Using and maintaining business procedures and protocols in an engineering environment
Overview
This standard identifies the competencies required to use and maintain business systems and protocols in an engineering environment, in accordance with approved procedures.
You will be required to use business systems and protocols to access and retrieve information critical to the successful running of an engineering business. You will use a range of techniques to analyse data and report results to relevant people following organisational protocols. You will identify opportunities for improvements and to report any problems that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with minimal supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work, and will enable you to have an informed approach to the operation and development of business systems and protocols. You will understand your organisation’s methods of operation of business systems, in sufficient detail to enable you to identify opportunities for improvement, make informed decisions and work to the required standard or protocol.
You will be aware of any health, safety and environmental requirements applicable to the products and processes, and to the business activities. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- ensure that business system records are compliant, up to date, identifiable, stored and maintained, suitable for future audit or investigations
- retrieve the required business systems information
- analyse information to support engineering business decisions using suitable analysis and evaluation techniques
- identify the areas for improvements to be made
- record the findings of the analysis and evaluation
- ensure that information on the improvements is provided to the relevant people
- deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control, and seek help and guidance if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- how to access information on health and safety regulations and guidelines relating to the engineering environment
- the specific health and safety management systems that are relevant to the engineering environment
- the specific quality management systems that are relevant to the engineering environment
- the specific environmental management systems that are relevant to the engineering environment
- the value of having human resources policies for both the employer and the employee
- the specific safety precautions to be taken when carrying out activities in the engineering environment
- the need for common business procedures and protocols within an engineering business
- the implications of not taking account of legislation, regulations, standards and guidelines when operating and maintaining business procedures and protocols in an engineering environment
- the documents and procedures which capture the demand requirements for products/services within an engineering environment
- the procedures for the ordering and supply of products/services within an engineering organisation
- the purpose of selecting products/services that represent best value for money
- the factors considered when identifying a preferred supplier (such as quality, cost and delivery (QCD))
- the importance of setting a clear specification for products or services to be purchased
- the importance of constantly reviewing, simplifying and improving the procedures for the ordering and supply of products/services within an engineering organisation
- ways of getting better value for money from products/services
- the purpose of developing and maintaining good relationships with suppliers and ways of doing so
- how to monitor that products and services are effectively sourced
- the activities when scheduling products and services (such as: lead time, delivery performance, action if not to time/quality and update system to confirm receipt)
- how departmental schedules are created
- how information is retrieved from business systems that could be used for different types of reporting
- the importance of having accurate data in business systems
- the potential consequences of having errors or omissions in data
- how to retrieve information from business systems that could be used for different types of reporting
- the purpose and benefits of organising data so that it can be analysed
- how to evaluate the relevance, validity and reliability of data
- how to analyse and prepare researched data so results will be accurate and free from bias
- the differences between primary and secondary research data/methods
- the differences between quantitative and qualitative research data/methods
- how to search for relevant data sources
- how to report data that has been researched
- the organisational procedures for providing information to different people
- ways of reporting data so that it meets agreed aims and objectives and is accurate and free from bias
- the extent of your own responsibility and to whom you should report if you have any problems that you cannot resolve
- the sources of technical expertise you can access if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
1 Operate and maintain the following business procedures and protocols in an engineering environment:
For all of the following:
- health and safety
- data and information management
- parts and service procurement
- internal requisition of inventory
plus one from: - scheduling of business activities
- quality management
- environmental management
2 Retrieve information from engineering business systems, to include five of the following:
- inspection/quality reports
- standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- maintenance procedures
- customer contacts
- supplier contacts
- technical specifications
- product or equipment safety check lists
- customer orders
- delivery schedules
- engineering drawings
- bill of materials (BOM)
- cost information
- training and skills records
- human resources (HR) policies
- new product introduction (NPI)
- other specific information
3 Ensure all retrieved information to support engineering business decisions is:
- relevant, valid and reliable
- meets agreed aims and objectives
- free from bias
- in the required format
- stored in a secure and confidential manner
4 Identify potential improvements to business procedures and protocols, including three of the following:
- simplification
- health and safety
- cost effectiveness
- reliability and consistency
- elimination of waste
- improvement of quality
- standardisation
5 Report results in an appropriate format to enable engineering business decisions, using the following:
- specific company documentation
Plus one more from the following: - written or typed report
- verbal report
- electronic mail
- computer based presentation
6 Ensure that the business procedures and protocols comply with three of the following:
- organisational guidelines and codes of practice
- organisational guidelines and procedures
- recognised compliance agency/body standards, directives or codes of practice
- British, European or International standards or directives
- customer standards and requirements
- health, safety and environmental requirements
- variations in regional/global product specification and compliance (such as: language, units of measure and currency)