SITXMGT004 Monitor Work Operations

Assessment Task 2: Case Study

The purpose of Assessment Task 2 is to apply knowledge you learned from the learning
resources in this unit combined with your workplace experience to problem solve day to day
operational issues.
You will draw from the learning pages and the video resource in this unit to respond to the
questions in the four case studies.

You are required to complete the following assessment activities.

 Complete Tasks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
 Use the Background Information to answer all the questions.

Task 1: Delegate tasks

Q1: Why is delegation an important skill for Olivia to learn?

Delegating is the process by which you give authority and responsibility to employees to
perform certain tasks at work that you the manager would normally be completing. It is
important for Olivia to learn to delegate because it will help with keeping the work moving
when she can’t do everything herself. It will be an effective time management tool for Olivia as
she is currently working very long hours and it is affecting her personal life. Delegating will also
help motivate employees to be more productive as people like to do challenging and rewarding
work. By delegating Olivia can have a succession plan. That means she can train one of the
supervisors to be able to step in to do her work when she is unavailable. Also, it will help create
an environment of trust. Employees will feel respected and valued when you trust them to
complete some of your responsibilities.

Q2: If Olivia is going to delegate tasks, there are five steps or principles for effective delegation
she should follow. Briefly describe what Olivia should do at each step.

a) Step 1: Decide what to delegate

Olivia should make a list of tasks that can be delegated. The tasks should be things that help
with employee development and improve their understanding of the job. Olivia can involve the

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employees in planning out tasks as this would increase their
commitment to the task and give them ownership of the task they perform.

b) Step 2: Decide who to delegate to

Olivia should select employees that are skilled and want to learn more and are open to taking on
new challenges. Ideally it should be someone who with a bit of training and direction, will be
able to perform the work.

c) Step 3: Delegate

Olivia should clearly communicate to the employees that she has selected what the task is and
what needs to be done to complete it. Explain what steps are involved, what the expected
outcome is, the expected completion time and the standard and quality that is required. Olivia
should also make sure that the employees are aware that she is available if they need more
information or have queries when completing the delegated tasks.

d) Step 4: Gain commitment and inform others

Olivia should confirm that the employees are committed and responsible for the tasks that have
been delegated to them. Also, it is important that co-workers are aware of what each person has
been authorised to do in order to avoid any conflicts or misunderstanding. For example: if
employee have been authorised to spend money or call in more staff.

e) Step 5: Monitor results and regularly report feedback without interfering

Olivia should set up different check points or milestones at which the employees provide
progress updates. That way she can provide any constructive feedback if needed but also not
over supervise. She will be able to gain the trust of her employees and get better commitment by
enabling them to be more comfortable and confident in performing their tasks.

Answer Q3 to Q5 based on Olivia’s responsibilities and tasks she performs listed in the case study
information.

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Q3: What tasks are not suitable for Olivia to delegate to the staff that
report to her?

1. Liaise with clients regarding their needs and update contracts accordingly.
2. Liaise with venues and suppliers and negotiate contracts for space, supplies, audio visual
equipment, etc.
3. Assist with preparing budgets and provide periodic progress reports to the event
director.
4. Update company SOPs.
5. Conduct employee appraisals in conjunction with the events director.
6. Conduct staff recruitment and selection.
7. Ensure labour costs comply with budget.

Q4: Which of Olivia’s tasks could be completed by others in the management team when she’s
absent, for example, on annual or sick leave?

1. Organise event bookings and contracts.

2. Conduct research, makes site visits and finds resources to help with decisions about
event possibilities.
3. Creates and revises room layouts for each event.
4. Creates event run sheets to ensure the smooth flow of the event.
5. Organises staff rosters.
6. Ensure all staff arrive on time and are in full uniform. Organises replacement staff in
case of absenteeism.
7. Conducts pre/post shift meetings.
8. Monitor staff on shift and ensures all SOPs and quality assurance principles are
adhered to.
9. Train new and existing staff when necessary.
10. Check staff time cards after an event.
11. Liaise with executive chef regarding client needs prior to the event.
12. Liaise with head cook regarding client needs during an event.
13. Handling complaints.

14. Check the audio-visual equipment, signage and décor meet quality expectations.

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 15. 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.

Q5: What tasks that Olivia currently regularly undertakes could be permanently delegated to her
supervisors?
1. Creates and revises room layouts for each event.
2. Creates event run sheets to ensure the smooth flow of the event.
3. Organises staff rosters.
4. Ensure all staff arrive on time and are in full uniform. Organises replacement staff in
case of absenteeism.
5. Conducts pre/post shift meetings.
6. Monitor staff on shift and ensures all SOPs and quality assurance principles are
adhered to.
7. Train new and existing staff when necessary.
8. Check staff time cards after an event.
9. Liaise with head cook regarding client needs during an event.
10. Handling complaints.
11. Check the audio-visual equipment, signage and décor meet quality expectations.
12. 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.

Q6: There are four methods of giving instructions effectively. Give one example of how Olivia
could give an instruction to her supervisors for each method.

1. Explicit/Direct – “Can you please follow up on the customer complaints and give me an
updated list once you have completed it. Thanks”
2. Request – “Would you be able to provide me with an updated guest list for the Smith
wedding?
3. Indirect – “We just received confirmation that we are going to have another 10 extra
guests for tonight’s event. We need someone to organise the extra table settings.”

4. Conditional – “Can you please do some research and find me some options for different
event sites that can accommodate a hundred guests and report your findings to me
within a week. Thank you”

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Q7: Suggest three time-management strategies that could assist
Olivia.

1. Delegation.
2. Prioritising tasks and making a to do list using a numbering system that arranges tasks
based on what’s most important to lowest.
3. Use technology such as calendars, diaries, rostering systems, planners to get organised.

Q8: One of the tasks Olivia has permanently delegated to her supervisors is checking the set up
and operation of AV equipment prior to the commencement of an event. One of the supervisors has
approached Olivia and told her she doesn’t actually know how to set up many of the items of
equipment. She has always asked one of the more tech-savvy service staff to do it. How can Olivia
encourage her supervisor to participate in solving this problem?

Olivia can communicate with the supervisor and come up with a plan to help the supervisors
learn how to set up the AV equipment. Olivia can organise a staff training session in relation to
setting up the AV equipment. She can also provide operating manuals for the AV equipment so
that supervisors have a reference guide to problem solve. Encourage teamwork and sharing of
ideas so that the more tech savvy employees can share their knowledge and assist others.

Task 2: Deliver quality service

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.
These are the most common areas of customer dissatisfaction expressed in the online survey.
• Equipment is not working when required, especially audio visual 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)
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• 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.

Q1: Based on the feedback and case study information provided in Task 1, what potential quality
problems or issues does Boutique Events have?

1. AV equipment not working when needed.

2. Some hot menu items are cold when served to customers at outdoor marquee events.
3. Access to outdoor marquee difficult when there has been wet weather in the previous
days to the event.
4. Staff running the event (supervisors/coordinators) were unprofessional, not available
when needed, did not fulfil requests.
5. Staff were rude, unhelpful, poor appearance, provided slow service.

Q2. Who could Olivia consult with when considering ways to address quality issues and reduce
customer complaints? Indicate what she would discuss with each person.
1. Olivia could consult with the supervisors, equipment suppliers in relation to the AV
equipment issues. This issue could be due to the lack of knowledge of the supervisors in
setting up and operating equipment such as projectors and computers used for
presentations.

2. Olivia should consult with the executive chef, the two chefs and supervisors regarding
the hot menu item quality issue. They can come up with ideas on how to reduce the time
between plating food and serving customers in order to reduce the heat lost in transit. It
could also be due to the lack of equipment such as hot boxes and heat lights to keep
served up food warm till it is served to customers or the lack of plate warmers to warm
up the plates before serving food.
3. Olivia should consult all employees regarding access problems during wet weather
season. They should find alternate ways for guests to access the marquee and come up
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 with different solutions such as providing a temporary
covered pathway or carpet to make it easier to walk etc. This could be an opportunity
for staff to brainstorm ideas or make suggestions on how to address the access problem.
4. Olivia should consult supervisors and customers as well. Based on the information
received she can provide more training to the supervisors. Which can be related to
customer service and how to manage customer expectations during events.
5. Olivia should consult the service staff and provide training on customer service, update
them on Boutique events grooming policy and provide training on systems to improve
service times.

Q3: Choose one of the problems or issues listed in your response to Q1. Describe what
adjustments Olivia can make to procedures or systems to improve quality and reduce complaints.
Procedures and systems could relate to administration, health and safety, human resources, service
stands, technology and work practices.

Olivia should organise coaching and training sessions for all the supervisors in charge of the AV
equipment. Since all events utilise AV equipment Olivia should incorporate technical training in
the staff recruitment process when hiring and training event supervisors. It is a key skill that an
event supervisor should have. Also, there should be equipment manuals that can be used as
reference when setting up AV equipment. Olivia can introduce a checklist where the equipment
can be tested prior to the event commencement to reduce any issues during the event.

Q4: What is one short-term action Olivia could take to reduce the impact of this problem?

Olivia can make sure that there is a tech savvy worker assigned to work at the event to assist the
supervisor in case there are issues with the AV equipment at the event. She should also provide
them with a trouble shooting manual for the equipment.

Task 3: Monitor staff performance against objectives

Morrison is one of Olivia’s supervisors. All the supervisors have a number of similar KPIs, including
Morrison.

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• 90% customer satisfaction rate at every event based on email
feedback results.
• Maximum deviation of 10% from agreed event timelines.
• Staff labour costs within 10% of labour budget for each event.
Here are the labour cost results for the last five events Morrison has supervised since Olivia started to
reduce her workload by no longer attending all events and checking all staff time cards.

Event Budget $ Actual $ Deviation

Smith we dding 9,500.00 11,255.00 + 18%
Raison we dding 4,650.00 4,560.00 - 2%
Pound 50 birthday
th
1,450.00 1,690.00 + 17%
Mille rs AGM 1,200.00 1,180.00 - 2%
Rostack confe re nce 12,500.00 13,830.00 + 11%

Olivia held a performance review meeting with Morrison about his performance. Here is a summary
of the meeting.
• Morrison has been employed with the company for six months. It’s his first job
supervising events. Prior to starting with Boutique Events, he was employed in a large
hotel managing a restaurant.
• Most cost overruns are associated with service staff, not kitchen.
• Olivia attended part or all of the events that were slightly under budget.
• Morrison feels certain service staff take longer to complete assigned duties on purpose
so they will be paid for additional hours.
• He finds they do not listen to him when he requests them to complete tasks faster and
deliberately slow down when requested to improve performance.
• Other members of the team have approached him during events; they wish to go home
when their assigned tasks are done and do not want to have to remain until all duties are
finished. They feel they are regularly completing extra duties due to other staff members
underperforming.
• The conference labour costs were over budget as the client’s guest speakers ran over
their allocated time periods. The conference dinner finished one and a half hours late on
the first day and the workshops one hour late on the second. Olivia is aware of these
issues as Morrison informed her when they occurred.
• Morrison has suggested introducing a system for capping hours for each event and
notifying all staff. He thinks it might reduce the incentive to perform slower.
• He also suggests the business undertake a productivity review to calculate average time

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 it takes to complete a range of common tasks to make it easier to
evaluate if staff are
deliberately underperforming.
• Olivia shared customer feedback which indicated 95% of customers were satisfied with
events Morrison has supervised.

Q1: Based on the results, is Morrison meeting his KPIs?

Morrison is meeting customer satisfaction KPI. He has exceeded the expected customer
satisfaction rate of 90% by 5%. However, he is not meeting the event time line and staff labour
costs KPI. He has deviated more than 10% in the events that Olivia was not there to oversee.

Q2: Based on Olivia’s duties and your response to Q3 (duties that cannot be delegated) in Task 1,
is managing Morrison’s performance one of Olivia’s responsibilities? Explain why/why not.
Managing Morrison’s performance is Olivia’s responsibility because she has to ensure that
labour costs comply with the budget and provide periodic progress reports to the event director.

Task 3.2: Performance report

Complete the Performance Report based on Morrison’s KPIs, performance results and the information
gained in the performance review meeting.
PERFORMANCE REPORT

Employee name: Morrison Employee ID: 123

Position: Supervisor Department: Customer Service
Performance discussed with: Olivia Date of discussion: 05 August 2023
Reason for review: KPIs not met
Performance period from: 01 February 2023 to: 01 August 2023

Instructions: Reflect on the employee’s performance over the whole performance period. Refer to
supporting notes and evidence collected over this time. Check the appropriate rating for each
performance area. Indicate ‘N/A’ if not applicable.

Definition of performance ratings

1 2 3 4 5
Below expectations Needs Meeting Exceeding Outstanding
improvement expectations expectations
Performance does not Performance is Performance is consistent Performance is often Performance consistently
meet requirements in inconsistent. Behaviour and meets the standards above the standard exceeds standards and
several critical factors. sometimes does not meet required. Regularly meets required and the employee KPI targets set for the

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 Performance is expectations. Targets are KPI targets. sometimes exceeds KPI position.
inconsistent and often met, but there is targets.
unreliable and behaviour room for improvement.
needs improvement. KPI
targets are regularly
missed.

Job-related skills: The extent to which the team member is competent in the practical/technical skills
required to perform the job.

1 2 3 4 5
Below expectations Needs improvement Meeting expectations Exceeding expectations Outstanding
Comments
Morrison needs to improve his staff management skills during events to ensure that labour costs are within
budget.

Interpersonal skills: The extent to which the team member willingly cooperates and demonstrates
effective communication skills when interacting with internal and external customers.

1 2 3 4 5
Below expectations Needs improvement Meeting expectations Exceeding expectations Outstanding
Comments
Morrison need to improve his communication skills so that he can effectively manage staff and ensure that the
assigned work is completed on time in a fair and equitable manner.

Organisational skills: The extent to which the team member organises and produces work in a timely
manner.

1 2 3 4 5
Below expectations Needs improvement Meeting expectations Exceeding expectations Outstanding
Comments
Morrison’s customer satisfaction rate is 95% which can be seen as an indicator of good organisational skills.

Problem-solving and continuous improvement skills: The extent to which the team member
proposes new ideas, finds new and better ways of doing things and uses appropriate problem-solving
skills.

1 2 3 4 5
Below expectations Needs improvement Meeting expectations Exceeding expectations Outstanding
Comments
The ideas of capping staff hours and productivity review to calculate average time to complete tasks were
suggested by Morrison. These will be taken into consideration for future events and planning.

Proposed future development

Morrison is well organised and is a resourceful supervisor. He needs to improve his interpersonal skills to
effectively manage staff at events and to ensure that workers complete duties in an equitable and timely manner.
He also needs to improve on practical skills to know what to do in order to reduce future labour costs.

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Task 4: Research and implement improvements to quality service
Olivia and her manager are concerned about complaints relating to the food served at outdoor
marquees. An employee has informed Olivia of an increase in customer service complaints relating to
the poor quality of salads provided at outdoor functions.
Olivia and her manager feel this is a serious quality issue and want to address it quickly. Olivia needs
to look into methods that can be used to improve the service standards. Areas that could be addressed
are service procedures, equipment or technology, or any other innovation that resolves this 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.

Q1: What impact might this have on the organisation and its customers?

The poor quality of the salads will have a direct impact on customer satisfaction. This will result
in an increase number of customer complaints which will then have a negative impact on
Boutique events reputation and customer satisfaction will be low.

Q2: What short-term actions could Olivia take to resolve this problem?

The short-term action that Olivia can take is to apologise to the customer who complained
about the salad and offer a replacement. She can ask the kitchen staff to remake the salad. This
will keep the customer happy in the short-term.

Q3: How could Olivia involve the employee who reported the complaint in resolving the
identified problem?

Olivia could ask the employee to come up with suggestions on possible solutions to the problem.
Frontline employees deal directly with the customers and will have a good knowledge of
customers’ expectations as well as information on what exactly customers disapproved of with
regard to the salads. Olivia should be open to the suggestions made by the employee.

Olivia conducts some research to identify possible causes for the quality issue. She discovers that staff
are plating and dressing the salads four hours prior to service time. Cut fruits such as avocado and
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banana are browning quickly, spoiling the appearance and taste of the
buffet foods. While the salads are displayed at safe food temperatures, their appearance is
unsatisfactory.

Q4: What is the key issue Olivia should identify here?

The key issue here is the four hour gap in the time between plating and dressing the salads and
serving the salads to customers. The appearance and taste of the salads are not up to the
expected quality.

Q5: What action could Oliva take to solve this issue?

She should introduce systems and procedures that would help the staff to reduce the time
between making the salads and serving the salads. She can ask the staff to prepare the salads
close to service time and use storage methods that will help preserve the fresh appearance and
taste of the salads.

Q6: Staff make it known that they prepare the salads early because they struggle to complete other
set tasks prior to the buffet service period. What tips could Olivia provide to staff to help them
respond to competing demands?

Olivia can provide them with time management strategies to help them plan and organise their
day. She can ask the staff to prioritise their tasks based on what food items can be stored for
longer periods of time without compromising on the quality. Provide information on methods of
keeping cut up fruit from browning quickly. The salad dressing should be applied close to
service and not 4 hours prior.

Q7: What support or coaching do individuals and teams need to implement her recommendations
successfully?

Olivia should encourage the staff to assess their workload at the beginning of each event so that
they can prioritise tasks. Encourage them to use tools that will help with managing time
effectively and increase productivity. They can assign different tasks based on the persons
strengths which would help reduce the time taken to complete the task. That way they can
reduce the total time it takes to complete the set tasks before the buffet service period.
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Q8: How can Olivia determine if her recommendations have successfully resolved the issue?
Briefly describe the monitoring method(s), sources of feedback and organisational goals or
information she will use.

Olivia can use customer feedback as well information from service staff to determine if the issue
has been resolved. She can also visually confirm at events whether the appearance of the salads
are up to standard. If the overall customer satisfaction rate increases by 5% and the customer
complaint rate relating to this issue reduces by 50% Olivia can determine that the issue has
been successfully resolved.

Task 5: Assess current and emerging trends

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.

Q1: What current or emerging industry trends can Boutique Events incorporate into its current
operation to help it achieve its business goals? Describe at least two methods and discuss how these
changes will help the business achieve its goals.

1. Social Media can be a very effective direct marketing method to promote services
offered by Boutique Events. This enables direct communication between Boutique
events and potential customers. Customers can also make enquiries through different
social media channels. In addition to Facebook, Boutique events can use other social
media such as Instagram, Pinterest, Tiktok, Youtube etc. to increase online presence
and audience. It is also important to maintain an updated website so that potential
customers get up to date information on the services Boutique events offer. Search
engine optimisation techniques will improve the visibility of the website and increase the
number of visits to the website.
2. Boutique events can introduce more ‘customer preference’ focused food and beverages
options. There is an increase demand from customers for sustainable and ethically
sourced food and beverages. This can be in the form of locally sourced, free-range or
organic food.

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Q2: How do these methods affect operational workflow, and job roles
or responsibilities?

1. There will be an increased focus on managing social media content and updating the
website. There will be added responsibilities of responding to customer enquiries online
as well as creating content to upload to social media. Boutique events will have to look
into creating a new job role that focuses on social media marketing, content creation and
updating the website in order to grow the business and increase sales by 20%.
2. There will be a significant change in the food and beverages offered by boutique events.
When sourcing produce for events staff will have to ensure locally produced, free range
organic food is used if customers request it. Boutique events will have to find new
suppliers that can cater to the requirements.

Q3: How do you test your ideas with your team? Describe what techniques you can use to ensure
a positive and collaborative environment.

Olivia can have a meeting with the staff and discuss the new ideas. She can ask
everyone to make suggestions and ask them to analyse pros and cons of the new
ideas. Cultivate a team environment where everyone would feel free to express their
ideas. Olivia can introduce an incentive/reward if the sales increase target of 20% is
achieved. This can be seen as the common goal that everyone has to work towards
achieving.

Q4: If new responsibilities are allocated to Olivia, how will these changes affect her workload?
Base your response on Olivia’s duties listed in the case study information in Task 1.

Her work load will be increased considerably if new responsibilities are added. This can have a
negative impact on Olivia. It may impact her ability to perform her role in an efficient and
effective manner. She is currently overworked and has very little social life. However, if she can
effectively delegate duties including some of the new responsibilities it may be manageable.
Olivia may have to recruit new staff, update company SOPs and ensure labour costs are within
budget.

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 ©Didasko 2022
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