules, checklists and procedures, but sometimes
things are missed. If it’s a minor problem, I’ll fix it myself. However, if there are several
duties missed, then it can indicate a problem, and I’ll chat to the staff member about it.
Sometimes it can mean providing additional training.’
Eve
‘Consistency in quality is very important to us. Each time we introduce a new menu, we
have staff in for training, and everyone gets to taste each dish and look at how it should
be presented. Of course we have standard recipes, but problems can occur with
interpretation of presentation, so we take pictures of each dish and display them on the
wall in the plating area. As a last check, wait staff will alert the chef if they notice any
problems with the dish before it is taken to the customer. No one is too precious about
feedback. We’re here to impress the customers.’
Note
Each of these examples highlight the importance of monitoring as a team effort. Each
employee should be able to take responsibility for identifying quality problems and
complying with quality outcomes in their work area.
How should you involve colleagues?

If you want employees to ‘buy-in’ or feel a sense of ownership over their work, then
involve them in decision-making and continuous improvement processes as much as
possible. Front-line employees deal directly with customers and may have some of the
best ideas for how to improve service and efficiency levels.

Click on the light bulbs for some strategies on how to proactively seek opportunities
for workplace improvement.
 Have an ‘open door’ policy. This means that staff can approach you with problems
or queries when they need to, or at least be available for appointments on a regular
basis. Have a positive attitude and be open to new ideas.
 Have regular meetings. Provide clear, objective information on performance and
proactively seek ideas for workplace improvement.
 Give staff time to discuss and brainstorm ideas for workplace improvement. People
need time to think and research. Meeting times may not always be the best
environment for free thinking. Consider giving staff some scheduled time off from
regular duties once a month to work on ideas for improvement.
 Allocate research projects. If you’ve identified problem areas, have an employee or
small team work on researching ideas, technology and equipment that could be
used.
 Staff suggestion ‘box’. Have an ‘ideas’ area on the company Intranet, or a
suggestion box in the staff room so employees can note their suggestions for
improvement.
 Invest in training and development. Send employees to seminars, workshops and
events. Encourage networking and sharing of ideas.
STEP 3: COMPARE WHAT IS HAPPENING

TO WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING
AND REDUCE VARIATIONS
Where possible, apply quantitative measuring tools, record data and correct variations.
There are many monitoring methods and as a frontline manager you should, where
appropriate, include corrective actions in SOPs. This ensures staff take some
responsibility for managing deviations.
Click on the icon for an example.
HACCP plans involve checking food temperatures, recording preparation and storage
times, and performing visual checks for spoilage and damage. If problems are noticed,
then food might be thrown out, returned to suppliers, cooked further, or any other number
of corrections, depending on what deviation is noticed.
Corrective actions can include amending systems and SOPs, providing coaching and
training to employees, and reviewing KPI targets.
Hot tip
Any corrective action should be done in line with the organisation’s goals, policies and
with the approval of appropriate management.
2014 Edition 20
STEP 4: PLAN FOR CONTINUOUS

IMPROVEMENT
Continuous improvement, also known as Kaizen, is a key part of quality management. It
recognises that business needs to continuously make incremental enhancements to its
products and services, in line with customer needs and expectations.
The basic principle is ‘let’s keep examining everything we do and see how we can do it
better’.
It’s critical for business today to make little improvements to things they do in order to
keep a competitive edge.
What are some key questions a business should ask?

• How can we do this better?
• How can we do this easier?
• How can we do this faster?
• How can we do this cheaper?
• How else can we do this?
In a nutshell
“Continuous improvement is about doing 100 things 1% better, not doing one thing 100%
better.”
Sir Clive Woodward
What can be improved?

Innovation is essentially about doing something new. It’s the application of better solutions
to problems, better meeting customer needs, and generating ideas that drive business
growth and success.
Click on the pictures to look at how you can be innovative.
 Improving quality features such as aesthetics, durability

 Tailoring services to specific customer needs
 Adding services, such as repair, maintenance, help-desk, cleaning, etc.
 Broadening or narrowing your product range
 Improving usability, performance or safety of products
 Changing delivery methods, packing or unit size
 Adding new features, accessories or extensions to products

 Introducing simplification or convenience. This includes simplifying services and

making them easier to access, faster or more reliable
 Increasing mobility, access, portability or disposability of products
 Changing colour, material or shape of products
 Making products larger/smaller, lighter/heavier, or faster/slower
Note
Product improvements are easier to generate than service improvements. Products are
tangible, or physical, whereas service is not. Click to the next screen to learn more about
service improvements.
Areas of service innovation

Customers are an integral part of the service experience. As identified earlier, the
perception of what makes great service can vary from one customer to another.
Click on the tabs to learn more about service innovation.
New service
concepts
New delivery
New customer
systems:
interaction
tehcnological
New service
delivery New business
systems: partners
people
Source: Adapted from den Hertog’s Service Innovations Model, 2000
New service concepts

Sometimes this is referred to as a ‘new value proposition’. What do customers really
want? Invest in research and development. Use feedback from customers to create
services customers actually value. This could mean changing products, and adding or
changing services.
2014 Edition 22
New customer interaction

How do customers want to interact with you? Do they want more personal interaction or
less? For example, it could mean using technology to deliver more self-service options for
settling accounts, making enquires and ordering products.
New business partners

Companies can form alliances with other organisations to create service improvements
and efficiencies. For example, travel agents team up with hotels, bus companies and
airlines to offer packages; a hotel may outsource their security and cleaning services.
Innovative businesses think creatively about strategic business partnerships that can add
value and reduce costs.
Service delivery systems: people

How do the organisation’s culture, hierarchy, training, recruitment and induction processes
support service delivery? What training and systems can be introduced to better support
service delivery?
Service delivery systems: technology

How can technology be used to support service and create efficiencies? Examples could
include: a new IT system to track orders and allow customers to self-service, application-
based technology for smart phones and tablets, software that tracks customer usage and
allows for feedback data collection.
How do you learn about emerging industry trends?

We live in a fast-paced society where rapid change is now normal. It can be difficult to
keep up with industry trends. There is a wealth of information out there. It is sorting
through it and connecting with what’s relevant, in a timely way, that’s important. So how
can you help this happen?
Click on the pictures to learn more about gathering information on industry trends.
Employer or industry associations

Employer or industry associations represent the interests of business to government and
provide their members with support and information. Industry associations generally
charge an annual fee, but it can be worth every cent. Belonging to a relevant association
can save you time and money. Not only can they provide information services, but also
legal advice and the opportunity to network with others in your industry.
Examples include: Australian Culinary Federation, Australian Human Resource Institute,

VECCI, Australian Tourism Export Council, Ecotourism Australia, and the Australian
Hotels Association to name a few.
Government organisations
Your local government, state and territories can provide a wealth of information. Check
out their websites and look at networking, training and education opportunities.

Networking
Use informal and formal networking opportunities. Go to conferences, events, award
ceremonies and training events. Use social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and
Facebook to network. Try to broaden your network and mix with people from different
industries. Sometimes ideas can come from where you least expect them.
Extend your learning

Visit your state or territory’s website, e.g., www.business.qld.gov.au or
www.business.vic.gov.au and click through the services they have available. Research
employer or industry groups relevant to your business and visit their websites.
Industry trends
Click on the pictures to see examples of industry trends.
Social media
The rise of social media has had a huge influence on business. Whether it’s using
LinkedIn to network or recruit, or Facebook, Wikis and blogs to communicate with your
customers, you can’t overlook the value of social media.
Photo-sharing sites like Instagram and Pinterest are changing many industries.
Customers are sharing photos and experiences with each other. Businesses have the
opportunity to curate content, collect and share the best of what they have to offer.
Meeting and conference planners are using social media tools to research, compare and
read reviews of conference centres and hotels.
Potential tourists are using Trip Advisor, blogs and wikis to research and share their
experiences.
Technology
Cloud-based technology has allowed for a more mobile office world.
Organisations can use video and YouTube on their websites to give visitors a real taste of
their products and services.
Security systems, WH&S, food and beverage production, administration of customers and
staff: practically anything you can think of has technological advances that could be taken
advantage of.
Customer preferences
Sustainable, ethically sourced food and beverages; special dietary preferences, such as
vegan, vegetarian, allergy-free, healthy options; organic, locally sourced, free-range: there
has been a significant change in customer preferences over recent years.
Customers are more discerning. They can research accommodation, conference centres,
travel tips. They know what they want and where to find it.
2014 Edition 24
Sustainability
Sustainability is everyone’s business and has moved beyond a ‘trend’ to become part of
every-day life. We will look at sustainability on the next screen.
Management style
We’ve seen a move from authoritarian, leader-focused management to more participative
decision-making, team-based work. Management trends influence planning, job structure
and employee involvement.
Changing markets
Who are your customers? Markets grow and change, and can be influenced by many
factors, such as changes to the economy, government policy, legislation and the general
environment. Business needs to constantly monitor their markets.

Search the Internet for emerging trends in your industry.
What is sustainability?
There is no one best definition of sustainability. Early definitions referred to how the
earth’s biological systems, such as forests, wetlands and oceans can survive and remain
productive and healthy. The term is more broadly looked at now and includes the
interconnections between the economy, society and the environment and the equal
distribution of resources and opportunities.
Click on the icon to learn more about sustainability.
Economic Environmental Social

Economic development Resource use, e.g., water Human and worker rights
Local industry participation Waste generation Paying appropriate wages
Jobs created Material sourcing Working conditions
Financial viability Atmospheric pollution Corporate governance
Public reporting Toxic material disposal Workforce diversity
Source: Adapted from NSW Government Environment & Heritage.
www.environment.nsw.gov.au/sustainability Accessed 04/03/14

How can you improve environmental sustainability in day-to-

day operations?
Innovation in environmental sustainability is about meeting current needs while preserving
the environment. In frontline management, you need to examine day-to-day operations for
opportunities to improve the conservation of resources and the handling of waste.
Click on the checkboxes to see what to look for.
 Ways to reduce your carbon footprint (glossary)

 Ways to minimise waste, reuse and recycle waste
 Ways to reduce water consumption, including recycling water
 Ways to reduce the use of non-renewable resources
 Opportunities to improve energy efficiency
 Ways to increase the use of renewable, recyclable, reusable and recoverable
resources
 Ways to protect and restore natural habitats and environments valued for their
biodiversity or beauty
 Redesign production processes to eliminate the production of toxic materials
Note
Refer to the unit Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices for more
information on this topic.
How can you improve economic sustainability in day-to-day

operations?
Financial sustainability is achieved when a business is able to deliver products and
services to the market at a price that covers its expenses and delivers a profit. A business
that is not financially viable won’t be able to survive in the market.
Click on the checkboxes to see what to look for.
 Clearly defined KPIs which align with business goals

 Quantifiable measures of progress towards achieving KPI targets
 Ways to reduce waste
 Ways to reduce costs
 Ways to minimise the use of resources
 Employees have a clear understanding of the importance of financial sustainability
and how they can contribute positively to it
 Employees are well trained and have the right skills and qualifications to perform
their jobs efficiently and effectively
2014 Edition 26
 Streamline systems and procedures for efficiency and effectiveness in delivery of

products and services
 Check equipment and technology is regularly checked and well maintained
 Investigate innovative technologies and equipment that can offer long-term value
 Check decisions align with long-term goals. Avoid making decisions that have short-
term gain, but negative long-term implications
How can you improve social sustainability in day-to-day

operations?
Social sustainability encompasses human rights, labour rights, corporate governance
(glossary), and social cohesion. Social cohesion includes embracing cultural diversity,
ethical practices, health and well-being, satisfaction and equity.
Click on the pictures to see what to look for.
 Value and embrace a diverse workforce and identify and remove barriers to entry
and promotion, such as bias and discrimination.
 Have a code of conduct, which is applied across the organisation. This can include
how employees should deal fairly with each other and customers.
 Regularly liaise with stakeholders (glossary). Seek their feedback and include them
in decisions that can potentially affect them.
 Ensure all employees conduct themselves professionally and with integrity.
 Conduct regular training on WH&S, Equal Employment Opportunity,
antidiscrimination legislation, your code of conduct and ethics.
 Be transparent. This means being open about how decisions are made and have
objective criteria for decision-making where possible. This helps eliminate the
perception of bias.
 Be fair. Ensure rosters are fair and equitable, pay and conditions of employment are
understood and applied uniformly.
 Check your businesses in your supply chain uphold the same sustainable values
that your business has.
Innovation in action!
Click on each of the staff members to see examples of innovation in action.
Kris
We’ve been making sustainability improvements to our kitchens over the last few years.
We installed water saving devices, improved our waste management procedures and
added a compost bin and even built a herb garden on the patio. We switched to eco-
friendly cleaning products and had a biological grease digestant added to our drains to
keep them clog free!

Michaela
We used consultants to help us set up a quality assurance system that assures
sustainability, safety and quality in all our products and services. They provided the
software, systems and training we needed.
Damian
We’ve embraced social media to better engage with our clients. They want to share their
travel experiences, and we encourage them to do this through our Facebook page, Twitter
and Instagram sites. Our staff write on the company blog and tell our clients about their
latest adventures and hot travel tips.
Mei
After client feedback, we decided we needed to examine accessibility to our events. We
included Disability Services in the review process. We found we needed to change a few
things, including offering information in a variety of formats, improving the accessibility to
our toilets, making one of the toilets unisex, having better signage (more of it and in larger
font) and purchasing some portable audio devices. We also updated disability awareness
training for our staff.
Jorgen
We’ve done a lot to improve energy management in our venue. We’ve installed cloud-
based software that allows us to monitor and manage our energy use. Heat sensors
monitor when guests are in their rooms and return the room to the preferred temperature.
They also turn lights off in rooms not used. We’ve switched to energy-saving light globes
and a reusable electronic key card system.
STEP 5: EVALUATE AND ASSESS

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
There are many ways for frontline managers to improve business operations. These can
include product and service design and efficiencies, adopting new technologies and
trends and including sustainable practices.
Although you might think an idea is fantastic, every manager makes decisions within
constraints. You need to evaluate ideas within these constraints while involving staff in
decision-making.
Click on the icon for some examples of constraints.
 Budgets and financial position

 Availability of staff
 Employment conditions, such as working hours and penalty rates
 Skill level and qualifications of staff
 Technology available
 Organisational goals and strategic plans
2014 Edition 28
 Management style and decision-making scope

 Organisational culture (they may not support innovation and change)
 Time
Tips to evaluating opportunities

When evaluating opportunities and ideas to innovate and improve, ask yourself the
following questions.
• What are the potential positives and negatives of the idea?

• Who will be affected by this decision?
• Is there a potential legal liability?
• What effect will the decision have on the reputation of the business?
• What will the costs be?
• How does it benefit the customer?
• How does it affect stakeholders?
• What resources will be required to implement the idea?
• Does it align with organisational goals?
• Does it fit in with organisational policy?
• Are there any potential problems with the idea?
In a nutshell
Always act within your level of authority and defined responsibilities. Don’t implement any
changes if you do not have the skills, experience and authority to do so.
STEP 6: PROVIDE FEEDBACK

Feedback is essential for improvement and future planning needs. Data collected from
your monitoring efforts reveal progress towards goals. Ideas for innovation and
improvement have to be communicated to all concerned for evaluation and approval.
There are many methods that can be used to give and receive feedback. It depends on
the situation and person or entity involved.
Who needs the feedback? Click on the icon to find out.

People who need feedback
Management
Other
Customers Leader departments
Subordinates
As you can see, you can give and receive feedback from all levels in the organisation.
What is the difference between formal and informal

feedback?
Informal feedback often occurs through face-to-face discussion.
Formal feedback is often through meetings or written communication and varies

depending on your workplace needs.
Click on the tabs to see examples of formal feedback.
KPI results
Tracking, recording and evaluating progress towards achieving KPI targets is part of your
role as a frontline manager. Daily, weekly or monthly results can be tracked and reviewed
by the team. Results are reported to senior management.
Meetings
Every organisation differs in the types of meetings that it holds. Team meetings are a
great way to seek and give feedback within your department.
Management-level meetings are used to represent your department’s interests at upper-

management levels.
Reports
Frontline managers may need to write progress reports to senior management and
include KPI results, innovation ideas and other relevant financial and statistical
information.
2014 Edition 30
We will look at informal and personal feedback in Section 3.
End of section
You have reached the end of Section 1
Click to the next section to continue.

2.0 Plan and organise workflow
• Assess current workloads, and schedule work to maximise efficiency and customer
service quality within budget constraints.
• Delegate work according to principles of delegation.
• Assess workflow and progress against agreed objectives and timelines.
• Assist colleagues in prioritisation of workload through supportive feedback and
coaching.
• Provide timely input to appropriate management regarding staffing needs.
Work smart!
Time is a scarce resource. It cannot be replaced. If you waste it, it’s gone.
Using time efficiently is a skill that everyone can benefit from. It’s up to frontline managers
to assist their staff in managing their workloads and time and to role-model the way.
The 80:20 rule or Pareto principle

The Pareto principle was coined by management consultant Joseph Juran, who named
the principle after Italian economist Vilfredi Pareto. Pareto noticed that 80% of the land in
Italy was owned by 20% of the population. This 80:20 rule was noticed in many areas of
life: for example, there was a common notion in business that 80% of sales came from
20% of customers.
Click on the tabs to find out more.
How the 80:20 rule can apply to time

It’s often said that 20% of our efforts gains us 80% of our results. Therefore, 80% of our
efforts only gives us 20% of our results!
So, are 80% of your efforts providing little benefits in achieving meaningful results? Click
to the next screen to learn how you can turn this around.
The two forms of time

Response time
The uncontrollable time spent responding to requests, demands, complaints and problems
initiated by others.
Discretionary time
The part of a manager’s time that is controllable: the manager decides how it is spent.

In a nutshell
‘Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it
will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.’
(Carl Sandburg, 1878 – 1967)
What strategies can you use to manage time?

Click on the pictures for some better time management strategies.
Use technology to get organised

Get rid of piles of paper and sticky labels. Use technology to your advantage and get
organised! There are numerous software programs, personal scheduling programs and
applications for tablets and smart phones that can help get organised.
Here are some examples of software and applications to replace paper.
• Diaries
• Calendars that synchronise with diaries, reminders and email
• Workflow planners, GANTT charts
• Project management systems
• Rostering systems
• ‘To do’ lists
Prioritise
Think about the 80:20 rule. What’s really important to the outcomes of your business?
Work on these things first. Look at your ‘to do’ lists and prioritise tasks. Use a simple
colour code system like red for urgent, or simple numbering like 1 for urgent, 2 for
important and 3 for non-urgent.
Handle it once
When you open an email, message, letter or any other type of request, make an
immediate decision on managing it. A lot of time can be wasted reading messages,
deliberating on them, and putting them aside to look at again later.
Handle it once. This means deciding whether you will Action, Delegate, Delete or File.
Quiet time
Earlier we identified that as a manager, it’s great to have an ‘open door’ policy. However,
you need to allocate some ‘closed door’ time during the day. Many people like to use the
first hour of their shift, when they are fresh and alert to make decisions and deal with tasks
that require concentration.
Identify time wasters

What are your time wasters? Checking personal emails, gossiping with colleagues,
checking social media, attending unnecessary meetings. Most people have things they do
that distract them from doing the things they have to do.
2014 Edition 34
Avoid procrastination. Identify your time wasters and work to eliminate them. Many find it
helpful to turn off sound alerts to emails, Twitter, etc, and allocate several times a day for
checking messages.
Delegate
You can’t and shouldn’t try to do everything. Delegation is an essential time management
tool. Make a delegation plan and put it into action. We’ll return to this topic in later
sections.
Avoid multi-tasking
Recent studies show that multi-tasking does not save time. In fact, the opposite is true.
Switching from one task to another interferes with concentration, resulting in a loss of
productivity.
Stay healthy
If you’re healthy, you are more likely to handle stress effectively and work productively.
Ensure you get enough sleep, eat well, drink plenty of water, and exercise. Importantly,
take regular breaks throughout the day. Get away from your work area for a few minutes.
If you can, get outside for fresh air and go for a short walk. Poor time management can
result in fatigue, moodiness and more frequent illness.
How do you help employees manage their time?

Now you’re familiar with time management principles, you can help your employees to
manage their time. Just because someone looks busy or stressed, doesn’t necessarily
mean they have a heavy workload; it could be that their time management skills are poor.
Run a meeting or training session and show them what good time management looks like.
Click on the icon for some tips on how to help staff to manage their time.
 Have employees keep a log of their work day to identify where they might be
wasting time.
 Ensure they have the technology tools to plan and organise their day and know how
to use them.
 Take them through the ‘time management strategies’ identified on the previous
screen.
 Have employees participate in setting SMART goals, or KPI targets. This can help
them feel more ownership over them and keep them focused on what work activities
are important.
What is your duty of care?

The organisation, and you as their manager, has a duty of care to ensure that staff are
aware of their responsibilities, are competent in their job role and can manage their
workload. If an employee is highly stressed and is at ‘breaking point’, it could be a WH&S
issue. You need to protect the employee from physical as well as psychological harm.

Click on the checkboxes to learn more about your duty of care as a frontline
manager.
 Have clear job descriptions, and procedures and standards. Train employees
against these. Keep training plan records.
 Check that employees are competent and skilled in all areas of their job. This might
involve undertaking annual ‘training needs analysis’ to identify gaps in performance.
 Conduct regular performance reviews. Include formal reviews, such as performance
appraisals and informal reviews including observation, coaching and feedback.
 Use measurable data to assess and schedule workloads and ensure they are fair
and realistic.
 If you identify that an employee is not handling their workload, meet with them and
look at strategies for managing the situation.
 Ensure employees take their scheduled breaks.
 Look for signs the employee may be overworked.
How do you know if an employee is overworked?

Click on the magnifying glasses for signs you should look for.
 Unusual working patterns, e.g., working through breaks, staying back late, etc.
 Inability to meet deadlines
 A drop in accuracy
 Increased staff turnover
 A reduction in output
 Conflict with other employees
 Over-reliance on other staff members to help
Hot tip
Monitor workloads and service standards to ensure they are maintained, regardless of the
time of day, or how busy demand is.
How do you assess workloads?

Begin by looking at the service levels or service rates. These are the performance metrics
used to measure customer service, for example, how many customers can be served per
employee or team per hour. Productivity refers to the products produced by employees in
a given time, for example, meals made, documents produced, data entry rates, etc.
2014 Edition 36
Click on the icon for examples of service and productivity rates.
 Rooms cleaned per hour

 Covers served per food and beverage attendant
 Tables served per food and beverage attendant
 Bar sales per hour
 Revenue per seat, per hour
 Guest check-ins or check-outs per shift
 Meals that can be produced per person
 Reservations taken per shift
 Sales calls made per hour
 Projects completed per month
Your aim is to effectively assess workloads, schedule to maximise efficiency, and meet
customer service quality standards, all within budget.
Steps to assessing workloads

Click on each step to learn more.
Step 1: Calculate productivity

Ensure positions are clearly defined and have position or job descriptions. Analyse jobs
using statistical, quantifiable methods to determine the amount of work expected by an
employee on a given shift, week or month, according to whatever productivity and/or
service rates you use, as outlined on the previous screen.
Step 2: Calculate employees

How many employees are required to manage workloads? Again, use a ‘scientific’ or
quantifiable method to determine your employee numbers.
Step 3: Predict demand

Use methods to predict the demand for your products and services and adjust employee
numbers, as required.
Click to the next screen to learn more.

STEP 1: CALCULATE PRODUCTIVITY

The following diagram illustrates how you could calculate productivity either for a position,
or a division where multiple people are required to produce a service or product.
Option A
Follow transaction
from beginning to
end, recording the Total (number of
time it takes. transactions per
period, times X:
Collect data to determine average time
the time needed to process needed to do the
a single transaction in a transactions) ÷ by
position or division. Option B time available to
Time all the employees in that
transactions position or division.
performed by a
position or division
for a specific time
period,
e.g. one hour.
On the next screen we’ll look at an example of the productivity method Option A in action.
Calculate productivity example

Harriet manages the housekeeping department of a medium-sized hotel. She has job
descriptions and SOPs for every position she oversees. Part of determining realistic
workloads for the position of room attendant involved Harriet analysing how long it would
take for a competent room attendant to clean a room, following company procedures. This
meant looking at departures (or guest check-outs) and stays (guests in-house). Harriet
determined that it took longer to clean a departure, as there are more steps in the
process.
How did Harriet reach this conclusion?

After observing and timing two competent staff performing their duties, Harriet determined
the following productivity standards for the position of room attendant.
Departure Standard motel room 30 minutes

Departure Self-contained apartment 45 minutes
Stay Standard motel room 20 minutes
Stay Self-contained apartment 30 minutes
2014 Edition 38
STEP 2: CALCULATE EMPLOYEES

Harriet calculated the minimum employees she needs to operate the department in a quiet
period and employed a combination of two full-time and three part-time staff to cover this.
She also employed ten casual staff to meet extra demand.
When Harriet writes a roster and decides the work allocation for a particular day, she
looks at the predicted arrivals and departures for each room that day. She loads her full-
time employees first and then allocates five hours to each part-time and the rest of the
hours to casual staff.
Click on the clocks to find out more.
Full time
Harriet’s full time employees work an 8 hour shift.
8 hours (480 minutes) minus 15 minutes for one paid tea break. So actual cleaning time is
465 minutes (the meal break of 30 minutes is unpaid).
• 465 minutes ÷ 30 = 15.5 rooms per shift (departures motel style, stays self-contained)
• 465 minutes ÷ 20 = 23 rooms (stays standard motel rooms)
• 465 minutes ÷ 45 = 10.3 rooms (departures self-contained)
• Or any combinations of the above, as long as they add to 465 minutes
Part-time
Harriet’s part-time employees work five hours per shift.
5 hours (300 minutes). No meal break required.
• 300 ÷ 30 = 10 rooms (departures motel style, or stays self-contained)

• 300 ÷ 20 = 15 rooms (stays standard motel style)
• 300 ÷ 45 = 6.6 rooms (departures self-contained)
• Or any combination of the above, as long as they add to 300 minutes
Casual employees
After calculating the total arrivals and departures for the day for each room type in minutes
and allocating the work to full-time and part-time, the remaining hours of work are divided
between her casual staff.
What’s the result of all these calculations?

The result for Harriet
Harriet has used a scientific method to determine a realistic workload for a room attendant
and scheduled the work to maximise efficiency and still achieve quality standards.
Harriet needs to look at wage costs, which may include penalty rates (depending on the
award or agreement in place) to determine whether to schedule casual staff over
weekends, particularly Sundays and public holidays.

Note
For ease of scheduling, many organisations use an eight hour day for full-time staff and
then return the accrued hours to the employee as an extra RDO or rostered day off every
four weeks.
Factors that influence assessing workloads

Harry applied clear, measurable strategies in determining workloads for her room
attendants.
Click on the dot points for some other factors to take into account.
 Budgetary constraints, in particular your labour budget.

 Directives from senior management, for example, changes to goals and strategy
and restrictions on spending.
 The star or rating level of the property. This can influence the range and depth of
services. For example, a budget motel might allow less time than a high-end hotel
for cleaning a standard motel style room.
 The skills and experience level of your staff. New employees will take longer to
complete duties. Training time must be considered.
 Time constraints. At times, you may need to comply with strict timelines, which
could result in staff having to perform duties in less time than they would usually be
given.
 Availability of equipment and technology that could improve productivity and service
levels.
 Award or enterprise agreement constraints.
 Equipment malfunctions, technical problems, emergency procedures and any other
unforseen event can affect workloads.
 Factors that influence demand for your products and services, such seasonal
variations, current promotions, economic conditions and new competition.
Communicating with management regarding staffing needs

Regularly review workloads and procedures to ensure they are efficient and manageable.
Report back to management regularly and when you notice a problem. This may be done
via written reports, email and meetings.
Click on the icon to learn more about providing feedback to management regarding
staffing needs.
 Request changes to the labour budget should you think it’s not a fair reflection of
your staffing needs.
 Request new employees. This usually requires a formal process of completing a
‘new employee requisition’ form and having it approved by senior management.
2014 Edition 40
 Seek permission to implement new training programs.

 Request equipment and technology that will improve work processes.
STEP 3: PREDICT DEMAND

Click on the pictures to learn how to predict demand.
Historic trends
Look at previous sales, bookings held, occupancy rates or whatever is appropriate to your
business. Historic trends are a guide only. For example, a business may have been quiet
last January, but this year it is unexpectedly busy.
Future bookings
What months are beginning to look busy? Technology such as Property Management
Systems, Reservations Management Systems and Apps can be used to track and predict
busy periods.
Marketing
Are there any new marketing campaigns planned that could have a significant effect on
business? These could include discount promotions and advertising campaigns targeting
new markets.
External factors
There are many other factors that can affect business, particularly at the strategic
planning stage. These include economic changes, legislation, government policy and
changing social trends.
Hot tip
Predictions are an educated guess. While no one can accurately predict the future, you
stand a better chance of being adequately staffed if you practise regular planning.
What employment arrangement can organisations use?

Organisations have a number of options in terms of employment arrangements.
Click on the pictures to see what they are.
Modern awards
Awards are part of the national workplace relations system and cover the wages
(glossary) terms and conditions of employment for an industry or occupation, for example,
the Hospitality Industry Award.

Enterprise agreement
An enterprise or collective agreement is a contract for terms and conditions of
employment negotiated between the employer and employees and their representatives
(unions, if requested). Agreements can be specific to one workplace, or a number of
businesses within a company. Generally, enterprise agreements include specific flexibility
around roster arrangements and working conditions for that company.
Minimum wage
The national minimum wage applies to employees who are not covered by an award or
agreement.
Common law contract

Salaried (glossary) positions, such as management and professional roles and those
earning over $100K, often fall outside an award or agreement. People in these positions
generally negotiate their own employment contract.
Where can I go for help?

Employers and employees can visit the website of the Fair Work Ombudsman for help in
any employment matter. The Fair Work Ombudsman is the independent statutory office
created by the Fair Work Act 2009 to promote harmonious, productive and cooperative
workplace relations and ensure compliance with Commonwealth workplace law.
Important!
Regardless of the employment arrangement, all employers must comply with the National
Employment Standards. Click to the next screen to learn more.

Visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website and familiarise yourself with information found
under each of the tabs. Look under the ‘resources’ tab for the Best Practice Guidelines.
Click through the resources available for small to medium businesses.
The National Employment Standards (NES)

Pay and terms and conditions of employment can be found in whatever award or
enterprise agreement (or minimum pay standards) your organisation complies with. The
award or agreement will make reference to the ten NES. These are minimum
requirements; however, a company may choose to provide above these entitlements.
Employment or workplace relations law is an area that changes regularly, particularly in

times of new government. For example, currently there is discussion about extending the
right to request flexible work arrangements to all employees. Note: the paid parental leave
scheme is separate to the NES.
2014 Edition 42
Click on the icon for a summary of the NES.
 Employers to provide a copy of the Fair Work Information Statement to all new
employees
 Maximum weekly hours of 38, plus reasonable additional hours
 Requests for flexible working arrangements. Parents and carers can request
change to working arrangements to care for children not yet at school, or under 18
with a disability
 Parental leave and related entitlements. Up to 12 months unpaid leave and the right
to request another 12 months
 Personal/carer’s leave and compassionate leave. This includes sick leave and
bereavement leave
 Community service leave. This includes jury service and voluntary emergency work
leave
 Long service leave
 Public holidays
 Notice of termination and redundancy
 Fair Work information statement for all employees.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman. Accessed April 2014
Important!
All new employees must be given a copy of the NES in the form of a Fair Work
Information Fact Sheet. Copies can be downloaded from the Fair Work Ombudsman site.
Note
It is important for managers and supervisors to have a sound knowledge of employee’s
rights under the Fair Work Act and the NES. Misunderstandings around pay, rosters and
entitlements can be avoided, with clarity around these standards.
What are the different modes of employment?

There are different modes of employment that affect employees’ conditions of
employment, entitlements and rate of pay. An understanding of these will help you make
scheduling decisions to maximise efficiency and work within a budget.
Click on the different employees for a brief overview of each employment type.
Full-time
A full-time employee generally work 38 hours per week. They are typically employed in
positions that have an ongoing, regular and somewhat predictable workload.

Permanent full-time employees are entitled to the minimum NES and other statutory rights
such as superannuation and paid parental leave. For example:
• 4 weeks paid annual leave (5 weeks for shift workers)

• 10 days paid personal/carer’s leave per year
• Regular employer contribution as a percentage (currently 9.25%) of the wage to
superannuation
• Public holidays
• Notice when they lose their job
What is an ordinary full-time working week?

According to the NES, an ordinary week for a full-time employee consists of an average of
38 hours, which can be worked in a number of different ways, depending on the award
agreement in place. Below are some of the ways a 38-hour week can be averaged.
• A nineteen-day month, of eight hours per day (thereby accruing one fully paid day off
per month)
• Four days of eight hours and one of six hours
• Four days of nine and a half hours per day
• Five days of seven hours and 36 minutes per day
• 152 hours per each four-week period with a minimum of eight days off per each four-
week period
• 160 hours per each four-week period with a minimum of eight days off per each four-
week period plus a rostered day off
Part-time
Part-time employees work less than 38 hours per week, but receive the same entitlements
as full-time employees, on a ‘pro rata’ basis. For example, a part-timer working 18 hours
per week is entitled to five days of carer’s leave and ten days of annual leave per year.
What hours are worked and how the week is structured may be negotiated between the
employer and employee. Some awards and agreements will set out the minimum number
of hours a part-time employee can work in a shift and/or week.
Employing part-time staff is an effective option when there is regular work that is not
sufficient for a full-time employee, for example, employing someone from 6 am to 10 am
five mornings per week. This option may be effective when covering full-time employees
on their rostered days off.
In addition, part-time employment allows the establishment to offer hours to employees

who wish to work fewer hours because of family, study or other commitments, or for those
wishing to job-share a full-time position. Part-time offers job security and predictability to
both employee and employer.
Casual
Casual employees are employed on a casual basis and paid by the hour, or part thereof.
As a casual employee, there is no guarantee of future ongoing hours of employment. In
fact, the contract of employment is terminated at the end of each engagement or shift.
When casual staff are first engaged, they must be told of the terms of their engagement,
and in particular, that they are employed on a casual basis with no entitlements to paid
leave (sick, personal or annual), or promise of ongoing hours or shifts.
2014 Edition 44
To compensate for the lack of security and entitlements, casual employees receive a
minimum of 25 per cent loading on the ordinary hourly rate of pay and for all standard
hours. Most awards and agreements direct that a minimum shift is two hours.
Employing casual staff offers employers maximum flexibility and is an effective option to
help meet the service needs during busy times or peak periods, or to cover part- and full-
time staff while on leave or when sick. However, casual positions may not work well in
high skilled jobs requiring detailed product knowledge.
Permanent or temporary
Employees should be engaged on a temporary basis if the nature of work they are
required to undertake is of a temporary nature, for example, to fill a position while a full-
time employee is on leave, or to complete a temporary project such as the management
of a function or event.
It is not appropriate to use temporary engagements as a means of trialling employees or

managing probation periods.
Remember, permanent positions are those that are ongoing. They can also be full-time or
part-time depending on the needs of the organisation.
Note
For more information about the different modes of employment, minimum standards and
rates of pay, refer to the Australian Government Fair Work Online website
www.fairwork.gov.au.
What is delegation?
Delegation is the act of giving a subordinate the authority and responsibility to complete a
task that would normally be part of your role. However, as the manager, you retain the
accountability for the task’s success.
In other words, if the task wasn’t done well, it’s not about blaming the employee, but
reflecting on how you could have improved the training and support provided.
Click on the icon to find out why delegation is so important.
 It is an effective time management strategy. There are never enough hours in the
day, and delegating helps you manage your workload.
 It fits in with motivation principles. Employees want to do interesting and rewarding
work. You can delegate challenging and rewarding tasks.
 It helps with succession planning. Delegating is partly training others to be ready for
management roles.
 It contributes to an environment of trust. Employees feel respected and valued
when you entrust them with some of your responsibilities.

Note
Remember, a sign of a good manager is when your department can run smoothly without
you there. You should be able to take a holiday and know your staff are capable of
managing without you.
Steps to delegation
Successful delegation is something that should be carefully thought through. This is where
things often go wrong, and we hear a manager saying ‘I just should have done it myself!’
Often we see leaders delegating in a rush, without adequate coaching or thought as to

who is the best person for the job.
Click on the steps to learn more about how to delegate.
Step 1: Decide what Make a delegation plan. This is a list of tasks that you think
to delegate could be delegated. They should be tasks that will assist in
employee development and understanding of their job role.
Don’t use delegation as an opportunity to get rid of all the duties

you hate! Take care to not delegate things that are confidential,
such as pay matters, or are a core part of your role.
Step 2: Decide who Think about employees who are skilled and want to learn more.
to delegate to Employees who are bored and want new challenges are a good
choice. Ideally the person must be willing and able, with some
training, to complete the tasks.
Step 3: Delegate Clearly explain the reasons for delegating and provide training
to selected staff. Indicate what outcomes you expect in terms of
quality, standards and completion times. Ensure they know
where they can go for further support, if required.
Step 4: Inform others Often, it is necessary to inform co-workers, other managers and
even departments that an employee has the authority and
responsibility for a delegated task. This can avoid conflict and
misunderstandings.
Step 5: Monitor Don’t over-supervise, as it will indicate a lack of trust. A useful
results and give strategy is to establish check-points. These are points in time
feedback where the employee reports back to you on their progress so
that you can provide constructive feedback.
2014 Edition 46
Planning delegation
Setting out a formal plan is a good problem-solving strategy for noticing skill gaps and
matching tasks to the most appropriate team members.
Click on the icon to see what a plan may look like.
Example of a plan
Tasks unsuitable Tasks you do Tasks you do Things no one is
to delegate yourself, but could yourself, but could doing that could be
be done by others be regularly done by others
in your absence delegated
• Employee • Attending • Coaching new • Researching new
performance management employees product and
appraisals meetings • Writing rosters supplier
• Counselling for • Budget analysis • Ordering, information
poor performance • Compiling reports requisitioning and • Coming up with
• Checking for senior receiving stock new promotional
timesheets management concepts
• Costing new
equipment
Hot tip
The ‘things no one is doing that could be done by others’ is an interesting one to think
about. Often we have ideas for new projects, but we simply don’t have time to research
them. These can be interesting tasks that add value not just to the employee’s role but to
the organisation.
Barriers to delegation
There are many things that can get in the way of effective delegation. These barriers can
come from you and from your team members.
Click on the checkboxes to see some examples.
 Employees may resist taking on delegated tasks because they feel uncomfortable
with the responsibility, overwhelmed, or unsure of their ability.
 Employees may think it’s not their responsibility to do ‘your’ work.
 Giving too many tasks to the one person.
 Giving the more interesting tasks to favoured employees (or the perception this is
happening).
 Failing to recognise, praise and thank the efforts of employees.
 Delegating in a hurry.
 Over-delegating. Giving too much at once.

 Over-monitoring. Not giving enough space for employees to learn and work on their
own.
 Worrying that an employee may do a better job than you, and you may be
delegated out of a job!
 Lack of trust, believing that you are indispensable and no one can perform as well
as you.
 Loss of control over your work, which can create fear and anxiety.
Click on the icon to learn how to overcome barriers.
• Identifying barriers is the first step to overcoming them. It is common for people to feel
fear and uncertainty around doing something new. Some other strategies can include
the following.
• Taking time to delegate
• Making a delegation plan
• Asking subordinates for input on the delegation plan
• Fully explaining to employees the reasons and value to them of taking on delegated
tasks
• Matching staff to tasks according to skill set, motivation levels and desire to learn
• Training, monitoring and coaching
• Taking little steps. Start by delegating something simple and then move to a more
difficult task
• Ensuring team members have the resources they need to complete the tasks
Giving clear instructions helps the delegation process. Click to the next screen to learn
more.
How do you give instructions effectively?

There are four types of verbal instructions. To communicate effectively, you need to know
what they are and when to use them.
Click on the pictures to learn more.
Explicit and direct

The term ‘explicit’ means clear and ‘direct’ refers to the instruction being directed at a
particular person or team. They are commands used in situations where something must
be done or followed without confusion or clarity, for example, WH&S issues, procedures
and standards, etc.
Click on the speech bubble to hear an example.
‘Tina, I need you to update your client contact list now please. Can you let me know when
you’ve completed it? Thanks.’
Request
A request asks for agreement. It softens the instruction and encourages participation and
open communication.
2014 Edition 48
‘Would you be able to provide me with a cost breakdown on that by tomorrow afternoon?’
Indirect
These instructions are not directed to a particular person but left as an open question to
your team. It allows for people who are interested to volunteer for a task. It also allows for
some discretion in how the task is carried out. It can be used when asking employees to
volunteer to do something extra, or outside of their usual job responsibility.
‘We have just had word of a disrupted flight, which will mean all our remaining rooms will
be occupied tonight. We need someone to stay back and organise the check-ins’.
Conditional
Conditional instructions can be directed to one person or a group. With this type of
instruction, you provide essential information and outline the desired results or outcomes.
You then leave it up to the discretion of the employee as to how they will go about
meeting this result. This approach works best with motivated and experienced staff. It
helps build trust, respect and confidence.
‘Sam, it’s time to consider changing poultry suppliers to better align with our ethical food
stance. Can you investigate our options and report your findings back to me within a
fortnight, please?’
How should you check instructions?

Never ask an employee ‘Do you understand?’ To avoid embarrassment, most people just
nod their heads and say ‘yes’.
Instead ask open questions that demonstrate understanding.
Click on the dot points for some examples.
 ‘Would you like me to explain/show you again.’

 ‘What other information can I provide you?’
 ‘Is there anything you would like me to go over?’
 ‘Explain to me what you are going to do now.’
 ‘Can you outline what you will report back to me on?’
 ‘Can you show me what you are going to do?’
Why is communication important to a positive team

environment?
Role-modelling excellent communication skills involves containing negative emotions and
acknowledging and respecting the opinions of others. It also helps to create an
environment of trust, which is essential to open communication and the testing and
sharing of ideas.

Click on the loudhailers for some communication tips.
 Share information. Make information easily accessible to others, whether this

means posting it on the Intranet, releasing timely emails or holding regular
meetings.
 Ensure nonverbal signals match your words.
 Active listening – making a conscious effort to really hear what people are saying
and listen without interrupting.
 Paraphrase to clarify information.
 Speak calmly and clearly.
 Show respect for the opinions of others.
 Make appropriate eye contact.
 Use open body language gestures.
 Focus on the content of the message and try not to get personal.
 Express feelings and needs clearly and honestly, appropriately.
 Empathise with the feelings of others. Even if you disagree with what they are
saying, you can still acknowledge the issue and their feelings, appropriately.
Barriers to effective communication

Barriers are things that get in the way of the message being effectively received. They can
happen anywhere in the communication process.
Click on the icon to see some common barriers.
 Use of jargon. Overcomplicated, technical language and use of abbreviations and

acronyms (glossary) can confuse and annoy people.
 Lack of attention or concentration. Many things can interfere with someone’s ability
to focus. These could be distractions such as background noise, discomfort and
thinking of other things, like ‘What’s for dinner’!
 Incorrect channel, for example, conveying lots of detail in a meeting that could be
better served by email.
 Physical disability, for example, difficulty hearing.
 Language differences, for example, difficulty understanding accents, or having
English as your second language.
 Cultural differences. Social norms and style of communication are influenced by
culture. For example, Australians tend to use a direct style of communication that
can sometimes be viewed as insensitive.
 Perception and attitude. Everyone has perceptual biases that affect our attitude.
These could be stereotyped (glossary) views and prejudices.
 Assumptions. It is common for people to assume communication is clear because
no one has said otherwise! It is important to seek feedback and ensure the
message has been received as communicated.
2014 Edition 50
What tools can you use to plan, assess and monitor

workflow?
The easiest method of depicting timelines and workflows is to use a diagram or chart. A
visual representation can help make progress and expected outcomes clear to everyone
involved. There are many software packages available today which use easy to
understand charts or diagrams.
A Gantt chart can help you coordinate and manage multiple and potentially conflicting
tasks. They can be used to prioritise tasks and organise them across a time period. They
are very useful for teams to see the relationship of their activities to others and to self-
monitor their progress.
Click on the icon to see an example of a Gantt Chart.
Customer satisfaction survey

August September October
Steps 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Design survey tool for
customer research.
Test survey tool
Edit survey tool
Upload survey tool to

website.
Invite responses
Monitor responses
Commence collating data
Finalise data
Complete research report
= = Development = Operational
Click to the next screen to look at other methods you can use to share information,
monitor and evaluate progress within your area.

How can employees monitor, evaluate and share

information?
Whatever data is relevant to the tools you’re using to measure and monitor progress,
employees need training to understand and interpret this data and their role in the
monitoring progress. It’s up to the manager to facilitate this.
Click on the icon to find out more.
Teams can meet regularly to review progress. Are employees clear about their roles and
responsibilities? Who collects the data, when, where and how? The manager needs to
clearly define team and individual responsibilities.
After planning, deciding and recording targets, an effective way of communicating and
tracking progress is to display results in a common area.
• Notice boards in staff rooms

• Above the photocopier
• On the company Intranet
• Email
This allows not only the team, but the rest of the business to see the team goals and
progress.
Click on the icon to see an example of a layout of a KPI review sheet, ready for the
team to record their progress.
KPI Data collection Performance Performance Best Performance

method this week last week performance target
to date
Cost • Labour cost %
performance • Food cost %
• Linen costs
(uniforms,
aprons, etc.)
Marketing • Bookings
• Function
inquiries
• Sales
conversions
• Response
rates to
marketing
campaigns
Customer • Customer
satisfaction complaints
• Customer
feedback
• Repeat
business
So, as you can see, charts help the team and individuals to monitor progress towards
targets. In the next section, we will look at how you can provide coaching and support to
your employees.
2014 Edition 52
End of section
You have reached the end of Section 2

3.0 Monitor and support

team members
• Monitor team and individual performance against agreed goals and objectives.
• Proactively share information, knowledge and experiences with team members.
• Challenge and test ideas within the team in a positive and collaborative way.
• Provide feedback, coaching and support to team members.
• Complete and submit workplace records as required.
Sharing skills and knowledge

There are countless procedures, standards, processes and systems employees need to
know about. What skills or knowledge do you have to share with colleagues?
You have 30 seconds to list as many as you can.
Click start to begin.
List the skills and knowledge you have and could share with others.
How did you go?
No matter what skills and knowledge you possess, you can pass them on to others using
the key principles of coaching. Click to the next screen to find out what they are.
How do you coach colleagues on the job?

You can break your coaching session down into six simple steps which incorporate the
key principles of training.
Click on the numbers to see the six simple training steps.
Step 1: Explain purpose and objectives
Step 2: Explain and demonstrate skills
Step 3: Listen to trainee explanation
Step 4: Observe trainee demonstration
Step 5: Evaluate trainee performance
Step 6: Provide feedback
No matter where you work, you can use these key principles of training and steps for
coaching.

Mastering the demonstration process is important for frontline managers. Click to the next
screen to learn more.
How do you demonstrate clearly?

Click on each step to learn about the demonstration method.
Feedback, corrective action and support

It’s important to create an environment of open communication, continuous learning and
support. Share your knowledge and experience. Provide the trainee with tips and tricks
you’ve learned along the way that you believe have made a difference to your
performance. Be positive and encouraging, and give the trainee a chance to provide input
into their learning.
Click on the pictures from left to right to see the process.
Demonstration Observation Feedback Questions

Ask the trainee to Watch them closely Correct mistakes. Encourage the
demonstrate the task for: trainee to ask
step by step, • omissions Provide suggestions questions and clarify
explaining what • mistakes for improvement. steps, where
they’re doing as they • ways they could necessary.
go. improve.
2014 Edition 56
Hot tip
Sometimes it’s better to ask ‘How could you have done that better?’ rather than interrupt
them in the middle of a task.
For more information about coaching refer to the unit Coach others in job skills.
How do you give, receive and use feedback?

As managers, you need to give, seek and use feedback to improve not only the
performance of employees, but the team as a whole.
Feedback should be given with the right attitude, i.e. in the spirit of improvement, not
about finding fault. Feedback should be given consistently. Don’t wait for formal review
processes or monthly meetings.
Feedback should be two-way. The employee should have the opportunity to ask questions
and provide feedback too.
Click on the tabs to find out what the feedback needs to be.
Specific
Collect facts and data. Whether feedback is to a group or an individual, positive or critical,
it is the facts that matter. For example, ‘I was happy with your work yesterday’. What does
this mean? What were you happy with? You need to give specific examples. Focus on the
behaviours or actions, not on personality traits of the person.
Timely
Timing is important. As close to the event or issue the better. If you are giving a staff
member feedback about their performance on shift last night, it is better not to wait until
next week.
Constructive
Feedback is not all that useful if it doesn’t provide information on how to improve. This can
be done directly with the student, for example, ask ‘What do you think needs to be
improved?’ or ‘How can I help you improve?’ Importantly, if the feedback is critical, it is
important to discuss the issue in private.
Hot tip
Don’t give sensitive or negative feedback to people in front of others. It will only
embarrass the person, interfere with the learning process and contribute to poor morale.
Also avoid exaggerating to get your point across, as it can make people defensive. This
means avoid saying things like ‘you never’ and ‘you always’.

Communication in coaching and feedback

Let’s clarify the role of effective communication in relation to coaching and feedback.
Sometimes communication can break down for the following reasons.
• Inappropriate circumstances for coaching, such as busy periods of time at work

• Language barriers
• Cultural barriers
• Shyness and lack of confidence
• Assumptions made about what the trainee knows or understands
• Difficulties with the learning task
If communication breaks down, begin coaching again and follow a few simple ground
rules.
What are some simple ground rules for effective

communication?
• Choose clear, concise, simple words.
• Clearly communicate objectives to the trainee.
• Check understanding by asking questions and having the trainee demonstrate skills
and knowledge to you.
• Check that your coaching is adapted to the trainee’s learning style and needs.
• Speak so the trainee can hear you.
• Speak slowly enough so they can understand you.
• Vary the tone and pitch of your voice.
• Watch for signs that the trainee doesn’t understand you or is disengaged from the
training. This can include frowning, sighing, appearing uninterested, etc.
• Ensure the trainee doesn’t have a diminished capacity to learn. This could involve a
hearing or vision impairment and learning disability or anything else which impedes
understanding.
Records of training and coaching provided to employees should be kept. Click to the next
screen to learn more about the workplace records you’ll need to keep.
Hot tip
People learn in different ways. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory and
others are kinaesthetic. Coaching, delivery and materials should be adapted and varied to
suit the learner’s preference and language and literacy levels. Refer to the unit Coach
others in job skills for more information.
2014 Edition 58
What workplace records do you need to keep?

As a frontline manager, you need to keep a range of workplace records concerning your
staff. Completing and maintaining workplace records is an important part of the task.
There are often legal and financial reasons why records must be kept, and senior
management will need to be kept up to date on progress within your area. They are also
proof of work completed and monitoring activities undertaken.
Click on the checkboxes for examples of records that need to be kept.
 Daily checklists showing duties completed

 WH&S check lists and reports
 Incident register and reports
 Receipt of goods
 Equipment maintenance records
 Customer complaints register
 Customer feedback forms
 Orders
 Cleaning schedules
 Banking details
 Rosters and requests for days off
 Training records, for example, new employee inductions, ongoing training received
 Annual leave planners, leave requests and leave approved forms
 Job descriptions
 Performance evaluations
 Warnings, documentation of written and verbal warnings given
In a nutshell
Workplace records should be completed in a timely manner and stored according to the
privacy policy within your organisation. Organisations vary in the systems they use to
complete reports. Some may be paper-based, but many are using electronic reporting
methods for speed of completion and ease of document storage.
End of section
You have reached the end of Section 3.

4.0 Solve problems and

make decisions
• Identify and analyse workplace problems from an operational and customer service
perspective.
• Initiate short-term action to resolve immediate problems, where appropriate.
• Analyse problems for long-term impact, and assess and action potential solutions in
consultation with relevant colleagues.
• Where a team member raises a problem, encourage individual participation in solving
it.
• Take follow-up action to monitor effectiveness of solutions.
Problem-solving and decision-making

Problem-solving and decision-making are two key skills required of any manager.
Problem-solving is a mental process that involves identifying, analysing and solving
problems. The ultimate goal of problem-solving is to find and decide upon solutions that
satisfy everyone affected by the problem.
Click on the icon for some tips on problem-solving and decision-making.
 Tackle problems early. Don’t let them build into large issues.
 Involve your employees in the process of solving problems and making decisions if
time permits and if the problem or decision affects them in any way.
 Communicate your intentions clearly to everyone involved.
 Resolve issues in line with company policy and goals.
 Think through possible repercussions of all decisions.
Common workplace problems

Problems often occur when you are busy, short-staffed or are already dealing with another
problem. In these situations, employees look towards their manager for support, guidance
and clear direction.
Click on the keys to learn about common problems organisations experience.
 Delays and time difficulties

 Difficult customer service situations
 Equipment breakdown or technical failure
 Failure to deliver promised service to customers
 Inadequate financial resources
 Inadequate staffing

 Poor rostering
 Poor staff performance
 Procedural inadequacies or failures
 Unrealistic or impractical product development or marketing resulting in operational
difficulties
So how should you approach solving problems? Click to the next screen to learn more.
Is it a programmed or non-programmed decision?

Programmed responses or decisions are routine steps to manage problems or processes
for which one answer consistently applies. Companies use SOPs to guide staff through
programmed decisions.
As a frontline manager, you should identify commonly occurring problems within your area
and outline clear steps for resolving them. Including visual diagrams, such as flow charts,
can help guide employees through the problem-solving process.
Click on the pictures for examples of programmed responses to common problems.
 Steps to managing a customer complaint. This can include common resolutions,

such as when to give a discount, refund or accept a product return.
 Steps to managing equipment failure, including what to check, whom to call and
WH&S considerations.
 Steps to managing an emergency such as a fire or bomb threat.
A non-programmed decision is required when you come across a problem or situation

you’ve never encountered before. This needs careful consideration, discretion, judgement
and innovation. Click to the next screen to learn more.
Problem-solving steps
Even if you’ve never come across a particular problem before, you can still apply
methods, tools and processes to help generate a range of solutions and decide upon the
best option.
Problem-solving uses a range of critical thinking skills. These can include observation,
interpretation, analysis and evaluation. Let’s look at some common problem-solving steps.
Click on each step to reveal the critical thinking skills.
Problem-solving step Critical thinking skills

Step 1: Define the problem Determine the root cause of the problem.
Prioritise. What needs to be solved first? What information

is more important?
Consider short- and long-term impact of the problem.
2014 Edition
62
Problem-solving step Critical thinking skills

Step 2: Generate Interpret information and data.
alternatives
Brainstorm ideas.
Research sources of assistance, both within your company

and externally.
Step 3: Evaluate and select Analyse options. What are the positives and negatives of
alternatives each, and how do they affect everyone involved?
How will you decide upon the best option?

Step 4: Implement Put an action plan into place and communicate it clearly to
solutions all concerned.
Take responsibility to ensure the solution is carried out.

Step 5: Follow-up and Monitor the implementation. Is the solution working, i.e.
evaluate results meeting the stated goals? Why/Why not?
STEP 1: DEFINE THE PROBLEM

It is important to analyse problems for their root cause and long-term impact and identify
the difference between a symptom and a problem. Symptoms are the results of problems.
If you don’t address the root cause of a problem, the symptoms will persist.
Usually in business, you need to address the symptoms immediately and then take the
time to analyse the problem in depth, determine its cause and put strategies in place, so
that the problem doesn’t occur again.
Click on the manager to see an example.
‘We experienced a number of complaints from conference attendees who were late, or
missed out on hearing some of the speakers. We dealt with these complaints and did our
best to direct people on the day, but with 2,500 people in attendance, things don’t always
go to plan.
After the conference, we had a team meeting to get to the heart of the problem. We
discovered there was a fault with the audio equipment in some of the break rooms,
resulting in attendees not hearing the callback. We’ve since had the equipment fixed and
updated our maintenance and sound-check procedures so the problem shouldn’t occur
again.’
How do you clearly define a problem and determine the root

cause?
You can use a number of techniques to do this.
• Fishbone (Ishikawa diagram)

• The 5 Whys strategy
• Mind maps

Each of these strategies is explained over the following screens.
The fishbone diagram

The Ishikawa or fishbone diagram was developed by professor Kaoru Ishikawa and is
commonly used in quality management. It helps identify the cause and effect of a
problem. Causes are usually grouped into major categories, such as people, materials,
environment, processes and technology. Teams can work on completing the diagram
together, which helps provide a clear understanding of the depth of the problem.
There are some key steps to remember in using a fishbone diagram.
1. Identify the problem.

2. Work out the major factors involved.
3. Identify possible causes.
4. Analyse the diagram.
Click on the icon for an example of a fishbone diagram.
Materials People Technology
Problem
Primary cause
Secondary
cause
Process Environment Products

Research examples of fishbone diagrams. Pick a work-based operational or customer
service problem for a business or case study you are familiar with and try analysing this
problem using a fishbone diagram. Examples of problems can include: an increase in
customer complaints about a particular product or service, a reduction in revenue, a
reduction in customers, or an increase in employee turnover.
2014 Edition
64
The 5 Whys strategy

This strategy is also commonly used to explore cause-and-effect. It’s also part of a quality
management process. It was developed by Sakichi Toyoda and was used in Toyota Motor
Corporation to help determine the root cause of problems in production. It can be used for
operational and customer service problems, not just production problems.
It is a simple technique that involves starting at the problem and working backwards
asking ‘why’ until the root cause is discovered.
Click on the icon for an example of the ‘5 Whys’ strategy in action.
1. Why was the client unhappy with the conference?

Because we didn’t deliver the services when we said we would.
2. Why were we unable to deliver the services on time?

Because we were understaffed.
3. Why were we understaffed?

Because we’ve had several key staff leave over the last month.
4. Why have we lost several key staff?

Exit interviews revealed a number of reasons, such as poor rostering, lack of time
off and lack of support.
5. Why have we got poor rostering and a lack of support for staff?
Because supervisors are writing rosters at the last minute. Also, there are no clear
systems in place for managing roster requests and ensuring days off are fairly
allocated.
In this example, you could ask why several more times. Five times may not always get to
the root cause. If it doesn’t, then keep drilling down until it’s clear.
Mind Maps®
A Mind Map® is a visual structure which can be used to generate and explore ideas,
classify ideas, solve problems, group information and see connections between ideas.
Mind Maps® can be done as a solitary exercise, but they are a great way for teams to
work together on a problem or idea. The Mind Map® concept is attributed to Tony Buzan
and you can find out more about them at his website www.buzan.com. Mind Mapping
software is also available for organisations to use.
Click on the icon for tips to create a mind map®.
 Place the main problem or idea in the middle of the paper. Imagine this as the trunk
of a tree.
 The major subheadings are shown as main branches, with subheadings or ‘twigs’
coming from these.
 Use colour and pictures, where possible. Research demonstrates that this ‘excites’
the brain, engaging thought, helping memory and highlighting connections between
problems or ideas.


Access Tony Buzan’s website www.buzan.com. Watch the clip explaining why Mind
Maps® work. Have a go at making your own Mind Map® to investigate a problem or idea
you may have.
Avoid false logic

As a frontline leader, we want to involve our team in the problem-solving process. It’s
good for innovation and quality decision-making. Employees need to feel safe to express
their opinions and ideas, think critically and challenge ideas. As a leader, we have to role-
model the way. This involves effective communication skills, an awareness of our
assumptions and particular bias, and how false logic can lead to poor decision-making.
Click on the tabs for examples of bias and false logic.
Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias happens when you look for and select information that already supports
a belief you hold. For example, if you believe customer service delays are caused by
problems with your ordering system, you will look for evidence that supports this. The
problem then is you may close your mind to other possibilities.
False cause
False cause can happen when someone states that because there is a correlation
(glossary) between two events, that one caused the other to happen. Correlation does not
necessarily equal causation.
The ‘rooster syndrome’ is an example of false cause. A rooster crows every morning as
the sun comes up; therefore the crowing causes the sun to come up! Here’s another
example. You notice a correlation between eating chocolate and getting headaches, and
so you think that eating chocolate gives you headaches. It could be that you eat chocolate
when you are stressed, and that it is actually the stress that gives you the headache.
Casual connections are difficult to make. This is why it’s particularly important to fully
investigate problems for their root cause.
Anchoring bias
It is common for people to give too much credit to the information they hear first. This then
becomes the ‘anchor’ from which further decisions are made.
Anecdotal evidence
This is when someone uses personal experience or an isolated incident to create a valid
argument. For example, you comment that you never use a travel agent to make travel
plans, and that therefore hardly anyone uses travel agents these days, and it is a dying
industry. Important decisions should be based on hard data and statistical information, not
anecdotal evidence.
2014 Edition
66
Group think
A fault with group decision-making can occur when a leader thinks they have consensus
(glossary), but what they really have is ‘groupthink’. This term was first coined by Irving L.
Janis in 1972 and describes the process where group members supress their opinions in
order to fit in with the majority, often influenced by the opinion of the group leader.
You don’t want a team of ‘yes’ people. Encourage individual thought by giving your
opinion last and asking dominant group members to also do this. Give time for thought
and reflection. Don’t allow employees to get personal in how they argue, avoid being
overly critical and show you appreciate contributions, even if you don’t agree with them.
STEP 2: GENERATE ALTERNATIVES

Now that you know the cause of the problem, it’s time to look at how it can be resolved.
Sometimes solutions will be obvious, but other times it can require a lot of thought and
creativity.
Brainstorming ideas for solutions is a common strategy.
Click on the tabs to learn more about brainstorming.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming combines a relaxed and informal approach to problem-solving, combined
with creative thinking. Conventional group approaches to generating ideas can be
undermined by unhelpful behaviour such as belittling the ideas of others, early judgement
and group think.
How to conduct a brainstorming session

1. Prepare the group
(a) Conduct the session in a quiet, comfortable meeting room with a white board
or butcher’s paper to record the ideas.
(b) Allocate one person as the ‘scribe’ to write the ideas down.
(c) Overview the brainstorming process.
2. Present the problem
(a) Clearly define the problem. Preferably the team has been involved in this
process already (refer to Step 1).
(b) Allow some quiet time for people to reflect on the problem.
3. Guide the process
(a) Advise the team that they have five minutes to make suggestions.
(b) No one is to critique the ideas during this stage.
(c) Help the scribe to write ideas down if they are coming too quickly.

4. Evaluate
(a) After the timed session, go over each idea. Ask quieter members how they
could see these ideas working.
(b) Ask a lot of open questions.
(c) Don’t dismiss ideas as ‘crazy’. With some work, a bizarre suggestion could
turn out to be a great idea.
In looking at alternative solutions to a problem, you need to gather relevant hard data and
statistical information to support a solution. This may also involve external research.
Examples of data
• Reports: financial, statistical, operational, etc.
• Marketing statistics, both internally generated and collected from sources as the
Australian Bureau of Statistics and IBIS World
• Competitor analysis
• Benchmarking processes and other quality assurance initiatives
• Product cost comparisons
When you’ve gathered all the relevant data, then it’s time to evaluate it. Click to the next
screen to learn more.
STEP 3: EVALUATE AND

SELECT ALTERNATIVES
Now it’s time to evaluate the various options you have for solving the problem. Solutions
will be constrained by factors such as resources available, organisational policies and
procedures, and the capabilities of your team.
Before selecting a solution, there are some questions you should ask.
Click on the icon to see what they are.
• What are positives and negatives of each option?

• How well will this solution meet the objectives?
• How will it affect customers and staff?
• How will it affect the quality of our product and service?
• Who will it affect, within and outside the organisation?
• What resources will be needed?
• Are there any problems with the solution? Will the problems outweigh the benefits?
• Will staff readily accept the solution?
• Does it fit in with organisational policy?
• Do we have the time required to carry this out?
• Is there a potential legal liability?
• What effect will the resolution have on the reputation of the business?
Sometimes, there may be more than one viable option and you will need to apply a
decision-making process. Click to the next screen to learn more.
2014 Edition
68
What are the different decision-making processes?

The following decision-making processes can be used.
Click on the pictures to learn more.
Voting
Voting is a quick way to reach a decision. It usually involves asking for a show of hands:
Who is ‘for’ the idea; who is ‘against’ it. However, be aware of its flaws.
• It creates ‘winners’ and ‘losers’.

• It requires people to publicly state a position, making it difficult to change their mind
later.
• The ‘losers’ may not feel committed to carrying out the ‘winning’ solution.
You can overcome some of these problems by conducting a secret vote. This involves
people writing their preferences on pieces of paper, popping them in a box, and someone
then collating the results in front of the group.
Consensus
This is most commonly known as a unanimous decision. This cannot be achieved through
voting. So, how does it work?
• Everyone has an opportunity to express their ideas and opinions in an open,

comfortable forum.
• It involves a lot of discussion and so can be very time-consuming to achieve.
• It requires effective communication and leadership skills from the manager to facilitate
the discussion and keep it on track.
Consensus is important to achieve when solutions must be fully supported by the team.
Not everyone needs to agree 100%, but everyone must be able to say ‘I can see it needs
to be done and so I will support it.’
Unilateral decisions
A unilateral decision is frequently referred to as an ‘executive decision’. It’s a decision
made by one person or side. Essentially, the manager decides on the solution and
announces it to the staff.
Sometimes this is necessary, for example, in situations that require immediate action, or
when the team cannot agree. Where possible, involve your staff and colleagues in the
decision-making processes, especially if the outcome affects them.
Hot tip
Be aware of factional decision-making. This occurs when strong factions within the team
push or bully others into the decision they want.

STEP 4: IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS

Now you need to implement the solutions. Here are some ways to achieve this.
• Put a step-by-step action plan into place for how the solution is to be applied.
• Communicate the action plan to everyone involved in the process and/or affected by
the solution.
• Identify the relevant resources required to carry out the solution and ensure they are
available when required.
• Conduct coaching and training, if required.
• Set a timeline for implementation and check points along the way, to ensure the
solution is being carried out as planned.
Sometimes it may be necessary to test a solution before it is fully adopted. For example, a
solution to a marketing issue is expensive, and so you carry it out on a small sample
group first, and then evaluate the results before fully rolling it out.
STEP 5: FOLLOW-UP AND

EVALUATE RESULTS
Your implementation is only successful if you’ve monitored the results. Take responsibility
for the action plan and check in at the monitoring points you set, to ensure results are to
plan. Set up feedback channels. Encourage your team to inform you if they have any
queries or concerns with how things are progressing.
Click on the icon to find out more.
When the solution has been successfully implemented, meet up with your team and
discuss the following questions.
• What did we learn from this experience?

• What can we do to ensure this problem doesn’t occur again?
• Could our results be better?
End of section
You have reached the end of Section 4.
Click to the next screen to read the unit summary.
2014 Edition
70
Summary
Monitoring involves comparing actual performance against planned performance,
identifying any deviations and fixing them.
Now that you’ve completed this unit, hopefully you can see that with the right procedures,
systems and checks in place, monitoring is not difficult and that management as well
as employees have a role in monitoring their performance towards achieving targets.
This means you can more effectively manage your time and concentrate on other frontline
management responsibilities that contribute to successful workplace operations.

GLOSSARY
Glossary
Word Meaning
Acronym Word formed from the initials or components of a phrase or word.
Carbon footprint The measurement for how much greenhouse gas a person or business
emits.
Consensus A unanimous agreement, or a decision that is commonly supported by
the group.
Corporate The systems, practices and rules by which corporations are directed
Governance and controlled.
Correlation Mutual relationship or close connection between two or more things.
External customer Any person outside your establishment who helps you provide products
and services.
Gantt chart The Gantt chart is a type of bar chart used for planning, particularly in
project management. It was named after Henry Gantt.
Integrated value Also known as the supply chain. It begins with external suppliers and
chain ends with external customers. It encompasses the entire process an
organisation uses to produce value.
Internal customer Any person inside your establishment who benefits from your efforts.
These people vary depending on your particular organisational
structure.
Key Result Areas KRAs are groups of tasks which define main areas of responsibility and
(KRAs) accountability, such as safety, housekeeping, cost reduction, quality
control, staffing, supervising, reporting, etc.
Qualitative Deals with subjective information that can be observed but not
measured, like taste, colour and smell.
Quantitative Deals with objective information that can be measured using numerical
systems.
Refurbishment The act of making improvements to the décor and facilities, such as
redecorating and repainting.
Salary A fixed periodic payment, based upon an annual amount.
Stakeholders An organisation, person or entity that has an interest or concern in your
company. This can include, but is not limited to, employees, customers,
suppliers, the local community, unions and shareholders.
Stereotype To place people into categories and assume everyone in this category
is the same.
Wage An hourly rate of pay.
didasko.com 2014 Edition 73

© Copyright 2014 Didasko International
(‘Didasko Learning Resources’)

1 SITXMGT401 Resources

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

1 SITXMGT401 Resources

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

1 SITXMGT401 Resources

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Learners Guide

Monitor work operations

2014 Edition didasko.com

Version number 1.0

Monitor and improve workplace operations ................................................... 3

Plan and organise workflow ......................................................................... 33

Monitor and support team members ............................................................ 55

Solve problems and make decisions............................................................ 61

Please note the following condition:

© 2014 Didasko International (‘Didasko Learning Resources’). All Rights Reserved.

Then this is the unit for you.

Let’s look at what you will learn on completion of this unit.

Section 1: Monitor and improve workplace operations

Section 2: Plan and organise workflow

Section 3: Monitor and support team members

Section 4: Solve problems and make decisions

1.0 Monitor and improve

didasko.com 3 2014 Edition

What does a manager do?

So, what is management? Click on the icon to find out more.

Successful management is often measured in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Let’s

Efficiency and effectiveness

What’s the difference between leading and managing?

Click on the icon to learn more about the role of a leader.

 Motivating and inspiring others

Why is planning important?

Click on the icon to learn more about the purpose of planning.

Click on the headings to find out more.

Coordinates efforts Without planning, you could be working at cross-purposes:

didasko.com 5 2014 Edition

The hierarchy of plans

Plans are generally defined in terms of their length and breadth.

Click on each part of the diagram to learn more.

didasko.com 7 2014 Edition

Goals need to be SMART!

Click on the letters to learn more about SMART goals.

What are some common features of well designed goals?

What is meant by ‘monitoring work operations’?

Click on the tabs to learn more.

What does monitoring involve?

What are service standards?

What are service levels or service rates?

What are productivity rates?

What is quality management?

It’s a total commitment to customer satisfaction.

didasko.com 9 2014 Edition

What is quality assurance?

didasko.com 11 2014 Edition

Quality has many dimensions and could be described as:

What are the principles of quality customer service?

Quality systems and processes

Value for money

didasko.com 13 2014 Edition

Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Procedure: the step-by-step process in which something is done.

Click on the icon to learn about the benefits of having SOPs.

 SOPs detail specifications for quality control.

Typical standards and procedures