Performance management project

This assessment task must be submitted online by the due date specified by your Trainer/Assessor and Assessment Plan for this unit of competency. Any variations to this arrangement must be approved in writing by your assessor. Submit a file with the required evidence attached as per

Specifications below
Acknowledgement of original work, free from plagiarism as per Assessment Plan Special needs (considerations if required see Access & Equity Policy) Naming document files when submitting assessments (check Assessment Plan) Identifying the Unit, Assessment Number, student name, student number, date and page number (preferably) in the Footer Assessor’s additional and particular instruction/s.

Performance objective
The objective of this assessment is to enable you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of performance management systems within legislative and organisational guidelines. Assessment description

You are required to form a group of two and then you must plan, monitor and review a case study relating to performance management of a team. Each team member will undertake a number of activities to manage the performance of one of the two employees. This will include management activities, such as developing work allocations, identifying KPIs, participating in several role-plays, undertaking performance reviews, and proposing a development plan for remedying poor performance by the Employee under your supervision. Finally, you will need to provide feedback to your assessment partner on performance during a role-play. Procedure

1. Review the Case Study – Housefriends Homewares (Appendix 1) or one supplied by your assessor 2. Complete the Operational Plan (Appendix 2). As the Store Manager you are to report your operational plan to head office to have the following completed by the extended trading deadline. 3. Read the profiles in this assessment. In pairs, adopt the role of Manager for that Employee (Marie or Tony). 4. Individually develop goals, KPIs and tasks for the Employee you have selected. Document these in the Employee’s Performance Management Plan (Appendix 3). 5. Prepare role-play notes to plan the topics you will discuss and outcomes you hope to achieve, these will assist you to keep the role-play meeting on track. Submit these with your documentation. 6. Conduct two one-on-one coaching role-plays (one with you as the Manager, one as your partner’s Employee). The Assessor will observe this role-play and examine the documentation (the completed Appendices plus notes) that you will submit for assessment on completion. Role-plays

As the Manager, you have set up the first one-on-one meeting. In addition to discussing the program you have outlined on the Performance Management Plan (Appendix 3), you will also: a. Resolve the issue outlined in the Employee profiles and conduct a coaching session to assist the Employee address the issue. b. Discuss KPI results generated from their team.

c. Discuss Individual reports on progress and take time to chat with your Employee informally to get feedback on problems they are facing. You also use this meeting to emphasise the concept of team achievement. d. Complete the Performance Development Plan (Appendix 4) on the basis of the outcomes of the one-on-one session and sign-in agreement. e. Complete performance review notes to place in the Employee’s file. 7. Complete file notes from the one-on-one coaching session to be placed in the Employee’s file. 8. Following the role-play, the Employee participant is to complete the Coaching Session 1 – Observer’s Evaluation Sheet (Appendix 5).

9. Following the role-play as the Manager, complete the Coaching Session 1 – Coach’s Self-Reflection Sheet (Appendix 6) 10. Conduct a second meeting with your partner and deliver feedback (participant Employee/Observer deliver feedback verbally to the Manager participant regarding the coaching session) based upon the notes taken in Observer’s Evaluation Sheet. The Assessor will observe this session. Specifications

You must provide:
a completed Operational Plan (Appendix 2)
a developed Performance Management Plan (Appendix 3)
a completed Performance Development Plan (Appendix 4)
a completed Coaching Session – Observer’s Evaluation Sheet (Appendix 5) a completed Coaching Session – Coach’s Self-Reflection Sheet (Appendix 6) one-on-one session notes
performance review notes.
Your assessor will be looking for:
your completed Operational Plan addresses the:
revamped store layout
recruitment and induction plans
training of all staff on the sustainability features of major product lines your developed Performance Management Plan identifies:
work roles (in accordance with Operational Plan)
key result areas
indicators of success
date to be competed
your developed Performance Development Plan:
identifies skills to be developed by the Employee that correlate with the KRAs and indicators of success indentified in the Performance Management Plan your completed Coaching Session – Observer’s Evaluation Sheet: utilises the GROW model

identifies the performance issues with the Employee
utilises a number of communication skills such as:
active listening
re-phrasing
summarising
asks probing questions
allows the Employee time to think before replying to questions uses body language cues to help put the Employee at ease
acknowledges the Employee during the coaching session using positive feedback provides constructive feedback to the Employee during the session provides strategies for developing the Employee that would enable the performance issues to be addressed and for the Employee’s performance to improve your completed Coaching Session – Coach’s Self-Reflection Sheet: identifies
strength and weaknesses

identifies strategies to improve
your feedback session:
is constructive
identifies areas of:
excellence
strengths
weaknesses
strategies for improvement
encouragement.
your one-on-one session notes address, and your role-play incorporates: the planned approach for issues mentioned in the Case Study and desired outcomes items from the Performance Management Plan for that Employee plans on how tasks will be completed

the achievement of a shared understanding
the establishment of a review process of performance.
your performance review notes contain:
name of Employee
name of Manager
date of coaching session
identification of performance issues
worker responses
areas of disagreement
opportunities for development.
Appendix 1: Case study – Housefriends Homewares
Business description
Housefriend’s is a homewares retailer specialising in bathroom fittings, bedroom fittings, mirrors and decorative items. Housefriends caters to the furnishing market for new and renovated dwellings. Currently, a chain of eight stores are situated around the greater area of each state’s capital city. Current Operational Plan for your store:

Trading hours:
Housefriends stores are open 8.30 am–5.30 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am–3 pm on Saturdays. Range:
Mainly imported bathroom fittings, bedroom fittings, mirrors and decorative items Payment types accepted:
Cash, credit cards, cheques and gift cards.
Credit policy:
(Trade customers) Housefriends accounts are invoiced at the end of each month; terms are 30 days. Warranties and refunds:
Housefriends will exchange with proof of purchase but not refund. Staff:
Three cashiers, three floor sales representatives, one supervisor, one bookkeeper/administration role, and one storeman. Scenario
As a manager of one of the existing stores, you have been called to head office to attend an area division briefing by the company’s CEO. During the CEO’s address you make the following notes: In a growing economy fuelled by population growth, the company has determined to invest and strategically position itself to prosper from this growth. The goal is set to be the major retailer in their sector across the city and the state in three years. This will feature doubling the number of stores around the greater city area with new stores strategically placed in the growth corridors. Additionally the expansion will include a store in each major regional town in the state.

Housefriends’ confidence in its ability to fulfil these goals comes from its plan to provide customers with a wider selection of merchandise with great customer service. Housefriends’ new operational plan will provide the following benefits to their customers: Selection. Addition of many locally manufactured high quality lines of merchandise will provide more choice to consumer whilst maintaining the higher quality overseas manufactured lines. Range of bathroom fittings, bedroom fittings, mirrors and decorative items to remain with the recently added range of lighting fixtures will position Housefriends as best in class. Accessibility. Customers will gain easy access to the store with extended opening hours 9 am–9 pm, 7 days a week. Housefriends will ‘Go Green’. As a part of this public image we will promote the Sustainability features of products and energy efficiency to customers. A planned layout of current stores will increase shelf space to facilitate the new lighting range. This will be completed before the extended hours commence in eight weeks’ time from briefing on a Sunday when closed.

Staff expansion to facilitate increase in trading hours from 46 hours to 84 hours per week will also need to be addressed in this period. Housefriends’ expansion will be facilitated with a preference for current staff to be promoted where merited to fill the newly created position. Casuals will backfill vacancies and overflow work positions. All casuals are to undergo induction training sessions. Housefriends will actively support skills improvement for staff. Housefriend’s Staff Profiles

The key people in your branch are the Tony (Supervisor) and, Marie (Bookkeeper/ Administration) who is often a caretaker in Tony’s position as the relief Supervisor. Both have expressed ambitions to pursue a career in company management. To that end this upgrade to the operational plan may present the best opportunity for both of them. You are aware that one of the keys in the past in times of change has been to maintain the enthusiasm of your key personnel to maintain the drive and cohesiveness of the remainder of your team. Hence your aim is gain an agreement to help them by providing coaching and mentoring when you see the need for improvement of their attitudes, skills or knowledge levels in exchange for their acceptance of greater responsibility. Marie

Marie achieved outstanding results in the bookkeeping certificate she recently completed. However, her lack of ‘real-world’ experience managing people makes her uncertain and she lacks confidence to make decisions and avoids possible confrontation. You have agreed to be her coach and mentor. She has come to you recently for help and discussed with you a significant range of issues she wanted help with. Marie has always had a keen interest in the environment and everything green. It was Marie who suggested power-saver timers on the lighting in the storeroom and other sustainability measures around the office. Marie is very excited about the ‘Going Green’ plan and is very enthusiastic to do the train the trainer course offered by head office and become the in-store trainer in this area. She does, however, express some cynicism regarding Housefriends’ motives in this. At your first meeting, you need to discuss the following issue.

You have seen members of Marie’s team swap ‘origin of manufacture’ tags with ‘Australian made’ tags while she watched, and she did nothing. Maria is aware from past conversations of the requirement for high ethical standards for the stores’ new image. The government has introduced a code of conduct for your industry to clearly mark on the product the country of manufacture, particularly on imported products. Housefriends states on its website that it adheres to this code to a high standard. However, on some items, clearly marking the country of manufacture on the item may inhibit the sale because that country may have a reputation of low quality. In these cases, Housefriends marks the product with the general region rather than mention the specific country. This has resulted in some items that actually come from countries with a poor reputation for quality selling very well. Tony

Tony’s approach to the job is quite different to Marie. He has many years experience and is best described as ‘hands on’. Tony is the longest serving employee in your branch and has the best knowledge of the product lines and when he puts his mind to it is an effective coach for new staff, this is despite not having any formal qualifications in this area. However, recently you have noticed that his attitude to the job is turning negative. Tony is spending a lot of time on the internet, which he often calls ‘the future of sales’, and can’t understand what the Management is thinking of by planning an expansion that is not based on the internet and has voiced this objection without a care about who hears it. You have the impression that he now sees his knowledge as his own intellectual capital and is reluctant to share it. He has become short tempered and has told you that he is not paid to share his knowledge and experience. He becomes annoyed with some staff members who come to him seeking advice as he considers that they should ‘know it by now’.

Thus his team are not developing. At your first meeting you need to discuss the following issue: Tony often presents you with ideas for internet marketing that would certainly boost traffic to the site. Yet you have come to mistrust his motives with some ideas. You have recently noticed that the company’s website now has links to a home business that a friend of Tony’s operates. This business provides installation of homewares that Housefriends sells yet you are not aware of any company endorsement of this service from Housefriends for their customers. You believe this is unethical under the company’s ethical standards. You need to determine what the source of his negativity is and plan his performance management. In your one-on-one session with Tony you need to come to a resolution of a way forward and get Tony fully ‘on board’. Appendix 2: Operational plan

Set to be the major retail in their sector across the city and the state in three years New stores strategically placed in the growth corridors.
Extend openings hours to 12 per day ,7 days a week
To provide customers with a wide selection of merchandise.
Provide great customer service

Briefing on a Sunday when closed.
Increase self-space to facilitate the new lighting range

Will be in eight weeks

Staff expansion

Increase trading hours 46 to 84 h per week.

Housfriend’s expansion

Training provided to casual staff.

Current staff Fill newly created positions.

Casual staff backfill work positions.

A store in each major regional city
Go Green
Provide more choice to consumer
Whilst maintaining the higher quality overseas manufactured, lines.

Promote products and energy for Sustainability feuter

Appendix 3: Performance management plan
Name/position:

Manager:
Review period:
Reference from Operational Plan
Key result area
Indicator of success/
performance
By when
Status report

Manager’s comments

Signature

Date
Staff member’s comments

Signature

Date

Appendix 4: Performance development plan
Name/position:

Manager:
Review period:
Skills to be developed:
How skills are to be developed:
Priority (H,M,L)
By When?
Skills gained (Y/N)

Manager’s comments
Signature

Date
Staff member’s comments
Signature

Date
Appendix 5: Coaching session – Observer’s evaluation sheet Coach’s name

Phone no.

Observer’s name

Phone no.

Assessment site

Coaching date/s

Time/s

Employee’s name

Phone no.

Standard of performance
Satisfactory

Yes
No
Did the coach utilise the GROW model for coaching his or her employee?

Did the coach identify the performance issue?

Did the coach utilise a number of communication skills to reflect and clarify the employee’s answers? active listening
clarifying
summarising

Did the coach ask probing questions?

Did the coach allow the employee time to think before replying to questions?

Did the coach use body language cues to help put the employee at ease?

Did the coach acknowledge the employee during the coaching session using positive feedback?

Did the coach provide constructive feedback to the employee during the session?

Did the coach provide strategies for continuous improvement for the employee?

Did the coach identify his or her strengths and weaknesses as a coach/manager?

Did the coach identify areas for self improvement?

Comments/feedback to coach

Appendix 6: Coaching session – Coach’s self-reflection sheet Coach’s name

Phone no.

Listener’s name

Phone no.

Assessment site

Coaching date/s

Time/s

Employee’s name

Phone no.

Respond to these questions with your feelings and thoughts about coaching. What was your initial reaction to the coaching exercise?

What was your overall assessment of your performance as a coach? Give reasons for this assessment.

What do you think were some of your strengths during the exercise?

What do you think were areas where there was room for improvement?

What kind of strategies can you think of to help improve your coaching skills?

What do you think will be the cost of not implementing new strategies into your role as a manager?

What are some valuable skills that you have learned today to help you in your role as manager/coach?