Liaise with stakeholders

Performance objective

For this task, you will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required for liaising with stakeholders about the performance of the team.
Assessment description

In response to a simulated business scenario, you will consult with your manager (your assessor in role-play), meet with your team to resolve any team performance issues, and write a report to your manager on the steps taken to resolvethe performance issues.

Procedure

1. Review the simulated workplace information for Apparel Brands Pty Ltd in Appendix 1.

2. Initiate a meeting with your manager (the assessor) to ensure you obtain advice from outside the work team.

3. Consult with your manager (the assessor) to discuss team performance issues. Use your notes from Assessment Task 2 to provide the basis for this discussion.

4. Discuss your own solutions to improve team performance and achieve team goals. During your consultation:
a. note suggestions from your manager (the assessor) to implement with team/individual team members
b. note any information provided by your manager to be given to team members.

5. Meet with team members to resolve performance issues as discussed with the manager. For example, you may help or coach team members to improve their performance. Review the third-party report in Appendix 2 to ensure you are familiar with the task requirements.

6. Write a report for your manager on resolution of team performance issues:
a. Describe how you maintained an open communication process between stakeholders (manager, team).
b. Describe how you were able to initiate and maintain this communication process so that input from outside the team could contribute to team performance.
c. Describe your evaluation of team performance and rationale behind corrective actions in order to provide evidence of your knowledge of:
i. group behaviour to build team cohesion
ii. how to support team members to achieve goals through coaching, mentoring, training, etc.
iii. resolution techniques or strategies.
d. Describe corrective actions you have actually taken to ensure team goal/s are achieved.

7. Ensure each team member completes the third-party report on your corrective actions performance using the template provided in Appendix 2.

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:
- participate in a consultation with your manager (assessor in role-play)
- participate in a team meeting
- submita report on team performance issues resolution
- submitthird-party reports from relevant team members.

Your assessor will be looking for:
- communication skills to address team performance issues or conflict
- planning and organisational skills to keep team focused on work outcomes
- knowledge of group behaviour to build team cohesion
- knowledge of how to support team members to achieve goals through coaching, mentoring, training, etc.
- knowledge of resolution techniques or strategies.
Adjustment for distance-based learners
- No changes to the assessment procedure or specification are required.
- The meeting may be conducted and observed via video or teleconferencing.
- Documentation may be submitted electronically.
- A follow-up interview may be required (at the discretion of the assessor).

Appendix 1: Apparel Brands Pty Ltd

Apparel Brands, founded in 1901, is an Australian based manufacturer and distributor of generic clothing and footwear. The company takes orders from retailers and supplies retailers with clothing products that have been manufactured to retailers' specifications. These clothing products are then sold to consumers under the retailers' various brands.

Recently, Apparel Brands has found its market share in decline due to a strong Australian dollar and increased overseas competition. In addition, labour costs are eating into profit margins. Trends in the Australian textile industry suggest that the company, although it is in a strong financial position now, will struggle to make a profit within two years.

To ensure the continued existence of Apparel Brands, the company has embarked on a bold new strategic direction:
- develop own brands and product range and sell direct to consumers

- leverage e-commerce opportunities to reduce distribution costs and increase profit margins.

Company vision: In the next five years, Apparel Brands will establish a range of innovative and exciting online clothing brands and help secure a future for Australian clothing manufacturing.

Scenario history (completed in Assessment Tasks 1 and 2)

Your team has been charged with the task of identifying an e-commerce opportunity for Apparel Brands and developing a proposal to put to the board of directors. For example, your team could decide to propose setting up an online business in which customers design their own custom t-shirts.

Your budget for setting up the e-commerce venture is $30,000.

For your proposed e-commerce venture, your team has determined the following:
- Value proposition: What will you offer consumers? What products? What price? What quality? How will the products benefit your customers?
- Who your target market is: What are the characteristics of the people who will buy your products? What do they need or desire?
- How will you gather necessary information for setting up the venture?
- Who will you consult or network with to benefit from others' expertise?
- What steps will you need to take to set up the e-commerce venture? This will range from website design, to ensuring a system for payment, to establishing an online presence through web search engines, etc.
- How will you determine the benefit to Apparel Brands: What is the benefit? Reduced costs? Increased productivity?
- How will you determine cost?

You now have:
- completed individual performance plans to achieve the determination of the above requirements
- carried out all the actions contained in your plan to enable the team goal of developing a venture proposal for your presentation to the board of Apparel Brands
- presented achievements of individual goals and provided feedback on others' work
- worked to resolve any issues with your team in order to achieve your team goal
- recorded unresolved issues in notes.

Assessment Task 3

Your manager has asked to meet with you to discuss issues regarding achieving team goals.

1. Consult with your manager (your assessor) to discuss issues and corrective actions.

2. Meet with your team to resolve team performanceissues and to implement corrective actions.

3. Write a report to your manager describingthe corrective action you have takento resolve the performance issues. Explain the rationale behind your actions.

Appendix 2:Third-party report

Assessment 3 -Third-party report for candidate:
Did the candidate provide you with information from manager? Y/N
What was the information?

Did the candidate help you to achieve goals by overcoming issues with achieving activities on performance plan? Y/N
Describe how: