Monitoring & Evaluating Workplace Operations & Procedures

Overview

How do you know if your workplace is providing a quality service to its customers? Is it through the number of customers you serve each day? Or can quality be determined by the profits made by the organisation?
The truth is, it is the customers who determine the quality of your service. All the planning, procedures and systems are worthless if customers are dissatisfied with the end result.

Every workplace must implement procedures and systems that not only meet financial objectives, but also result in satisfied customers.

Overworking your staff will not help you achieve organisational goals. It will only increase stress levels and decrease staff motivation, self-esteem and team morale. When scheduling work you must monitor existing workloads and develop an understanding of your staff’s current skills and abilities. You are then in a better position to delegate appropriate tasks and set realistic work schedules and deadlines.

When things go wrong, the first person people turn to for assistance is their manager. They expect them to have the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to step up, take control and decide how to fix the situation.

Sound like a lot of pressure? The need to make the ‘right’ decision is the cause of a lot of workplace stress. Effective managers cope well with this responsibility because they have learned how to apply a range of problem solving techniques. It is these skills that will see you stand out as a leader among your colleagues.

In this unit you will learn how to:

• Monitor and improve workplace operations
• Plan and organise workflow
• Maintain workplace records
• Solve problems and make decisions.

Monitoring & Evaluating Workplace Operations & Procedures

• Monitor efficiency and service levels on an ongoing basis through close contact with day-to-day operations
  • Overview of managers responsibility
  • Manger – defined and level in organisation
  • Size and type of organisation
  • Culture of enterprise
  • Preferred style of operation
  • What does monitor work operations mean
• Ensure workplace operations support overall organisation goals and quality assurance
  • Enterprise goals and quality initiatives
  • Why monitor and adjust
  • What is monitored in quality environment
  • Who does the monitoring
• Identify quality problems and issues promptly and make appropriate adjustments
  • Scope of authority
  • When to monitor work operations
  • Steps in monitoring
  • Methods in monitoring
• Adjust procedures and systems in consultation with colleagues to improve efficiency and effectiveness
  • Workplace changes
  • Human capital implications
  • Developing standards and plans
  • Further approaches to adjusting procedures and systems
  • Customer orientation and customer care
• Proactively consult with colleagues about ways to improve efficiency and service levels
  • Consultation advice
• Provide feedback to colleagues and management to inform future planning
  • Suggesting ideas
  • Sort of suggestions
  • Customer focus
• Identify and take opportunities to evaluate current emerging industry trends
  • Sources of information
  • Developing industry networks
• Assess current workload of colleagues
  • Motivating staff
  • What motivates people
  • What is workload
• Schedule work in a manner that enhances efficiency
  • Prioritising work
  • Organising workflow
• Delegate work to appropriate people
  • Delegating tasks
  • Delegating some of your duties to staff
  • Principles of delegating
• Assess workflow and progress against agreed objectives
  • Staff appraisals
• Assist colleagues to priorities workload through supportive feedback and coaching
  • Feedback
  • Coaching
• Provide timely input to appropriate management regarding staffing needs
  • Advising management on staffing needs
  • Organising workflow
• Complete workplace records accurately and submit within required timeframes
  • Examples of workplace records
  • Staff records
• Delegate and monitor completion of records prior to submission
• Identify workplace problems prompt and analyse from an operational and customer service perspective
  • Problems
  • Solutions
  • Programmed and non-programmed decisions
  • Steps to problem solving
• Initiate short term action to resolve immediate problems
  • Why short term action is needed
• Analyse problems for long term impacts and assess action potential solutions and consultation with relevant colleagues
  • Context
  • Tips
• Encourage individual participation
  • Dealing with problems raised by team members
• Take follow-up action to monitor effectiveness of solutions

• Timing