Elements and Performance Criteria

Production operations may refer to:
lighting
sound
staging
sets/props/scenic art
visual display

Colleagues may include:
technicians
artists
carpenters
directors
designers
stage managers
other specialist staff

Occupational health and safety requirements may include:
Commonwealth, State and Territory occupational health and safety regulations
relevant national and international standards, guidelines and codes of practice, eg the Building Code of Australia
relevant local government legislation and regulation

Appropriate times for evaluations may include:
at key stages during set-up
just prior to the event
during performance breaks
before, during or after technical run-throughs

Modifications may include:
movement or replacement of physical elements
changes to technical drawings or plans
cue sheet modification
introduction of new equipment

Problems with production operations may include:
conflicts between different production aspects
space limitations
need to adapt equipment/change equipment
impacts of last minute artistic changes

Underpinning skills and knowledge

Assessment must include evidence of the following knowledge and skills:

in depth knowledge of the specific technical area (sound, lighting, staging, audiovisual, sets, props or scenic art)
key aspects of the overall technical and creative production process for different types of live production
the interrelationships between key artistic and technical personnel
leadership and management roles and responsibilities within the area of technical production
typical work organisation and work planning methods within the area of technical production
principles of effective delegation, including the provision of clear direction in devolving responsibility and accountability
problem solving and decision making processes and techniques and their application to technical production in the workplace, in particular contingency management
legal and occupational health and safety issues that affect technical production in relation to short term work organisation
effective communication techniques in relation to provision of feedback and support to colleagues

Linkages to other units

This unit has linkages to a range of other technical and general management units and combined assessment and/or training with those units may be appropriate, eg:

CUEFIN02B Manage a budget
CUETEM03B Establish and manage production requirements and resources

Critical aspects of evidence

The following evidence is critical to the judgement of competence in this area:

extensive knowledge of specialist technical area
ability to monitor technical operations to ensure production requirements are met
ability to respond to a range of common technical problems and challenges
effective communication skills in relation to coaching and leadership

Method and context of assessment

The assessment context must provide for:

practical demonstration of skills through the monitoring of one or more technical areas in the lead-up to and during more than one production
involvement of and interaction with an artistic and technical team to reflect the collaborative nature of the skills in this unit
involvement of a team for which the candidate is able to plan and organise workflow

Assessment may incorporate a range of methods to assess performance and the application of essential underpinning knowledge, and might include:

attendance at and evaluation of the technical aspects of an event for which the candidate has been responsible
evaluation of a report prepared by the candidate on the technical production process, the issues and challenges encountered and how these were overcome
oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of management roles and techniques
review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate

Resource requirements

Assessment of this unit requires access to:

technical production equipment in the area of specialisation
a venue where a production can be staged

Communicating ideas and information
Assessing staff workloads (2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Preparing workflow documentation (2)

Planning and organising activities
Organising production resources (2)

Working with others and in teams
Providing a staff briefing (2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
Calculating costs (1)

Solving problems
Adjusting equipment in the case of malfunction (2)

Using technology
Using tools (1)