Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Business critical functions may include:
customer service functions
financial systems
payroll.
Documentation may relate to:
audit trails
client training
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Australian Standards (AS) standards
maintaining equipment inventory
naming standards
project management templates and report writing
satisfaction reports
version control.
Project team may include:
different businesses working in partnership
individual business analysts
solution developers and business clients working together
third-party solution developers working together.
Software may include:
commercial
in-house
packaged or customised software.
Threats may include:
accident
cyber attack
denial of service
espionage
information technology failure
sabotage
security
telecommunications network failure
virus attack
weather, such as storms and earthquake.
Systems may include:
application service provider
applications
databases
gateways
internet service provider (ISP)
operating systems
servers.
Statutory requirements may include:
industry imposed controls and standards
legislation, such as Privacy Act
laws regarding confidentiality and reporting of data in organisations, such as health and banking.
Commercial requirements may include:
access to internal network
availability
backup
confidentiality
encryption
firewalls
hacking
integrity
passwords and logons
storage and data recovery.
Constraints may include:
budget
hardware
legal constraints
policy
resource
software
time.
Specifications may include:
current system functionality
technical requirements
user-problem statement.
Contingency plans will typically:
identify weaknesses and provide for the implementation of a disaster prevention program
minimise disruption to business operations
provide a coordinated approach to the disaster recovery process
vary in format and content detail.
Appropriate person may include:
authorised business representative
client
supervisor.
Standards may include:
ISO, IEC and AS standards
organisational standards
project standards.
Cut-over criteria may include:
actual system down time
authorisations to cut-over
estimate of business impact, including
time before system is operational
cut-over plan refresher.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
specify contingencies that minimise down time for business critical functions
clearly specify directions on how to handle serious down time
coordinate, plan and articulate flexible logistics requirements.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
appropriate learning and assessment support when required
modified equipment for people with special needs
vulnerability assessment and general definition of requirements
acceptance test plan
business impact analysis
information technology security assurance specifications
relevant statutory documentation.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of the disaster recovery or contingency plan to ensure the following is covered:
defined recovery requirements from the perspective of business functions
impact of an extended loss on operations and key business functions
contingency plan is understandable, and easy to use and maintain
contingency planning considerations may be integrated into ongoing business planning and system development processes
disaster recovery plan is not a one-off activity, but rather an ongoing process
review of disaster recovery plan developed by the candidate.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.