Identify change requirements and opportunities

Performance objective

You will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to identify change requirements for an organisation.

Assessment description

Using the scenario information supplied, you will identify strategic change needs, review existing policy, monitor trends in the external environment that impact on an organisation's objectives, identify operational change objectives, prioritise change requirements and consult experts or specialists to assist in identification of change requirements and opportunities. You will then write a report to management outlining the change requirements.

Procedure

1. Review the scenario information provided (in the Appendix of this task) for Fast Track Couriers.

2. Prepare to write a report on change requirements for Fast Track by following steps 3-10 below.

3. Analyse the organisational objectives provided in the scenario to identify the following change requirements for Fast Track Couriers.
a. Identify requirements for change.
b. Prepare an explanation of how youridentified change needs to link to the organisation's strategic plan goal/s.

4. Review the organisation's current state to understand how the current policies, practices and operations deliver against the organisation's strategic goals.
Review the organisation's performance against objectives with regards to its:
a. people
b. policies and processes
c. technology
d. structure.

5. Monitor external trends to identify events or trends which may impact on the achievement of the organisation's strategic plan goals.
a. Identify two external trends.
b. Develop an explanation of how the trends currently impact or will impact organisational objectives.

6. Identify major operational change requirements.
a. Identify changes due to performance gaps.
b. Identify changes due to business opportunities.
c. Identify changes due to threats.
d. Identify changes due to management decisions.

7. Identify specialists to be consulted to assist with identifying change needs.
a. Identify specialists you will engage to help identify change requirements,and be prepared to explain your reasons for engaging these specialists.
b. Identify what consulting model you would adopt to engage the specialists, and be prepared to explainwhy you would use this model.

8. Assume your assessor is a specialist/expert of the kind you have identified in step 7. Consult with your assessor to assist with identification of change management requirements and opportunities.

9. Identify the managers that need to be informed. Prepare a plan that identifies who, when and how stakeholder managers will be engaged to review and prioritise change requirements.

10. Assume your assessor is a manager you have identified. Consult with your assessor to review the changes you propose and to help you prioritise changes. Suggest and justify the priority you have assigned to each change you recommend.

11. Prepare a 3-4 page report detailing change requirements for the organisation. Include all of the information you identified and the explanations that you prepared in steps 3-10.

12. Submit all documents to your assessor as per the specifications below. Ensure you keep a copy of all work submitted for your records.

Specifications

You must provide:
- one3-4-page report detailing change requirements for the simulated organisation.

Your assessor will be looking for:
- a 3-4-page report including all information identified in the procedure above
- how you use problem-solving skills to identify and analyse issues or barriers, and develop responses
- how you develop and incorporate new ideas into your report on change requirements
- planning skills to organise engagement with manager stakeholders and implement activities to achieve priorities and outcomes
- verbal communication skills to describe, support, and negotiate change requirements and priorities with stakeholders.

Adjustment for distance-based learners
- No changes to the assessment procedure or specification are required.
- Documentation may be submitted electronically.
- A follow-up interview may be required (at the discretion of the assessor).

Assessment Task 2: 

Assessment description

Using the scenario information supplied, you will undertake a cost-benefit analysis for high-priority change requirements, undertake a risk analysis, identify barriers, and develop mitigation strategies. You will develop a change management project plan, assign resources and develop a reporting process. You will then present your analysis and project plan to management for approval.

Assessment Instructions

Part A

1. Review the simulated workplace information for Fast Track Couriers.

2. Develop a change management strategy for Fast Track, which you will present to management (your assessor) for approval, by following steps 3-8 below.

3. Identify change goals and specify:

a. who/what is impacted
b. how they are impacted
c. when the impacts will be realised.

4. Identify the change goals you have identified are related to the organisation's strategic goals.

5. Undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the change requirements. Include:

a. the change requirements
b. the costs of changes
c. risks
d. the possible benefits of each change
e. assessment of the benefits against the costs and risks
f. categorised changes:
i. feasible (F)
ii. maybe feasible (MF)
iii. not feasible (NF).

6. Undertake a risk analysis of the change requirements:

a. identify the risks and barriers
b. analyse and evaluate the risks and barriers
c. identify mitigation strategy.

7. Develop a change management project plan. In order to justify your plan, include a brief explanation of the change management theory/methodology followed to embed change. Your plan must reflect theory and you must be prepared to explain to management how key elements of your plan, such as stakeholder management, communication, and education/training plans, show elements of a particular theory.

8. Include the following components in your plan.

a. Stakeholder management.

i. Identify key stakeholders and roles.
ii. Identify commitment level.
iii. Identify concerns/issues (and how these will be addressed).
iv. Develop consultation methods for engaging identified stakeholders.

b. Communication plan:

i. audience
ii. message
iii. when this communication will occur
iv. how the message will be communicated (e.g. email, face to face, newsletter)
v. person responsible.

c. Education/training plan:

i. participants
ii. the skills the training will provide
iii. when the training will occur
iv. how the training will be delivered (e.g. classroom, online, on-the-job)
v. person responsible.

9. Your project plan should also include a measuring/reporting strategy. Measurement and reporting strategy should include:

a. how you will measure success
b. how you have reached agreement for reporting protocols with managers including:

i. who the relevant managers are
ii. who will submit information for reporting
iii. who will produce the report

c. how you will report success including:

i. format of reports
ii. when reports will be produced (weekly, fortnightly, monthly)
iii. who will receive a copy of the report.

10. Finally, your project plan should also include a list of resources (tools, supplies, etc.)

11. Ask for authorisation to implement strategy.

Part B

1. Following the communications plan provided in Appendix 4, develop a survey to gather feedback from employees.

2. Meet with a union representative (your assessor) to receive and discuss the results of the survey. Anticipate possible resistance by this stakeholder and promote your plans to gain acceptance. Ask for additional input to help you revise your change management communications strategy.

3. Draft revised communications plan and overall project plan (from Assessment Task 2) in consideration of barriers identified through consultation process (with your assessor acting as a union representative) and those identified in risk analysis provided in Appendix 3. Highlight strategic elements in your plan that you will deploy to gain trust and acceptance of change. Ensure you consider the needs of all stakeholders to gain support for planned changes.

4. Meet with General Manager (assessor) to discuss ideas for revised communications plan and overall project plan based on feedback.

a. Discuss the needs of all stakeholders.

b. Discuss creative technique, activity or tactic you will use to gain trust and acceptance in the 15-20 minute information session you will deliver.

c. Ensure you anticipate possible resistance by this stakeholder and promote your plans to gain acceptance.

5. Develop a plan for a 15-20 minute information session for truckers. Include an outline of what activities you will be doing, how long you will be doing them, and how the activity will achieve the goal of employee acceptance of change process. Ensure you anticipate possible resistance from these stakeholders and plan to overcome resistance.

6. Deliver session to employees (your assessor/other people enlisted by the assessor to perform in the role of employees). Ensure you take a consultative approach to the session and invite participation, questions, input, etc. and ensure you incorporate a creative technique, activity or tactic in the session.

7. Make final revisions to your communications and overall project plans based on feedback and consultation (save these as separate documents to previous drafts). You may need to consider changes to communication activities, training activities, and rollout of changes. Consult with GM (assessor) to ensure changes are approved.

8. Submit all documents to your assessor as per the specifications below. Ensure you keep a copy of all work submitted for your records.

Specifications

You must present and then submit a copy of:

- one PowerPoint presentation containing analysis and change management project plan.

Your assessor will be looking for how you:

- explain the change management process or cycle and outline strategies for communicating and embedding that change
- explain components of the change management project plan
- explain specific organisational requirements
- outline potential barriers to change
- demonstrate leadership skills to gain acceptance of plan and gain trust
- demonstrate planning and organising skills
- utilise problem-solving skills to identify and respond to barriers to change and analyse risks
- use verbal communication skills to describe and promote change management plan.

Attachment:- Assessments.zip