Rift Valley University

Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

RIFT VALLEY UNIVERSITY

GOTERA CAMPUS

The Ethiopian TVET-System

Accounts & Budget Support

Level-III

LEARNING GUIDE # 1

Unit of Competence: Monitor Implementation of Work

plan /Activities
Module Title: Monitor Implementation of Work plan
/Activities

LG Code: BUF ACB3 20 0812

TTLM Code: BUF ACB3M 20 0812

INTRODUCTION

Learning Guide Date: Dec. 4,2017

Compiled by: RVU
Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

Welcome to the module “Monitor Implementation of Work plan /Activities”. This

learner’s guide was prepared to help you achieve the required competence in
“Accounts and Budget Support Level III ”. This will be the source of information for
you to acquire knowledge attitude and skills in this particular occupation with
minimum supervision or help from your trainer.

Summary of Learning Outcomes

After completing this learning guide, you should be able to:

Lo1:- Monitor and improve workplace operations

Lo2:- Plan and organise workflow

Lo3:- Maintain workplace records

Lo4:- Solve problems and make decisions

How to Use this TTLM

o Read through the Learning Guide carefully. It is divided into sections

that cover all the knowledge, skills and attitude that you need.
o Read Information Sheets and complete the Self-Check at the end of
each section to check your progress
o Read and make sure to Practice the activities in the Operation Sheets.
Ask your trainer to show you the correct way to do things or talk to
more experienced person for guidance.
o When you are ready, ask your trainer for institutional assessment and
provide you with feedback from your performance.

Lo1:- Monitor and improve workplace operations

Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 2

Compiled by: RVU,Meri Goro Campus

 Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

1. Definition for work schedules

A schedule that assigns employee job tasks, bearing in mind job descriptions, employee abilities, and time restraints
of...

Meaning

A work schedule is the time frame that an employee works during a certain course of time. Schedules can
fluctuate, rotate or remain constant throughout the course of a year.
Types of Schedules
o There are four types of work schedules, including fixed, flexible, none fixed and
rotating. The fixed schedule exists when the employee is required to work the same number
of hours each day on a continuous basis, whereas a non fixed schedule occurs when several
factors determine when and how an employee performs her work. There are no required
weekly work hours on an ongoing basis when an employee has a non fixed schedule. A
flexible schedule is present when an employee & rescue’s standard work hours vary daily,
weekly or monthly. A rotating work schedule exists when there is a fixed schedule for a
certain period of time followed by a time-off period.

Standard Schedule

o The standard schedule is the customary schedule that an employee is required to perform
his work duties for his employer. The type of schedule and the number of hours for work
depends on the occupation of the employee. For instance, a full-time schedule for a flight
attendant can be significantly different from the full-time schedule of a secretary.

Annual Schedule

o The annual schedule for an employee is equivalent to the total hours worked during the
course of a calendar year. It can be calculated by multiplying the number of hours worked
during a week by 52 weeks in a year. The annual schedule includes the standard schedule,
overtime hours, holidays, sick days, vacation and personal days. An employee can earn the
same amount of money for personal days off or holidays, and those days can be included
into the calculation of the work schedule. Determining an employee’s annual
schedule can also establish the yearly earnings, annual benefits and yearly work hours of the
employee.

Overtime Hours

Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 3

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

o Overtime hours within a work schedule include the additional hours worked by an
employee of a company for a period of time, such as weekly or monthly. For instance, if an
employee is scheduled to work 40 hours a week, but she actually works 50 hours a week, the
extra 10 hours are usually considered overtime hours. Moreover, the earnings for overtime
hours worked can differ from the income an employee receives for the standard hours of
work. For example, if an hourly employee earns $12 an hour for 40 hours a week, the
company may provide its employees an incentive for working overtime hours by offering a
higher hourly rate for each overtime hour worked. The income for overtime hours depends
on the company &rescue’s procedures.

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Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 4

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

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Work Schedules in the National Compensation Survey

by Richard Schumann

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Originally Posted: July 28, 2008

Work schedules in the United States are generally viewed as consisting of an 8-hour day and a 40-
hour week. But the National Compensation Survey (NCS) covers many occupations that have
different types of work schedules: fire fighters, for example, who often work 24 straight hours
followed by 48 hours off; truck drivers, many of whom spend days at a time on the road; waiters
and waitresses, whose schedules may vary every week; and school teachers, who tend to work
many hours at home. Fitting all of these different schedules into a common form for data
publication can be challenging.

The National Compensation Survey (NCS) produces data on occupational earnings, compensation cost
trends--the Employment Cost Index (ECI) and the Employer Cost for Employee Compensation (ECEC)
series--and benefits. The wage and benefit data collected from NCS respondents come in several time
frames: hourly, weekly, biweekly, monthly, or annually. Converting the raw data into a common format

Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 5

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

requires accurate work schedules. This article explains how the NCS calculates these work schedules and
the role that they play in the calculation of the published data series.

Lo2:- Plan and organise workflow

Definition of the work schedule

The NCS work schedule is defined as, "The number of daily hours, weekly hours, and annual weeks that
employees in an occupation are scheduled and do work." The work schedule is the standard schedule for
the occupation; short-term fluctuations and one-time events are not considered unless the change
becomes permanent. For example, paid or unpaid time off due to a snowstorm would not result in the
adjustment of the work schedule because this would not represent a permanent change. Paid lunch periods
are included in the work schedule, as is incidental time off, such as coffee breaks, or wash-up time.
Vacation, holidays, sick leave, and other kinds of leave hours are included in the work schedule, but they
are subtracted when calculating the number of hours worked in a year.

Overtime hours are hours worked beyond the normal work schedule and are collected separately for
nonexempt employees and any exempt employees the employer chooses to pay for overtime. 1 Nonexempt
employees must be paid a premium for all time worked beyond 40 hours during a week. 2 Overtime pay for
nonexempt employees is reported separately in the premium pay category; overtime hours are included in
the calculation of annual hours worked, but they are not part of the work schedule. For exempt employees
who are not paid a premium for work beyond 40 hours, "hours scheduled and worked" would include any
time normally worked beyond 40 hours. Hours worked beyond the normal work schedules are not reported
separately for exempt employees unless the employer chooses to compensate them for those hours.

The number of weeks worked per year is 52 in most cases. For employees of seasonal establishments, the
NCS collects the number of weeks actually worked. For example, an amusement park in a cold weather
environment might close between November and April. If employees in a job worked 8 hours per day, 40
hours per week, when the park was open, the work schedule is 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, 26
weeks per year.3 The job is considered full-time and seasonal. Any jobs at the park that required 52 weeks
of work per year have a 52-week work schedule.

Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 6

Compiled by: RVU,Meri Goro Campus

Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

Annual scheduled hours and annual hours worked. The work schedule is used to calculate both "annual
scheduled hours," which is a measure of the annual hours an employee is scheduled to work, and "annual
hours worked," which is the number of hours actually worked during the year. Annual scheduled hours are
calculated by multiplying scheduled weekly hours by scheduled annual weeks. Annual hours worked are
calculated by adding any overtime hours worked to the annual scheduled hours and subtracting all leave
hours taken. For example, consider a job in which the employees work 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52
weeks per year; and they work 60 hours of overtime (paid at time and one-half) and receive 3 weeks
vacation, 7 paid holidays, 4 sick days and 2 personal days per year. 4 The calculation of annual hours worked
is as follows:

Scheduled annual hours (40 hours × 52 2,080

weeks): hours

+ Overtime hours: 60 hours

- Vacation time (40 hours × 3 weeks): 120 hours

- Holidays (8 hours × 7 days): 56 hours

- Sick days (8 hours × 4 days): 32 hours

- Personal days (8 hours × 2 days): 16 hours

1,916
= Annual hours worked:
hours

Calculating wage and benefit costs using work schedules

Wages a nd salaries. Wage and salary data are collected separately from work schedule data. The straight-
time average hourly earnings are calculated from actual earnings and matching actual hours worked or paid
in the collection reference period. If the hourly rate is available, no additional calculations are needed. The
hours for a collection reference period may vary from what is normally scheduled. The calculation of
straight-time hourly earnings for the reference period reflects short-term fluctuations in the work schedule;
the calculation of the "permanent" work schedule does not reflect such fluctuations. For example, a sales
worker who receives only commissions and had a biweekly commission of $600 but worked only 1 week
during the period would receive straight-time average hourly earnings of $15.00 per hour ($600 ÷ 40
Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 7

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

hours). If the $600 was divided by the normal work schedule, the straight-time average hourly earnings
would be $7.50 ($600 ÷ 80 hours), which would be an understatement of the actual hourly earnings. 5

Benefit costs. The ECI and ECEC publish data for a wide variety of benefits. The costs for these benefits may
take different forms, such as monthly premiums, percent of gross earnings, or days of paid leave. These
costs must be converted to a common cost form to allow for the calculation of individual benefit and total
benefit costs across occupations, industries, and other publication categories in the survey. The NCS uses a
cost-per-hour-worked concept as the common cost form. To convert all costs to a per-hour-worked basis,
the cost of each benefit is converted to an annual cost and then divided by the number of annual hours
worked.

The work schedule is used to calculate the annual cost of the benefits, annual gross earnings, and the
annual hours worked for the job. Calculation of the annual benefit cost varies by the way the benefit is
paid. In the work schedule for the example shown in which annual hours worked equal 1,916, assume the
employer pays a premium for health insurance of $300 per month. The annual cost would be $3,600 ($300
× 12 months), and the cost per hour worked would be $1.88 ($3,600 ÷ 1,916 annual hours worked). If the
job had a wage rate of $10 per hour, the total cost of 3 weeks of vacation would be $1,200 ($10.00 × 40
hours per week × 3 weeks per year) and the cost per hour worked would be $0.63 ($1,200 ÷ 1,916 annual
hours worked). The annual cost of Medicare (1.45 percent × gross earnings 6) is $ 314.65 and the cost per
hour worked would be $0.164 ($314.65 ÷ 1916 annual hours worked).

Types of work schedules

Work schedules fall into one of four types: fixed, flexible, rotating, and nonfixed. The various types of work
schedules are discussed in the paragraphs that follow.

Fixed work schedules. Employees who work the same schedule on an ongoing basis are considered to be
on a fixed schedule. For example, employees who work from 9:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. each day, with 30
minutes unpaid lunch, and who work Monday through Friday each week are on a fixed schedule. Their
schedule is 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week (8 hours × 5 days) and 52 weeks per year.

Flexible work schedules. Flexible work schedules are very similar to fixed work schedules. Under a flexible
work schedule, employees set their own hours, generally within guidelines and with a fixed number of total

Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 8

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

hours. For example, an individual worker might be permitted to arrive and leave work at various times
provided she or he works 40 hours between Monday and Friday and is at work during certain core hours.
An individual might work 9 hours one day, 7 hours one day, and 8 hours the other three days. For NCS
purposes, these short-term fluctuations are ignored and would be treated as an 8-hour day and a 40-hour
week.

Rotating work schedules. Rotating work schedules have a fixed number of hours and time off over a period
of more than 1 week but not a set weekly schedule. Rotating schedules are most common among
occupations in establishments that operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, such as nurses, police
officers, and firefighters. Calculation of these types of work schedules is complicated by the overtime
provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.7 For example, a common work schedule for firefighters is 24
hours on duty followed by 48 hours off duty. Over a 3-week period, they work 3 days in one week and 2
days in the other two weeks. Every 3 weeks, the rotation starts again. The total hours worked would be 168
over the 3-week cycle, which is an average of 56 hours per week.

In this example, the work schedule would actually be recorded in the NCS as 53 hours per week, because
that is the maximum number of straight-time hours allowed for firefighters under the Fair Labor Standards
Act. For nonexempt firefighters, the other 3 hours would be considered overtime, and the cost would be
recorded as premium pay; the hours would be added to "annual hours worked," but not to the work
schedule. This schedule would be 24 hours per day, 53 hours per week, and 52 weeks per year.

1. Nonfixed work schedules. Nonfixed work schedules are found in situations in which one job has
multiple work schedules. In such cases, the varying schedules are often due to particular traits of
individual workers or because the work required varies by individual. For the purposes of the NCS, the
nonfixed work schedule recorded is often an average of the work schedules of the employees in the job
and therefore may not reflect the actual work schedules of particular individuals in the job. The
nonfixed schedules are grouped into three broad subcategories: multiple fixed schedules for a job,
individualized schedules for each employee, and schedules based on additional requirements of the
job. situations that each employee in the occupation could have a different work schedule. Because the
NCS does not mix full- and part-time employees in one job, if the job contained a mix of full- and part-
time workers, the NCS would define it as two different jobs, one part-time and one full-time. The NCS

Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 9

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

would then calculate an average work schedule for all of the full-time employees or all of the part-time
employees separately. For example, if a restaurant had five part-time waiters and waitresses who
worked 24, 22, 20, 16, and 12 hours per week, respectively, the average work schedule would be 18.8
hours per week.9 The daily number of hours would be the average weekly hours divided by the average
number of days worked.

Work schedules for over-the-road truck drivers may vary between individual drivers, as well as from
week to week for individual drivers, based on transportation schedules and legal limits on the amount
of time worked per day or week. Over-the-road truck drivers are generally paid by mileage, not hours
worked, and it is difficult to collect the actual hours worked. If NCS is unable to collect the driver's
actual hours worked, it uses the employer's best estimate instead, subject to the limits of Federal
Highway Administration (FHA) regulations.10 FHA regulations limit drivers to no more than 60 hours per
week if the company does not operate every day, 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days, and no more than
10 hours a day.

Work schedules for individual members of flight crews might vary every month, depending on flight
assignments. These workers are paid an hourly rate when flying, but they also receive pay for time spent in
other activities, such as training or ground travel between flights. Collection of pay data for these nonflying
periods and the hours associated with this pay has been attempted in a field test and proven not to be
feasible for regular collection.11 In many cases, the hourly flight pay begins when the plane leaves the
departure gate and ends when the plane pulls into the arrival gate. In these cases, time spent on pre- and
post-flight activities is not compensated and is difficult to collect. As a result of these

2. Multiple fixed schedules for a job. This type of schedule is most common when there is a mixture of
full-time and part-time employees in a job. An example would be a retail establishment that has full-
time sales clerks who work 40 hours per week and part-time clerks who work 20 hours per week. The
NCS does not mix part-time and full-time workers in the same job; full-time and part-time workers are
classified in separate jobs in the NCS. If all of the full-time workers or all of the part-time workers have
the same schedule, the schedule is treated as if it were a fixed schedule. If multiple schedules are
present for the selected group, the NCS calculates an average work schedule.

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

Individualized schedules for each employee. Individualized schedules are based on employer need or on
individual preferences. This type of scheduling occurs most frequently in food service and retail trade
establishments, and for some occupations within the transportation industry. For example, a restaurant
may have a given number of waiters and waitresses whose total hours and times of work may vary
each week. Assignment of weekly hours would depend on the needs of the restaurant and employee
preferences. It is possible in these collection problems, the NCS collects only the hourly flight rate and
the flight hours for flight crews.

3. Additional requirements of the job. Professional and managerial employees often work beyond the
established work schedule of the employer due to the requirements of their jobs. Because such
workers are exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are not
required to compensate them for the additional hours. If the hours worked are not compensated for,
then they usually are not recorded. Collection of the actual hours normally worked would be the
preferred way of determining the work schedule, but records of hours worked by exempt employees
are usually not available. In most cases, the NCS collects the employer's best estimate of the hours
normally worked by exempt employees. If the respondent is unwilling or unable to estimate the hours,
then the normal work hours of other employees in the establishment are used.

The actual hours worked by elementary and secondary school teachers (who are exempt) are often not
available. Time spent in lesson preparation, test construction and grading, providing additional help to
students, and other nonclassroom activities are not available and therefore not recorded. The NCS uses
contract hours for teachers in determining the work schedule. 12 Contracts usually specify the length of
the school day, the number of teaching and required nonteaching days, and the amount of time, if any;
teachers are required to be in the school before and after school hours. These hours are used to
construct the work schedule. For example, it is common for teacher contracts to specify that teachers
will work 185 days per year. In these cases, the daily work schedule would be the length of the school
day plus any time teachers are required to be in school before or after the school day, and the weekly
work schedule would be the daily schedule multiplied by 5 days (Monday through Friday). The number
of weeks would be 37 (185 days ÷ 5 days per week). The time not worked during summer, Christmas
break, and spring break would be excluded from the work schedule and would not be considered
vacation or holiday. Jobs in schools are not considered to be seasonal.
Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 11

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

Summary
The work schedule is intended to reflect the hours of work performed in a particular job. In most cases, the
actual schedule can be collected. There are times, however, when actual data are not available for a job. In
those cases, the NCS attempts to collect the employer's best estimate of the work schedule. If the employer
is unable or unwilling to make an estimate, the work schedule used is that of other similarly situated
employees in the establishment, if available; if such a work schedule is not available, the job is not included
in the calculation of NCS estimates.

Self Activity - Written Responses

Read through the notes in your Student Booklet and answer the following questions.

1. Describe what a ‘goal’ is and give an example of a short term goal you wish to achieve in your Cert
II Business class.

2. Why is it important to plan your work?

3. Explain why it is important to understand the goals of the team you are working in.

4. Why is it important to raise any concerns you might have about the team’s goals and your tasks?

5. What would you do if you felt your supervisor had given you too many tasks?

Learning Guide Date: October 15,2016 12

Compiled by: RVU,Meri Goro Campus

Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

Lo3:- Maintain workplace records

Define period work schedules

In this step, you create period work schedules by specifying the sequence of daily work schedules
for a work schedule for one or more weeks.
Example
Employees on a certain shift work the first week from Monday through Friday from 8.00 a.m. to
4.45 p.m. (daily work schedule DAY1 for the first week of the period work schedule from 01 to 05,
daily work schedule OFF for 06 and 07). In the second week, they work from Monday to Friday
from 2 p.m. to 9.45 p.m. (daily work schedule LATE 01 to 05, and daily work schedule OFF from
06 to 07 in the second week of the period work schedule).
Requirements

 You have defined personnel subarea groupings for work schedules.

 You have defined personnel subarea groupings for daily work schedules.

 You have created daily work schedules.

Standard settings
The standard SAP system contains a number of sample period work schedules for simple day shifts
and rotating shifts.
Recommendation
Use SAP's sample entries as a reference.
Activities
1. Check SAP's sample entries.

2. Create period work schedules for your company.

a) Enter 01 for the personnel subarea grouping for daily work schedules.

b) Enter a name and a long text for the period work schedule.

c) Enter the number of the week in the Week number field. Number the weeks sequentially
if the period work schedule is for several weeks.

d) Enter the names of your daily work schedules in the 01 to 07 fields (e.g. daily work
schedule DAY1 under 01). The nubers 01 to 07 stand for Monday to Sunday.

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

INFORMATION SHEET 1: Work Organization

Further notes

 If the number of days in a period is not divisible by seven, indicate the end of the period by
entering * in the relevant column for daily work schedules.

 If you create additional period work schedules at a later stage, please define the counting class for
valuating absences.
If you use the SAP time evaluation or payroll accounting components, you should also define the
valuation class of the period work schedule for wage type generation.

No matter what their job role or responsibilities, every worker is part of a group or team. You need to
know how to plan your work so that you can complete your tasks in the time that you are given. This
involves clarifying your tasks, deciding the order you will do them in, and how much time you need to
spend on each one.

Setting Goals

A goal is something you want to achieve. One of the keys to developing good organisational skills is to
establish goals. Goal setting helps employees to put tasks and projects into perspective, enabling them to
establish and work toward achieving specific short-term (days/weeks), medium-term (month/s) and long-
term (year/s) goals.

Identifying and Prioritising

Work is seldom undertaken alone. A workplace is a situation involving a number of people, often working
together, being reliant on one another and interacting with one another, to achieve a satisfactory end
result.

Often then, for the individual, it is not possible to prepare a schedule of tasks to be done in isolation.
Instead, organisation of a work routine can only be done after consultation with other staff members,
involving consideration of recognised goals.

This means, for the individual, that he or she must have well-developed interpersonal skills and be able to
negotiate on a range of levels - with superiors, with peers and with subordinates and use time in the most
effective and productive way possible (good time management skills).

Everybody commencing a job in an office situation will have a job description - an outline of the tasks that
they are responsible for, that must be completed on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis.

These tasks will vary in size, complexity and importance to a large extent and will involve a different
number of people. It is the responsibility of the worker, in conjunction with other members of the team, to
complete these tasks in the most efficient fashion within the prescribed timelines, and in accordance with
the organisation's policies and procedures.

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Rift Valley University, Mari-Goro Campus Unit: Monitor Implementation of
Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

All these things can be managed if time is managed properly. An understanding and use of basic time
management principles can help individuals better cope with job and personal demands. A few of the more
well-known time management principles include:

 making daily lists of activities to be accomplished

 prioritising activities by importance and urgency
 scheduling activities according to the priorities set
 knowing your daily cycle (prime time) and handling the most demanding parts of your job
during the high part of your cycle when you are most alert and productive
Prime time is a time of day when you find that you are most productive, most energetic and think more
clearly. When considering a daily schedule, it is a good idea to keep your energy cycle in mind. Time
management, like other management skills, benefits from analysis and planning. To understand and apply
time management principles, you must know not only how to use time wisely, but also what problems you
may encounter, and what causes these problems. From this you can learn to improve your effectiveness
and efficiency through better time management.

For instance, if the receptionist is responsible for collection of the mail and sending it out, and company
policy is that the mail must be ready for collection by 3.00 pm, then this procedure must be followed and
other tasks organised around this daily routine.

You can also improve work routine by personalising your work station and organising your work space.

Personalising work station: do this by adding plants, photographs etc (within organisational policy and
procedure guidelines) to make the area your "own" (however temporarily). Everything will look brighter
and more cheerful, giving you a feeling of belonging and boosting your morale.

Organising your work space: arrange your work tools for ease of use. If you use files often, place the filing
cabinet near to your desk so that you do not have to get up every time you need to retrieve a document.
Try to have tools you use most often within easy reach.

Establishing Priorities

How do you make the hard decisions about which tasks should be first, second, etc and how do you decide
how much time to devote to each of them? Obviously, only you can put a correct time to each task relative
to how much has to be done to complete each job, but certainly we can get an indication of priorities by
looking at the range of tasks that normally have to be completed in the business environment.

Group tasks for greater efficiency. Make out-going telephone calls in groups. Time them when most people
can be reached. Use notes about responses and/or any follow up action that is required. At the end of each
day, take a few minutes to organise a "to do" list for the following day.

Let's look at a few tasks and then put them in priority order:

 pick-up and opening of incoming mail

 filing
 keying-in of a memo to staff requesting their attendance at a meeting to be held tomorrow
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Work Plan/Activities
Training, Teaching and Learning Materials Development

 ordering of new stationery supplies to cover the next two months

 photocopying of material to be distributed at a meeting a week from today
In organising these tasks into priority order, it is important to consider what the deadlines are not how long
the task will take to complete. The order should be as follows:

Priority Details Time

1 Mail collection and opening

2 Memo to staff regarding meeting 30mins

3 Order stationery 15 mins

4 Photocopy material for meeting

5 Filing

Now let's have a look at the reasons for the way in which the tasks have been prioritised.

Mail collection and opening (1)

The mail may not, in fact, be done first. It will, however, determine the timing of other tasks if it is to be
collected and opened at the same time every day. For this reason, it must take precedence above other
tasks.

Memo to staff (2)

The memo requesting staff attendance at the meeting tomorrow is obviously the most important task to be
completed because of the timeline involved. Not only will the memo have to be keyed in, but it will have to
be copied and distributed during the course of the day to give those attending, time to organise their diary
and any relevant materials for the meeting.

Order stationery (3)

The ordering of stationery may not appear to be that important; however, as it is only ordered to cover a
period of two months, there may not be very much left before a new order is made for delivery of the next
two months' supplies. As completion of this task may not take very long, it is worth ensuring that the task is
not forgotten.

Photocopy material for meeting (4)

Completion of this task is dependent on how much photocopying there is to do. If the amount to be
photocopied is excessive, the task may be spread over a number of days to avoid too much time being
spent away from the desk at the one time.

Filing (5)
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Because the filing is listed last here, it should not be thought that it is the least important task to be
completed. It does, however, have the least pressing timeline and, therefore, it can be left until last. Filing
should be kept up-to-date, and a little, regularly, is much better than a lot in desperation.

Self Check

1. Write a list of six things that can cause workers to waste time and prevent them from completing
their work on time.

2. Write a brief paragraph on why it is important to plan your work.

3. How could you organise your tasks for the day to make best use of your time?
4. Explain why it is important for a worker to understand how they use their time during the day.
Lo4:- Solve problems and make decisions

You are an administrative assistant with E! Events – an office with 30 employees. One of your tasks is to
order stationery.

It is your responsibility to make sure that there is enough stationery (for example, photocopy paper, pens,
computer disks, staples, highlighter pens, envelopes, paperclips, manilla folders etc) for the day-to-day
activities.

You also need to make sure that you order the stationery that is needed for anybody who has special
requirements (for example, somebody may be doing a large mail-out or creating a set of new
manual files).
The company orders stationery from Maryborough Office Supplies. You have a catalogue of all their
stationery products that can assist you to place an order over the phone.

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The ABC Method of Prioritizing

To assist with task prioritization, you may wish to use the ABC method:

Step 1: Categories the tasks on your list as follows:

A Must be done today

B Should be done today

C Preferable if could be done today

Step 2: Within each category, allocate a priority number to each task as follows:

1: Do this task before other tasks in this category

2: Do this task after the most important tasks in this category have been completed

3: Do this task last in this category of tasks.

A categorized to-do list would look like the example as follows:

Things to do today

B2 Phone Jose Sweeney

C1 Place stationery order

A3 Type up meeting minutes for Tom

C2 Get keys cut for Susan

A2 Send out conference invitations

A1 Organize meeting of all team members for tomorrow morning

B1 Balance petty cash

C3 Get some more stamps

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INFORMATION SHEET 1: Selecting Appropriate Resources

In order to complete a task in the most efficient fashion, it is a wise idea to choose the most appropriate
resources. Consider, for instance, a simple task such as collating a number of copies of a six-page
document. It would not appear that much in the way of resources is required for this.

These are the resources that may be required:

 a stapler
 staple supply
 a rubberized sorter or a damp sponge may be a benefit too, to pick up each single sheet
 a clear bench top to spread out the six pages ready for collation
 elastic bands may be needed to hold the collated copies in bundles for easier handling
By breaking the task down into smaller parts, there may well be more than one or two obvious resources
required for the efficient completion of the task. It is necessary to think about resources before beginning
on a task to save:

 time
 energy
 double handling
Time Wasters

We all waste time. Some of us recognize this and try to do something about it. Some of us are unaware of
the time we waste. The following can all contribute to wasted time:

Telephone interruptions Procrastination

Inability to say “no” Incomplete information

Changing deadlines Understaffing

Lack of planning Work overload

Drop in visitors Excessive socializing

Ineffective delegation

Attempting too much at once

Personal disorganization

Crises

Lack of self discipline

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Delegating Identified Tasks to Team

Once tasks have been effectively identified, they can be delegated to team members. Delegation is
handing over a task to another person and giving that person authority and responsibility to complete it.

At certain times, you may be unable to complete everything by a specific time. Delegation enables the
team leader and the team, to effectively get the job done. Delegation enables tasks to be equally
shared.

Team work generally involves delegation. Tasks are given to team members according to their abilities,
time restrictions, preferences, etc.

Advantages of Delegating

The following points are the advantages to be gained by effective delegation.

Saves time

 delegation saves time as team members are free to do work that they must complete
themselves and which cannot be delegated
 a team member may not always be the most experienced or best person to complete a task
and delegating the job to a more experienced person will ensure that it is completed quickly
and efficiently

Greater job satisfaction

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 when a person delegates a task, he or she is displaying that he or she has trust and
confidence in the other person to complete the task
 most people derive a sense of satisfaction in completing more challenging tasks
 delegation enables a person to use his or her initiative

Increased skills

 people have the opportunity to complete new tasks thus gaining more experience
 delegation provides the opportunity for people to be trained and developed in new areas
 if a person is absent, there is someone else who can fill in for that person
 everyone has different ideas, skills, etc, and delegation enables the talents of others to be
utilized
Reluctance to Delegate

Not everyone is willing to delegate or share tasks. Typical reasons for failure to share or delegate tasks
are:

 I'm too busy to explain the job to someone else

 The only way I know the job will be right is to do it myself
 I won't know what is going on if I give the task to someone else
 They will think that I'm lazy

Effective delegation requires a little time, but it is a good investment. It is often more difficult to
complete a task for the first time. If people are not given the opportunity to practise skills, they will
never improve.

Reviewing Work Performance

Reviewing or monitoring the work performance of a team or oneself helps to ensure that plans are on
track and goals will be achieved. Planning and monitoring are very closely linked to each other. If things
are not going according to plan, take corrective action to improve the situation.

The degree of monitoring depends on the team, the importance of the task and the person completing
that task. In some teams, each member has a great deal of autonomy and self-monitors his or her own
task. Excessive monitoring can be a waste of time and can reduce staff motivation.

Lack of monitoring may result in problems arising that are left unchecked. The objective is to ascertain
the correct level of monitoring to suit the situation. Areas that are typically monitored include.

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 Output - is the quantity of output on target with the plan?

 Quality - is the output the desired quality?
 Resources - is the amount of resources being used consistent with the plan? Resources
include raw materials, equipment, property, lighting and heating as well as human
resources.
 Procedures - are the procedures the most efficient for the task?
 Cost - is the budget on target?
 Time - are you on schedule?
Advantages of Monitoring

Monitoring:

 improves overall quality of output

 prevents problems from occurring and re-occurring
 prevents problems from becoming too large and overwhelming
 minimizes the effects of problems once they have occurred
 provides team members with guidance - they know they are "on the right track"
 avoids "management by crisis" - mopping up problems only after they have occurred
 detects and reduces errors
 improves efficiency
 provides the team with consistency
Steps in the Monitoring Process

1 Establish a goal or a standard

The first step involves the planning process and ideally should have already been completed before the
commencement of a task. It involves setting your goals and determining what end result you want to
achieve.

Typically, when working in a team, the team determines the goals and allocates tasks to individual team
members to complete. Individual team members then set their sub-goals to achieve the tasks they are
required to complete. The individual sub-goals must be consistent with those of the team.

Quality assurance is based on effective team work. Improvement of quality will be extremely difficult
without a team-based approach to improvement with everyone committed to working towards a
common goal. Many standards are easy to determine as they can be counted or measured, for example,
the number of incorrect entries in a data base or the number of reject components in manufacturing.
Other standards however are intangible and are not as easy to determine. Examples of intangible
standards include measuring employee attitude or the reputation of an organisation.

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2 Compare what is being done with the planned result

The next step in the monitoring process is to check and compare what is being done with the planned
result

Methods of comparison include.

 Personal observation - You can discover a lot by observing. Talk to people to find out how
things are going. Are things going to plan? Do you feel pleased with the progress so far?
 Reporting - Progress reports can be oral or written depending on the team. The report takes
place at a predetermined time (eg weekly staff meetings) and provides you with feedback
regarding the progress of a task.
 Testing - Testing may include random spot checks, inspections or taking samples.
Other points to keep in mind include.

 the information that has been collected should be accurate and up-to-date
 all team members should be involved in the monitoring process - if they know what is
expected of them, they can take any corrective action themselves before involving others
 a cost/benefit analysis should be completed - the monitoring process should not cost more
than any benefit that could be derived
 the monitoring process should be flexible enough to allow for problems that cannot be
anticipated
 many people resent being "checked up on". If the team is operating effectively, there should
already be present a high degree of trust, so this issue should not be a serous problem. The
team leader should carefully explain to members that monitoring is an important and
necessary task in order for the team to achieve its goals.
3 Implement corrective action, if necessary

If there is a deviation from what was planned and the actual outcome, thorough investigation may be
necessary to determine the reasons for the deviation before any corrective action is contemplated.
Sometimes, if the deviation is only minor, it may be more appropriate not to take any action at all.

There are many reasons why things do not go according to plan. The corrective action may be relatively
minor or it could be quite drastic depending on the seriousness of the situation. Again, corrective action
should be well planned. If things are going better than planned, it is worth investigating so the situation
can be duplicated and success achieved again.

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Reprioritizing Tasks

No matter how well-organized you may be, if you are requested by your supervisor to undertake
something else of importance - not originally calculated into the scheme of things - you must do so. It
may not necessarily be an entirely new task that is required, but a change in the deadline for a task that
you have already been given. This will mean that you must re-plan, or re-prioritize the tasks you have to
complete.

If we look again at the prioritizing that we did previously and add some new information:

Priority Details Time

1 Mail collection and opening

2 Memo to staff regarding meeting 30mins

3 Order stationery 15 mins

4 Photocopy material for meeting

5 Filing

The material that was to be photocopied for the meeting next week is now needed for another meeting
this afternoon. There are eight pages and there will be twelve people at the meeting. Remember that
the material will also have to be collated.

The prioritising of the day's task will now have to be altered to reflect the new importance of the
material to be photocopied. An estimation of the time to complete the task may also be necessary.

Priority Details Time

1 Mail collection and opening

2 Photocopy material for meeting (8 pages x 12 people)

3 Collate and staple material

4 Memo to staff regarding meeting 30mins

5 Order stationery 15 mins

6 Filing

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Clarification of the work to be done will often necessitate some change in the order of work to be done.
You may have been given an audio tape with a letter on it to be transcribed. You may have made it a
lower order priority for the day when compared with other more pressing tasks.

When you are told that the letter must go out that day, without fail, and is possibly in excess of two
pages, it will most certainly become a higher priority due to that extra clarification.

The need to respond to new information quickly, efficiently and without complaint is simply testing your
ability to be flexible and can also demonstrate your initiative when dealing with tasks on a wider scale.

Completing Tasks within Designated Timelines

The prediction of time taken for tasks is useless unless it is realistic in relation to the task to be done.
Effective time management is about being able to complete tasks within the timelines set.

It is important that you set timelines that reflect realistic completion times. If you feel a task could take a
lot longer than it appears on the surface (ringing a number of people to organise a meeting at a specific
time, for example), you should give the task a timeline that will ensure that it is done.

Constantly underestimating the time taken to complete a task will:

 make you frustrated

 convince management that you do not know what you are doing
 prevent completion of total daily tasks as required
Just as tasks must be reprioritised as further information is provided about the nature of the tasks to be
done, the time element should also be considered carefully, and, if necessary, changed to reflect the
revised time that the task may take to complete. Don't forget to factor in interruptions to the task (eg
answering the telephone, attending to visitors) if this is part of your job description.

It is also important that the tasks are completed in line with the organisation's policies and procedures.
Policies and procedures are put in place to ensure the continued integrity and standard of the
organisation. They should therefore always be carefully observed.

Successful time management techniques ensure that time-wasting procedures are eliminated and
efficient work practices are used. It is not about using short cuts or doing jobs in a half-finished fashion.
Quality is first and foremost, but techniques can often be reviewed and improved without any loss of
quality.

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Requesting Assistance

Difficulties will always arise when trying to achieve goals. It is extremely important that a problem be
dealt with as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Ignoring a problem does not make it go away. Many
difficulties may require the assistance of others. You may simply have too much work and need an extra
pair of hands, or you may need to draw on another person's experiences to assist you.

It is always much better to seek assistance when difficulties arise rather than making a costly mistake or
holding up the completion date of a project. When seeking assistance, be clear in your goals - what
specifically are you asking for? Plan what you want to say. Perhaps even make notes. Ensure that you
communicate your request clearly.

Select the correct time to seek assistance. People are less likely to help you if they are heading off home
for the night or are rushing off to a meeting. Make an appointment, if necessary.

Have all your facts at hand. If you are seeking assistance, people will need to know the "whole picture".
If they only have half the information, they may not be able to assist you to the best of their ability.

Finally, be confident and assertive, but not aggressive, when asking for assistance. We are all born with
the "fight or flight" response. Fighting is aggressive behaviour and flighting, or retreating, is passive
behaviour. Assertiveness is somewhere in between and involves standing up for our rights and beliefs
without violating the rights of others. Assertiveness is not an inborn response - it must be learned.

Effective teamwork requires everybody to assist one another. The completion of a project is seriously
jeopardised when people pursue their own goals and not the overall goal of the project. We all require
the assistance of others from time to time.

Feedback and Evaluation

When participating in group goal setting and decision making, an important part of the process is carried
out in retrospect. The whole procedure, from assembling the group together, selecting tasks for
completion, accepting responsibility for the tasks and performance and completion of the tasks by an
agreed date, requires feedback throughout, and evaluation on completion. It is important to be aware of
the type of feedback that will produce the best results. It certainly should not be negative in content,
but if there is criticism, it should be constructive.

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Self Check

1. Explain why it is important to regularly monitor your work performance.

2. List at least two situations when you received feedback about your work in Cert II Business.

3. What opportunities are provided to allow you to improve your work performance in Cert II Business?

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