BSBWOR301B Organise own work priorities and development

1. Develop work priorities

2. What this unit is about…
This unit, develop work priorities, will assist you to plan your own work schedules, to monitor and to
obtain feedback on work performance and development. It also addresses the requirement to
take responsibility for one's own career planning and professional development.
This unit is divided into three key areas:
1. Plan and complete own work schedule
2. Monitor own work performance
3. Coordinate professional development

3. Key objectives
If you are to be successful in this unit, it is critical that you posses the
ability to:
• prepare and communicate own work plan
• schedule work objectives and tasks to support the achievement of
goals
• seek and act on feedback from clients and colleagues
• review own work performance against achievements through self-
assessment
• access learning opportunities to extend own personal work
competencies
• use business technology to monitor self development.

4. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
• Your role in the planning process is threefold. As the frontline manager you
have responsibility for:
– devising a workgroup plan that includes setting objectives and targets for the
team,
– incorporating the team objectives into your personal work plan and
– helping each team member develop their own work plan.
To be able to do this you need a thorough understanding of how all the plans fit
together and affect each other.
• A well-planned and executed work schedule helps your team achieve its
objectives and the organisation achieves its goals. You may need to consult
the workgroup plans of other departments, sections or areas to ensure that
any inter-dependence between your team and others is planned for. You
also need to identify any factors that could adversely affect your team's work
and plan to avoid or overcome them. Throughout these processes you need
to rely on your knowledge of the organisation and the industry you are
working in, your understanding of team dynamics and your expertise with
business technology.

5. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
Preparing workgroup plans
Workgroup plans are developed to formally document the daily, weekly
or monthly actions a team is responsible for achieving on behalf of
their department or section. They provide an overall picture of each
project or activity the team will be involved in over a specific period.
Let’s take a look at some of the plans that the organisation uses.

6. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
STRATEGIC PLAN
Developed by senior management for the
whole organisation.
Helps achieve the organisation's goals
OPERATIONAL PLANS
Developed by each department manager
WORKGROUP PLANS
Developed by each team
TEAM MANAGER PLANS
Developed by each team manager
TEAM MEMBER PLANS
Developed by each team member
The connections between
plans
Every plan developed in the
organisation's is directly
linked to all the others.
Each plan adds to the
achievement of the
organisations' strategic
plan. The following diagram
illustrates the connection
between plans.

7. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
Here is an example of work schedule - The work plan you develop for the team might include the following items.
Goals-the
things your
team is aiming
for. Reflects
the wider goals
of the
organisation.
Objectives-the
measurable
goals you aim
to achieve.
Targets-the
measurable
outcomes that
indicate
whether your
objectives are
being achieved.
Tasks and
activities-the
actions you
undertake to
reach the
targets and
objectives.
Resources-the
items the team
members need
to meet their
responsibilities.
Timelines-each
target and task
should have a
time element so
that team
members know
when they
should carry out
and complete
tasks.
Milestones-
the key steps
you must
complete as
you work
towards the
targets or
objectives.
Team Member
responsibilitie
s- the allocation
of tasks to
individuals or
groups.
`Increase sales
revenue by 10
per cent per
annum'.
`Retain all
current clients’,
‘Gain 10 new
clients per
month’,
‘Reduce
customer
complaints by
five per cent in
the next three
months’.
‘Customers
increased to
110 by end of
July’,
‘Complaints
reduced to
three per month
by October’.
‘Contact all
current clients
each month to
check client
satisfaction and
any supply
requirements’,
E.g. tools,
communication
equipment,
product
samples,
computers,
vehicles and
other items
specific to the
work
undertaken.
For example, if
your overall
objective is to
`Prepare and
produce the
annual report', a
milestone could
be that `All
financial
information is
gathered from
all
departments'.
Departmental
trainer (Paul) to
run Customer
Service
Training each
quarter.

8. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
Defining team objectives
• Objectives form the basis of your work plan and help you define and
organise daily tasks. You may be responsible for setting the team's
objectives and you may also be judged on whether your team achieves its
objectives. The team's objectives are the measurable aims that must be
reached by the team. These are often referred to as Key Result Areas
(KRAs) or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). You will be held accountable
for achieving these objectives when your manager reviews your
performance.
• As a frontline manager you are expected to have both technical skills
(specific to the work your team does) and management skills to
ensure your team meets its objectives.

9. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
Recognising how client needs relate to objectives
1. Understanding client needs
• Everyone has clients, whether they are internal (colleagues, team members, managers) or external (suppliers,
business associates or purchasers) to the organisation. Regardless of your specific role you will always be
responsible for providing some type of service or product to your clients. You and your team must have a clear
understanding of how to best satisfy and fulfil your clients' needs. You should know how these needs are
translated into your team's objectives and work plan.
•
Client needs are rarely static: they change over time. the organisation's goals will also change over time and your
team's goals will change correspondingly. As a frontline manager you must understand the environment the
organisation is operating in and prepare your team to take advantage of opportunities and counteract threats.
2. Understanding business cycles and the market
• Knowledge of your market and clients includes understanding any trends or purchasing patterns and planning for
them in your workgroup plan. If there are certain times of the year when customers are more likely to purchase
your product or service, other tasks may be restricted during these periods. Understanding the market you
operate in helps you prepare the workgroup plan.
3. Incorporating client needs into your plan
• You may decide to meet regularly with your clients to monitor their requirements and determine their expectations
of your team. Your primary interest is to know more about clients’ needs and how you can help them meet these
needs. Client meetings are an opportunity to manage customer expectations. Frontline managers are responsible
for ensuring that clients clearly understand how the organisation can help them and that the team does not
misrepresent products or services or create false expectations. Whatever methods you choose to understand
your clients’’ needs, you should include these methods in your work plan.

10. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
Be SMART
Your workgroup plan is likely to contain numerous targets – one type of measure of success.
Remember that each target must have a quantifiable measurement so that your team knows:
• what to aim for.
• when the target has been achieved.
As we have discussed earlier in the first two units of this course: Show leadership in the workplace
and Implement operational plan, all measures of success (MOS) must be SMART
S Specific
M Measurable
A Achievable
R Realistic
T Trackable

11. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
Be familiar with other teams’ work plans. It is rare that a workgroup operates in isolation
from other workgroups in an organisation. Usually it is necessary to consider the
work plans of other areas of the organisation to develop your own workgroup plan.
Incorporating work group objectives into personal schedules
• With your work group's objectives and priorities determined, it is time to incorporate
them into individual work plans. The individual work schedules should include all the
objectives, allocated tasks and timelines. The work schedule is the document that
each team member consults each day to monitor their own performance and
progress. You will also use this document to evaluate the team members'
performance.
Preparing your own work schedule
• The team's work plan forms the basis of your own team leader work plan. The layout,
choice of headings and degree of detail depend on organisational requirements and
the amount of information you require to work efficiently. When preparing your work
plan, focus on the priority objectives. Look at the tasks that need to be done to
achieve the objectives and identify your role in achieving the tasks, for example
managing, coordinating, liaising, preparing, organising and delegating.

12. 1. Activity - Reflection
A plan alone does not guarantee that you will achieve your goals.
What factors do you need to consider that might hinder completion of
daily tasks and that could prevent you and your team from
achieving your objectives.

13. 1. Plan and complete own work
schedule
Understanding factors that can affect your
achievement
• Once you have identified these factors you can prepare
a contingency plan detailing the risks that you and your
team face in implementing your work plan and how you
will manage the risks. It is unlikely that all the risks you
identify will eventuate; however, you need to be
prepared to deal with any possible risks.
• To identify potential risks, you need to think laterally. It is
not always the obvious risks that pose the greatest
threat. Some common risks are discussed below,
although there will always be other risks you need to
consider.

14. 1. Activity – common risks
Identify some of the common risks that may hinder achievement of your goals.
 Competing work demands
 Technology and equipment breakdowns
 Unforeseen incidents
 Personnel
 Time
 Weather
 Resource and materials availability
 Budget constraints
Some risks can easily be averted or quickly overcome with little impact on the rest of your
work plan. However, other risks pose a greater threat to your team's success and
you will need to consider the result of inadequate or unsuccessful contingency
plans.

15. 2. Monitor own work performance
Monitoring helps you determine whether you are meeting your responsibilities and how well you are
achieving them. Monitoring your work performance takes into account your own assessment along
with the feedback you receive from others. Regularly monitoring your own work performance helps
you to be sure you are meeting the organisation's’expected standards as well as the needs and
expectations of customers. It is vital in the process of continuous improvement.
What are performance standards?
To understand your responsibilities you must know the level of performance required of
you. You should have clear and concise goals and measurable objectives and/or targets
that clearly state
• what is aiming to be achieved,
• by when
• and how.
If you are not clear about any aspect of your responsibilities you should talk to your manager
immediately. Objectives or key result areas (KRAs), as well as targets and key performance
indicators
(KPIs) are aids to monitor your performance.

16. 2. Monitor own work performance
Key result areas - KRAs
• Key result areas (KRAs) describe the main areas of accountability and responsibility of a role
and provide a framework for your activities. They usually summarise the key goals and
objectives you are responsible for achieving. Your KRAs will contribute to achieving the
team's goals and objectives.
Key performance indicators - KPIs
• Each key result area should have two or three targets that include key performance indicators
(KPIs) or measures of performance (MOPS). Performance indicators should measure the
most important or critical aspects of the KRA and contribute to overall team and
organisational goals.
The relationship between KRAs and KPIs; the example below shows the relationship in tabular
format.
Key result areas - KRAs Key performance indicators - KPIs
Customer Service •95% of deliveries on time
•All complaints to be investigated within three working days.
•Helping an average of 10 customers per hour with queries and
problems.
Health and safety •No smoking in the workplace
•
Reduce smoking breaks of employees by 15 minutes per day.

17. 2. Monitor own work performance
Forward-thinking managers must constantly reassess the direction of their work by evaluating and
reflecting on progress to date and determining whether any adjustments or changes are needed.
By conducting a self-assessment and acting on what you discover, you demonstrate your
commitment
to achieving your objectives and targets. the organisation has regular performance appraisals to
review your work, you should complete your self-assessment and revise your work beforehand.
Self-assessment should be ongoing
Reflecting on your performance does not always require formal, documented processes.
The more you can build personal reflection into your day, the more likely you will routinely
meet your performance standards. If you identify that your performance was a bit weak
in a couple of areas, you can concentrate on improving those areas in the days ahead.
If you think you handled certain situations very well, try to determine what it was that
enabled you to do this.
Successful self-assessment requires self-awareness
• Evaluating your performance standards requires a high degree of self-awareness. What are
your strengths and weaknesses? In what area of your work do you feel most threatened?
What motivates you and what are your personal standards?
• Having too high or too low an opinion of yourself can affect your ability to accurately assess
your own performance, or to accept other people's assessment of your performance.

18. 2. Monitor own work performance
Identifying your personal attributes
• Your personal attributes include values and traits such as honesty, integrity, reliability, taking
responsibility, continuous learning and self-awareness. These are characteristics your
employer most values.
Recognising your personality type
• There are several theories regarding personality types that can encourage self-knowledge
and help you analyse your strengths and weaknesses within your work. Which one is most
like you?

19. 2. Activity – Personality type
Personality type – Select which personality type best reflects who you are.
• Thinkers: Thinkers are strong on clear, logical reasoning; they are methodical and enjoy
analysing problems. In organisations, thinkers are often found working with facts and figures,
in systems analysis or research.
• Intuitors: Intuitors are good at using their imagination to come up with ideas. They see the
`big picture' easily and are often the strongest at long-term planning and creative tasks.
• Feelers: Feelers rely on their personal values and instinctive reactions rather than their
technical knowledge. They are perceptive about people's moods, feelings and reactions. They
make good counsellors and public-relations people.
• Sensors: Sensors are straightforward, energetic and hard working, preferring action to words
or ideas. They are practical people who rely on common sense. They are usually well
organised and good at setting things up, negotiating, trouble-shooting and converting ideas
into action.
Often people display a combination of these personality types, to varying degrees.
By being aware of your personality, how you deal with others and how you deal with problems and
pressure, you can try to place yourself in situations where you feel most comfortable and able
to contribute. Your self-awareness will also help you identify areas you may need to improve.
The more thoroughly you understand your strengths, weaknesses and behaviour in groups,
the better you will be able to assess your performance and focus on improving weak areas.

20. 2. Monitor own work performance
Evaluating your behaviour
There are always reasons for the way people behave. As you become more self-aware you will
understand why you behave in certain ways. Another model for self-awareness was
developed by Joe Luft and Harry Ingham, called the Johari Window. Models such as this can
help you evaluate your behaviour by analysing the situations in which you lack confidence,
feel vulnerable or are threatened.
The Johari Window relies on two dimensions to understanding yourself.
• Aspects of your behaviour and style that are known or not known to you (self).
• Aspects of your behaviour and style known or not known to those you have contact with
(others).
A combination of these two dimensions reveals four areas of self-knowledge, as shown below.

21. 2. Monitor own work performance
The Johari Window
The arena or public self (upper left-hand square) is
that part of yourself that both you and others know.
It includes such information as your name, job and
experience in the organisation.
The blind area (upper right hand square) contains
things about yourself that others perceive but of
which you are unaware. For example, the way you
ask questions may irritate people, or others may
see that your listening skills are more developed
than you think.
The closed area contains things that you know
about yourself but which others do not. For
example, you might feel that your experience or
skills are lacking in some area and try to conceal
this from others. You may also be able to contribute
in ways that others are not aware of.
The dark (or unconscious) area contains things
about yourself that are unknown to both you and
others. This information is generally not needed in
day-to-day interactions.
For each person, the relative size of each Johari area is
different. One of the goals of personal development
according to this model is to enlarge the ‘arena’ by
shrinking the ‘blind’ and `closed' areas. This can be done
through self-reflection, asking others for their feedback
about you, taking risks, trying new things and revealing
You know You don’t know
They know Arena
(free and open
communication)
Blind
(others know, you
don’t)
They don’t know Closed
(facades, games,
secrets)
Dark
(unconscious)

22. 2. Monitor own work performance
Seeking and using feedback from others
Although you may be performing your role to a high degree of personal satisfaction, does it also
satisfy and fulfil the expectations of your clients, peers, supervisors and managers? How do
you know what others think of your performance? Feedback is essential in the context of both
your individual and team requirements.
Most people enjoy getting positive feedback and find that it is harder to receive negative feedback.
However, negative feedback is valuable because it challenges you to re-evaluate your
personal behaviour and goals and the way you achieve objectives.
There are numerous ways to obtain feedback including:
1. Feedback from formal performance appraisals
A performance appraisal is a formal process through which you gain feedback that helps you
ascertain how effectively you are achieving your work objectives. Performance appraisal helps
both parties involved to:
• clarify goals
• identify the gaps between current and desired performance
• agree on actions to fill performance gaps, such as participation in external courses,
coaching on the job, structured reading etc.

23. 2. Monitor own work performance
2. Seeking formal feedback from colleagues
• You can seek formal feedback by scheduling meetings with people formally or asking them to
complete a feedback form or questionnaire. Staff meetings, team meetings and project
management meetings can all be used to solicit formal feedback (either verbally or written)
about your performance. In your team meetings, peer ratings can be susceptible to a number
of potential biases. As a frontline manager, encourage a team culture in which everyone's
opinions are respected, so that third-party feedback is a valuable part of the feedback
process.
3. Receiving 360 degree feedback
• Another way of receiving feedback is known as ‘360 degree feedback’. This process involves
obtaining anonymous feedback from others in the organisation. The feedback can include
comments and reports from supervisors, managers, peers, customers and suppliers. It can
provide you with valuable insights into how your behaviour helps or hinders others in the
pursuit of the organisation's goals. It can also form a sound basis for planning improvements
to your operating style.
4. Seeking feedback from clients
• There are various ways to solicit feedback from clients to determine whether their needs are
being met. Formal feedback includes customer surveys and questionnaires.
5. Seeking informal feedback
• You can seek informal feedback by asking for advice, talking to colleagues and asking
relevant people whether or not your work was satisfactory. Informal feedback works
particularly well in an organisation that actively encourages open communication, and where
leaders speak openly and honestly with staff. Open communication promotes feelings of trust
and confidence.

24. 3. Professional development
To realise its full potential, the organisation needs appropriately skilled and motivated employees who
are focused on achieving the organisation's goals. Management needs to determine what
those necessary skills are, and assess the existing skills of employees to determine whether
extra training is needed.
In order to take advantage of work opportunities and remain a valuable member of the organisation,
you need to recognise and take advantage of your current skills, identify the skills you need to
develop and access relevant professional development to acquire the skills you need
Valuable employees are those who grow with an organisation and continuously develop their skills to
contribute as effectively as possible to their organisation's goals. To do this you should regularly
assess your:
• knowledge,
• abilities,
• aptitudes,
• skills,
• interests and
• values
wherever possible relate these to your organisational and career objectives. Always consider the
different ways you can contribute to your organisation, learn to take advantage of potential
opportunities for learning and contributing and also think about the career path you are pursuing and
how your work supports this path.

25. 3. Professional development
Self-assessing knowledge and skills
When assessing your personal knowledge and skills, think about the following aspects.
• Your body of knowledge-job-specific, industry-specific, scientific, historical, artistic, technical,
geographic, linguistic, cultural, economic etc.
• Your abilities-researching, writing, editing, communicating, problem-solving, speaking,
teaching, leading, critical thinking, creative thinking etc.
• Your aptitudes (what you are good at doing)-working with people, working independently,
learning new things, applying knowledge to new situations, clarifying information, linking
information, motivating people, finishing complex tasks accurately, planning and organising
etc.
• Your skills-administration, recruitment, project management, training, managing, accounting,
selling, marketing, reception, information technology, design, manufacturing, processing etc.
• Your work interests-learning new things, becoming a manager, running your own business,
working part-time, becoming a technical specialist, working with people etc.
• Your values and beliefs-honesty, integrity, compassion, work ethic, commitment to family,
moral standards, social responsibility etc.
• Your motivation-financial security, job security, opportunity for travel, opportunity for
promotion, job satisfaction, achievement, appreciation, recognition etc.
• Your short- and long-term career objectives- to specialise in one activity, to progress through
a range of activities, to achieve a certain organisational status, to work autonomously etc.

26. 3. Professional development
Understanding competency standards
Competency standards describe in general terms how to carry out tasks and duties and the level to
which the tasks and duties should be performed. They are a measure of the personal and
technical knowledge required to effectively and efficiently carry out the work of a certain job
role. There are two types of competencies: generic and industry-specific.
• Generic work-related competencies underpin a person's ability or capacity to enter the
workforce.
• Industry-specific, work-related competencies underpin the technical skills needed to carry out
the work a person is employed to do. Have a look at the National Training Information Service
database which shoes the industry competencies required for this unit: Develop work
priorities: http://www.ntis.gov.au/Default.aspx?/trainingpackage/BSB07/unit/BSBWOR404B
Using competency standards to assess your skills and knowledge
• Competency standards describe a range of things you need to be able to do to successfully
achieve a certain level of ability. To measure your skills and knowledge against competency
standards, you need to know whether competency standards exist that cover your industry
and your job role, or whether your organisation has developed its own competency standards
or adapted national standards to its specific area of work. Once you have identified the
competency standards that cover your job role, you can go through the process of matching
your skills to those given. The skill gaps you identify indicate your development needs and
can become the basis for a learning program that may also lead to a formal qualification in
your case the program you are participating in will lead to a Certificate IV in Frontline
Management.

27. 3. Professional development
Determining development needs and priorities
• Once you have matched your skills to the competency standards that address your work and
noted your skill gaps, you have determined your development needs for your current role.
Determining which skill needs are the most urgent or important requires an understanding of
the priorities of your work responsibilities.
Researching opportunities for improvement
• Although personal development and career planning is your responsibility, you often need
guidance on how best to achieve your goals. You also need to research opportunities for
improvement and source learning avenues. Researching training and professional
development activities and opportunities helps you to:
• Analyse your interests, values, goals and capabilities and source avenues for advancement
that suit your personality and interests.
• Consider available options and identify opportunities to advance your career, given your
qualifications and skills
• Match the current and future needs of the organisation with your own aspirations and goals
• Establish personal development plans and identify the benefits to you that are likely to also
benefit the organisation.
The organisation is keen to provide their employees with opportunities to improve their skills and
knowledge. Managers value employees who want to further their skills and are likely to
encourage you.

28. 3. Professional development
Understanding the impact of your training
You must be clear about exactly what you need to learn and the resources and time commitment
involved in undertaking the training.
A clear outline of the training you wish to undertake should include:
• a description of the training, what it covers, why you wish to undertake it and how it will
address your development needs
• how you can access the training, for example at work observing other colleagues, out of work
hours attending a formal course, job-swapping with another colleague
• the costs involved (don't forget to include the work hours of any staff involved)
• the benefit to the team and organisation of you undertaking the training. Remember: if your
manager can see how the training will benefit the team and organisation, they will be more
inclined to support you.
Developing a professional development plan
• A professional development plan outlines the objectives of the professional development and shows when
and how skill or knowledge gaps will be addressed. It should indicate priority areas, the time frame for
achieving the objectives, the training methods to be used and the specific skills, knowledge or approach to be
taught or developed.
• This plan can be incorporated into the annual performance appraisal form.

29. 3. Professional development
Types of professional development activities
Professional development activities range from formal accredited courses of several years duration to
one-off information sessions. In between these extremes there are many methods of learning
new skills and acquiring knowledge. Professional development does not necessarily involve
undertaking a formal training course.
Depending on your needs, professional development can include:
• establishing coaching and/or mentoring in the workplace
• attending internal and/or external training provision, including information sessions addressing
an identified need
• attending conferences in your field
• joining a work exchange program
• joining a professional association and attending meetings
• undertaking personal study
• conducting performance appraisals and workplace skills assessment
• implementing recognition of prior learning or current competence procedures
• accessing career counselling.

30. 3. Professional development
Storing and maintaining records and documents
Company Human Resources departments holds a personal file on each of its employees. The file
contains confidential information relating to an individual's employment. It should also hold
documentation that pertains to your qualifications and your position. These documents
include:
• your resume
• a copy of your job description
• your employment contract
• documentation regarding your qualifications
• documentation regarding courses, workshops and professional development activities you
have completed in the course of your employment.

31. 3. Professional development
Continuous learning and
career development
the organisation continues to
develop a culture of
continuous learning in
order to operate and
compete in a
continuously changing
environment.
Employees are
encouraged to be
‘learning individuals’
who reflect on their
work and career
experiences and
strive to update their
skills. Employees
committed to lifelong
learning are those
who are best able to
adapt and cope with
constant change, and
who discover
strategies to improve
their skills and
opportunities.
Life long learning