Australian Federation Student Assessment Tasks_SITXMGT001 Monitor Work Operations College Assessment Task 2 Instructions Carefully read the following scenario: Boutique Events is a small, exclusive catering and events company specialising in creating exceptional experiences for weddings and corporate events across a range of indoor and outdoor venues. The company employs seven full-time staff, including an events director, events coordinator, an executive chef, two chefs, three supervisors and up to 20 casual staff, depending on demand. Olivia is the events coordinator. She prides herself on attending every event to support and assist the supervisors in charge and help with last-minute emergencies and details. As a result, Olivia works a 70-hour week and is constantly tired. She has very little social life as many of the events take place on the weekend. She is dedicated to her role and employers, working tirelessly to help the business achieve its growth target. She would like her supervisors to take more responsibility and make decisions, but she finds they won't when she is there. They regularly refer all but the most basic decisions to her. She finds herself having to give them a lot of direction and monitor their work closely. Her manager, the events director, has told her she needs to start delegating tasks more and reduce the number of events she attends or limit the amount of time spent there. The following is a list of some of Olivia's responsibilities and tasks she performs in her role. Organises event bookings and contracts. . Liaises with clients regarding their needs and updates contracts accordingly. Liaises with venues and suppliers and negotiates contracts for space, supplies, audio-visual equipment etc. . Conducts research, makes site visits and finds resources to help with decisions about event possibilities. Creates and revises room layouts for each event. Creates event run sheets to ensure the smooth flow of the event. Organises staff rosters. Assists with preparing budgets and provides periodic progress reports to the event director. Ensures all staff arrive on time and are in full uniform. Organises replacement staff in case of absenteeism. Conducts pre/post-shift meetings. Monitors staff on shift and ensures all SOPs and quality assurance principles are adhered to. Updates company SOPs. Conducts employee appraisals in conjunction with the events director. Conducts staff recruitment and selection Trains new and existing staff when necessary. Checks staff time cards after an event. Ensures labour costs comply with budget . . Liaises with the executive chef regarding client needs prior to the event. Liaises with head cook regarding client needs during an event. . . Handles complaints . . Checks that audiovisual equipment, signage and decor meet quality expectations. Assists the supervisors in checking room layout prior to the event and that all materials, such as place cards, nametags, packages, gift bags, registration lists, etc., are prepared. Boutique Events collects feedback from clients through online surveys. They are automatically emailed to all clients and guests the day after an event. They average a 60% response rate. Results indicate an overall satisfaction rating of 85%, which is very positive. They also receive emails from clients thanking them for the success of their event and congratulating them on their high customer service standards. AFC-Ass-SITXMGTO01 Learnvault Pty Ltd TIA Australian Federation College Page 19 V 1.3 RTO Code: 45616 CRICOS Provider No.: 03854G Level 1, 126 Charles Street, Launceston TAS 7250 www.afcollege.edu.auAustralian Federation Student Assessment Tasks_SITXMGT001 Monitor Work Operations College These are the most common areas of customer dissatisfaction expressed in the online survey: Equipment is not working when required, especially audiovisual equipment such as projectors and computers used for presentations. (40% of complaints) Some hot menu items are cold when served to customers at outdoor marquee events. These are usually plated menu items, not buffet or barbeque items. (22% of complaints) Access to an outdoor marquee was difficult. This comment is usually received when there has been wet weather prior to the event. The comments are usually made by women. (15% of complaints) Staff running the event (supervisors/coordinators) were unprofessional, not available when needed, did not fulfil requests. (12% of complaints) Staff were rude, unhelpful, poor appearance, provided slow service. (8% of complaints) These are the most common areas of customer satisfaction expressed in the online surveys. Staff are very friendly, helpful and professional. Event organisers and supervisors were very helpful and knowledgeable. They gave great advice and suggestions. Food was delicious and well presented. Event ran smoothly and on time. On another development, Olivia and her manager are concerned about complaints relating to hot plated food being cold by the time they are served to customers attending events in outdoor marquees. They feel this is a serious quality issue and want to address it quickly. Olivia has been asked to research methods of improving service standards. Areas that could be addressed are menu items, service procedures, equipment or technology, or any other innovation that resolves this issue. Olivia is advised to search on the internet or other research techniques to investigate options for resolving this quality issue. The events director has set Olivia a goal: to reduce customer complaints relating to the issue by 50% and increase overall customer satisfaction rates by 5% within the next six months. Last but not least, the company would like to build on this success and grow the business, increasing sales by 20% by the end of the next financial year. They have a website that was built three years ago and a Facebook page. They exhibit at bridal, wedding and some industry expos to promote their business and gain new contacts and clients. They place advertisements in a number of bridal and business magazines several times a year. Complete the following activities: 1. Review the case study information and conduct online research and write a report to Management (Assessor). Your report should include following points (but not limited to): . Identify and analyse workplace quality problems and issues from an operational and customer service perspective. Future plans for the organisation. Actions to be undertaken to ensure workplace operations support overall organisational goals and quality assurance initiatives. Opportunities to improve sustainability of day-to-day operations. Ways to proactively share, challenge and test ideas, information, knowledge and experiences with team members. Assessment of current workloads and appropriate scheduling of works including tasks delegation plan. Action plan to initiate short-term actions to resolve immediate problems where appropriate. AFC-Ass-SITXMGT001 Learnvault Pty Ltd T/A Australian Federation College Page 20 V 13 RTO Code: 45616 CRICOS Provider No.: 03854G Level 1, 126 Charles Street, Launceston TAS 7250 www.afcollege.edu.auAustralian Federation Student Assessment Tasks_SITXMGT001 Monitor Work Operations College . Assess the potential long-term impacts of the problems/ issues and action possible solutions. Consider factors such as workflows, event timings, individual and team work loads and job roles/responsibilities, food quality, service standards, organisational procedures. Identify current and emerging industry trends. List and describe at least two (2) current or emerging industry trends that Boutique Events can incorporate into their current operation to help them achieve their busines Outline the impact of your suggestions on current staffing levels, if new positions within the organisation will be created as a result, or if new responsibilities must be allocated to existing staff members. Complete Section 1 of your SITXMGT001 Project Portfolio Task 2. . Conduct meeting with colleagues and the management. Fellow students (3) will play the role of colleagues and your assessor will play the role of the manager for this role-play. Meeting is expected to take around 15-20 minutes. Ask your assessor for further guidance. During the meeting you need to discuss your report findings with the colleagues and the management including (but not limited): Proactively consult with colleagues about ways to improve efficiency and service levels, including potential for new technologies and other innovations. Provide feedback to colleagues and management to inform future planning. Assess and respond to opportunities to improve sustainability of day-to-day operations. Proactively share information, knowledge and experiences with team members. Evaluate current and emerging industry trends and practices. Analyse identified quality problems and issues and agree on the expected outcomes. Challenge and test ideas within the team in a positive and collaborative way. Initiate short-term actions to resolve immediate problems where appropriate. Discuss delegated tasks. Provide feedback, coaching and support to team members as required. Where a team member raises a problem, encourage individual participation in solving it. Ways to improve sustainability of day-to-day operations. Demonstrate effective communication skills including: speaking clearly and concisely o using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding o asking questions to identify required information responding to questions as required using active listening techniques to confirm understanding Take note of the discussions and incorporate feedback into your report where relevant. Complete Section 2 of your SITXMGT001 Project Portfolio Task 2. 3. Send an email to the Management (your assessor). AFC-Ass-SITXMGTO01 Learnvault Pty Lid T/A Australian Federation College Page 21 V 13 RTO Code: 45616 CRICOS Provider No.: 03854G Level 1, 126 Charles Street, Launceston TAS 7250 www.afcollege.edu.auAustralian Federation Student Assessment Tasks_SITXMGT001 Monitor Work Operations College After the meeting, you are required to update the Management of the outcomes of the meeting by sending an email. The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style. Your email should include the followings Summary and outcome of the meeting. Attach a copy of your report with your email. Complete Section 3 of your SITXMGT001 Project Portfolio Task 2. AFC-Ass-SITXMGTO01 Learnvault Pty Ltd T/A Australian Federation College Page 22 V 13 RTO Code: 45616 CRICOS Provider No.: 03854G Level 1, 126 Charles Street, Launceston TAS 7250 www.afcollege.edu.au