1. Unit 252 Planning and monitoring work
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2. 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
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3. Planning work
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4. Considerations when planning
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5. 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?
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6. Considerations when planning
The resources available
The time available
Policies and procedures
Alternative ways of doing the task
Potential problems
Human resources available
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7. 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?
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8. 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
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9. 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

10. 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.
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11. 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.
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12. 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.
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13. 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!
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14. 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?
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15. Why use a skills matrix Benefits: Disadvantages:
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16. 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.
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17. 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.
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18. 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
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19. 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?
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20. 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.
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21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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

24. Belbin Team Roles ExplainedKQ
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25. 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
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26. 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
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