Unit 252 Planning and monitoring work copyright Deeside College

Learning Outcomes By the end of this session you should be better able to: Identify how to work within the organisational guidelines to achieve team goals Explain how to plan and allocate work Describe how to monitor a team’s performance against the plan copyright Deeside College

Planning work copyright Deeside College

Considerations when planning copyright Deeside College

Policies & Procedures Why is it important to work within your organisation’s policies and procedures? How are procedures managed in your area, e.g. storage, updating, SOPs, KPIs etc.? Can you think of any examples when they have not been followed? What was the outcome? Is there any conflict or incompatibility between objectives in the workplace? copyright Deeside College

Considerations when planning The resources available The time available Policies and procedures Alternative ways of doing the task Potential problems Human resources available copyright Deeside College

Knowing Your Team Members Why is it important to know your individual team members’ strengths and weaknesses? What techniques are there for assessing and recording team strengths and areas for development? copyright Deeside College

Skills Matrix Task requires Team member (1) Team member (2) Flexibility in working hours Good communication skills Good technical IT skills Good report writing skills copyright Deeside College

Think of some workplace tasks that you could use this tool for. General Action Plans The action plan can be a useful tool. A typical format would be as follows: Think of some workplace tasks that you could use this tool for. Action/responsibility/ task By Whom By When Completion Date Comments

Activity In small groups, plan a charity event to raise money for a local charity of your choice. Produce an Action Plan for the event. Present your results back to the rest of the group. copyright Deeside College

Gantt Charts Developed in 1917 by Henry Gantt, an American engineer. Gantt Charts – a visual scheduling tool based on plotting key tasks in a project against a time line. copyright Deeside College

Example Gantt Chart Benefits : Allows team to see progress made Enables you to identify if there are any spare or under utilised time Highlights the impacts that any delays in one task may have on other tasks. copyright Deeside College

Allocating work You want the best fit between the two! This involves making judgements about: The set of tasks that have to be completed. The set of individuals . You want the best fit between the two! copyright Deeside College

Assessing the task What? When? How? And Who? What actually needs doing? When does it need to be done by? How and where does it need to be done? Who can do it (what kind of skills and knowledge are required)? Skills Matrix What? When? How? And Who? copyright Deeside College

Why use a skills matrix Benefits: Disadvantages: copyright Deeside College

Effective team leaders Effective team leaders are people who create teams that are able to make collective decisions well. By involving your team in decisions, by explaining how to arrive at the best decisions, you will increase their motivation and enthusiasm, and draw on all their experience to arrive at the best decision. copyright Deeside College

Giving Instructions Speak clearly and use clear, simple language. Be polite and don’t make people feel stupid if they don’t understand. Don’t get frustrated if the other person doesn’t understand, but rephrase the instructions. Sound encouraging. Ask the person to repeat the instructions back to you. copyright Deeside College

Setting milestones They provide checkpoints to ensure the plan is working They give you a chance to make changes You can warn others that you are going to be early or late completing the task, or that it may not be to the required standard copyright Deeside College

Reviewing your plan This is especially important for things you haven’t done before. It should involve the whole team. Look back at what happened and consider: Were all the actions properly identified? Were all the resources identified and available? Were all actions completed on time and to the standard required? Was the goal achieved? copyright Deeside College

Activity (30 minutes) In your allocated groups you need to prepare a flip chart presentation covering the following: The key stages of planning and allocating work. How you allocate work to meet your team objectives. How you check team members understand their allocated work. A method you use to monitor team performance against the plan. copyright Deeside College

Process for Effective Allocation 2. Select appropriate person bearing, in mind previous experience, skills and availability 3. Set parameters, deadlines, resources, considerations about quality, limits of authority, etc. 1. Select task and specify objectives 5. Monitor progress; encourage feedback on a regular basis; fix official reporting schedule if appropriate (milestones) 4. Check understanding; provide resources and support; ensure commitment 6. Evaluate performance and apply lessons to future tasks

Assessing Performance Methods of Assessment: Observation: - formal - informal Examining products Questioning Performance figures and checking objectives Appraisal After allocating a task, you will need to assess how well the staff member has performed.

Belbin’s Team Roles Co-ordinator Shaper Look at your 2 highest scores: Primary Role Secondary Role Co-ordinator Shaper Plant Monitor/evaluator Implementer Resource Investigator Team Worker Completer/Finisher

Belbin Team Roles Explained http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKmDEDUdB KQ Copyright Deeside College

Reviewing the task Look back at what happened and consider: What went well and why What didn’t go well and why If you were to do the task again what would you do differently copyright Deeside College

Back to the Learning Outcomes Understand how to work within organisation’s policies, procedures and priorities Understand how to plan and allocate work Understand how to monitor your team’s work copyright Deeside College