Continuous Improvement and Innovation Project for Woodhouse Recruitment

This report discusses the continuous improvement and innovation plan for Woodhouse Recruitment, including strategies for sustainability and staff professional development, supply chain management, monitoring sustainability, and specialists that could help the company. It also includes an action plan for implementing the plan.

BSBSTR601 Manage innovation and continuous improvement
Task 2 – Project

Task summary
This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in.
For this assessment task, you are required in:
 Part A to review systems and processes of a fictional business, Woodhouse Recruitment, to
develop options for continuous improvement and report back to the management team.
 Part B to develop action plans for implementing the continuous improvement and innovation
changes that have been agreed to.
 Part C to develop a memo for the management team to report on customer service provision.
Required
 Access to textbooks/other learning materials
 Access to Bounce Fitness site via Canvas
 Computer with Microsoft Office and internet access
 Australian Trends Report
 Recruitment Practices Report
 Green office ideas:
http://www.environment.gov.au/archive/settlements/publications/government/purchasing/
green-office-guide/pubs/green-office-guide.pdf
Timing
 Your assessor will advise you of the due date of this assessment via Canvas.
Submit
 This completed workbook.
Assessment criteria
For your performance to be deemed satisfactory in this assessment task, you must satisfactorily
address all the assessment criteria. If part of this task is not satisfactorily completed, you will be asked
to complete further assessment to demonstrate competence.
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Re-submission opportunities
You will be provided feedback on your performance by the Assessor. The feedback will indicate if you
have satisfactorily addressed the requirements of each part of this task.
If any parts of the task are not satisfactorily completed, the assessor will explain why, and provide you
written feedback along with guidance on what you must undertake to demonstrate satisfactory
performance. Re-assessment attempt(s) will be arranged at a later time and date.
You have the right to appeal the outcome of assessment decisions if you feel that you have been dealt
with unfairly or have other appropriate grounds for an appeal.
You are encouraged to consult with the assessor prior to attempting this task if you do not understand
any part of this task or if you have any learning issues or needs that may hinder you when attempting
any part of the assessment.
Assessment Cover Sheet
Candidate name:
Candidate ID
Trainer’s Name:
Date Submitted:
Candidate
declaration:
I declare that:
 I have read and understood all the information provided in relation to
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the assessment requirements to complete this unit, the instructions
and the purpose and processes of undertaking this assessment task
 This assessment is my own work and where other’s works or ideas have
been used, I have appropriately referenced or acknowledged them
 I understand that plagiarism is a serious offence that may lead to
disciplinary action.
Candidate signature:
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INTRODUCTION
There is key role of managing innovation and sustainability so that the company is able to attain
effective position in market. This report is based on Woodhouse Recruitment. There is discussion
related to continuous improvement options and the process that is used to implement the same (Park
and et.al., 2018). There is need of understanding the areas that will help to bring sustainability. The
strategies for the same are mentioned. The initiatives are part of this report. The action plan is also
formulated so that best outcomes are attained. In the end recommendations to carry on survey is
mentioned.
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Task 2 – Continuous improvement and innovation Project
Carefully read the following:
Woodhouse Recruitment is based in central Melbourne and is a recruitment agency offering
recruitment services, including sourcing, screening, and selecting candidates to meet clients’
requirements. The company was established in 2010 by Simon and Petra James, a husband-and-wife
team who are the Directors of the company. The company also employs a receptionist, five
recruitment consultants and an Administration Manager. The agency plans to recruit a further 2 new
consultants to start with the company in early 2018.
The company specialises in the recruitment area of Administration and Office Support, Accounting, IT
and Sales and Marketing for both permanent and temporary staff. The company sees its point of
difference as being an owner operated, boutique recruitment agency. The company currently has
approximately 30 clients who regularly use their services.
At a recent management team meeting, the management team (the Directors, Administration
Manager, and the Senior Recruitment Consultant), discussed the need to implement systems and
processes for continuous improvement and innovation into the company. This is in part based on the
need to stand out from the competitors in an industry where there are many recruitment agencies.
Several issues were discussed at the management meeting, which the management team feel need
further exploration as part of introducing continuous improvement systems and innovations.
Services Standards
The company states on its web site that it has the following delivery service standards:
 Service Promise: we are clear in what we offer and the benefits it brings to you
 Service Delivery: we offer consistent and reliable service to you
 Customer Relationships: we are open and friendly with all of our customers
 Compliance: we ensure we adhere to all ethical and legal requirement
However, service standards have not been clearly defined and there are no performance indicators in
place to measure performance.
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Key performance indicators
No formal performance indicators in place to measure key service standards including how quickly
candidates are recruited to fill jobs or how many of the candidates pass the trial period effectively.
Social Media
There is no social media strategy in place. Currently the company is not using social media to market
positions or to source candidates but recognizes this is an area for development. Currently most
candidates are usually found through the existing database (60%) or through advertising on job search
web sites.
Staff professional development
While all recruitment consultants are expected to have minimum qualifications and experience, there
is no process in place to ensure that recruitment consultants continue to participate in professional
development activities to keep their skills up to date. There is also no performance appraisal system in
place.
Sustainability
The business currently does not have any formal sustainability initiatives in place and is conscious of
moving towards a green office environment both to be an environmentally friendly business, as well as
to reduce costs.
Key business performance statistics:
 Annual sales revenue for financial year 20 14 - 2015 is $1,350,000, an increase of 10% from the
previous year.
 Increase in profits for this financial year compared to the last one is 9%
 16% of placements are in the IT area, 18% in accounting, 20$ in sales and marketing and the
remainder in administration and office support.
 60% of revenue is from repeat client business.
 Fill rate is 40% (where fill rate is the number of job orders filled by the number of job orders
received multiplied by 100).
 Average time to fill contracts for 2014 were as follows:
o Temporary contracts are 8 days
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o Contract work is 20 days
o Permanent search 23 days
o Executive search 33 days
Key performance indicators currently used to measure business performance focus on financial
indicators, including net operating profit and sales revenue. The company also tracks its fill rate and is
seeking to improve this to the industry average of 47% over the next year.
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Part A
Complete the following activities:
1. Develop a continuous improvement and innovation report
It is seen that there is key role of continuous improvement and innovation so that the company is
able to attain success. The two areas that sustainability and staff professional development.
Strategies
Sustainability
 Woodhouse Recruitment will make use of digitisation in order to avoid the use of paper and
become environment friendly (Bochulia and Sivitska, 2020). This will make the company
effective and will attain sustainability targets.
 The company will use the resources in effective manner. There is need of optimum utilisation of
resources so that success of business is attained.
Staff professional development
 By monitoring the performance of the employees Woodhouse Recruitment will be able to know
about the areas of weakness of their workforce. It will help to choose the actions of
improvement.
 There is need of training and development to the employees on regular basis so their progress
level is enhanced.
Continuous improvement plan
There are has certain steps that are as follows:
 Plan: In the first step planning is done so that opportunity for change is analysed.
 Do: It is necessary to implement the strategies to bring sustainability and staff professional
development
 Check: It is necessary to monitor the performance of the company.
 Act: The gaps are analysed and the actions of improvement are taken by company.
Supply chain
Supply chain management is one of the important function of management. It is the entire
system if producing and delivering the products and services to the customers. Woodhouse
Recruitment is able to collect the data and information in effective manner. It is necessary to work as
per the source of data and then find the best match for the company (Ahmed, Abd Manaf and Islam,
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2018). There is need of understanding that Woodhouse Recruitment is unable to manage the
information if the same is in bulk. This is a major problem of supply chain management that is being
faced by company. There is need of proper management and ample of number of staff members who
are able to carry on the work effectively. The use of proper management strategies that will help to
provide best services to the end users. It is necessary to hire best supply chain experts who are able to
enhance the image of business organisation.
Monitor sustainability
In order to monitor suitability, the company must use some important key performance
indicators and benchmarking techniques. It is necessary for the company to use best resources that
will help them to carry on the work effectively and monitor the sustainability. There is key role of key
performance indicators such as use of paper can be checked, energy consumption etc. This will help
the company to evaluate the performance and carry on the work in effective manner (Suresh, Ganesh
and Raman, 2019). the use of benchmarking is also important as it enhances the internal operations of
the company. There is requirement of using the same in order to gain advantage over the competitors.
It is seen that the performance of the employees can also be monitored. The use of monitoring
tools includes performance check, peer review so that the business organisation is able to provide best
to the customers. There is need of using such tools and techniques to monitor the benefits that the
business organisation has gained.
Specialists that could help Woodhouse Recruitment
There is need of specialists who have capability of helping the company and attaining effective
position in market. The specialist will help the company to enhance at all the areas and achieve overall
success. The professionals are as follows:
IT department: There is need of a person who has good knowledge of digital technology and are
able to deal with all the technical work. There is need of starting online operations of the company so
that they are able to attract more people towards the company. This will enhance the reach of
business organisation. This is necessary to carry on the work effectively and attain good image.
Consultant: There is need of a consultant who is able to provide consultancy to the company. The
progress of the employees must have progress level so that they are able to attain effective position in
market (Agostini, Galati and Gastaldi, 2020).
This will help the company to get more opportunities and grab an effective position. There is need
of managing the work in effective manner. So that better actions are taken and best strategy is
attained. These services will be beneficial for the company.
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Trends and opportunities relevant to Woodhouse Recruitment
It is important to know about the trends and opportunities so that the company is able to
achieve successful position. There is need of using updated policies and procedures so that the
company is able to attain success. There is need of using digital technology and updated policies so
that best possible results are gained. The employees of high quality must be hired by company to
achieve success.
There is need of IT resources and equipment’s, the use of training infrastructure, smart board so
that proper training is provided to the employees. The energy must be used properly so that best
results are gained.
Compare Woodhouse Recruitment's business performance
Criteria Woodhouse Recruitment's Industry
Annual sales $1,350,000, an increase of
10% from the previous year.
20% increase prove previous
year
Profit 9% increase 15% increase
Repeat client business 60% 50%
Innovative business idea
 The company can provide online consultancy
 Start new business on social media
 Change the industry and start in food sector
Send an email to all parties involved summarising the ideas agreed to and seeking final
agreement to proceed with the initiatives based on the meeting discussion and as summarised
in the email. (maximum 100 words)
To ABC
Date 20/May/2022
Respected Sir,
As per the discussion the quality management plan to enhance the sustainability in the organisation
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and reduce the use of paper is being finalised. It is requested to provide all the necessary resource
by the end of this week so that work is started. We wish to work together and maintain good
relations
Thank You
Quality Department
Woodhouse Recruitment's
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Part B
Complete the following activities:
1. Develop action plan and report
Continuous improvement plan includes several steps and at the time of implementing the plan,
Woodhouse Recruitment's will consider the following aspects:
 It will take the time of around 6 months to carry on the project effectively.
 Team members of 10 individuals will be required to enhance the quality of services provide and
attain the goals of sustainability.
 The employees will be given training on alternate days so that they are able to prepare for the
change effectively.
 There is need of regular communication so that real success is attained. This will help the
company to achieve their goals of quality management.
 The performance and progress level of the company will be measure on continuous basis.
 It is necessary to divide all the activities in smaller parts so that best results are being derived
by the company.
Report
There is key role of continuous improvement as it helps the business organisation to attain a
successful position in market. This helps Woodhouse Recruitment's to attract more customers and
serve their needs and wants in effective manner (Alexander, Antony and Rodgers, 2019). It enhances
the brand image of the company and makes them successful.
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The risk associates are related to failure of the project due to non-availability of resources. This
can be managed with the help of proper planning and arrangement of supply chain management.
Another risk is related to bad performance of the employees (Abdallah, Dahiyat and Matsui, 2018).
This can be checked with the help of providing the regular training and monitoring their performance.
The changes are beneficial for the company and their brand image. This will make the company
successful and help them to attain effective position (Antony and Gupta, 2018). The performance of
the staff members will be enhanced and that will make the company effective and profitable.
In case of failure, the company can outsource the work related to quality management so that
they are able to attain success. This will help them to attain effective position in market.
2. Send an email to your Manager (your assessor).
To: The Manager
Date: 30/May/2022
Respected Sir,
This is to inform you about the actions that are being taken in the company to enhance the
quality. There is key role of having effective brand image and managed performance so that the
company is able to attract more customers. Below is attachment related to the plan and the
actions that would be taken to implement continuous improvement.
Thank You
Woodhouse Recruitment's
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Part C
Carefully read the following:
As part of the continuous improvement and innovation review and implementation, Woodhouse
Recruitment implemented a formal survey to assess each candidate’s satisfaction with the company’s
services. The survey included 15 questions and is focused on the company’s services and desire to
improve these. Of the 100 surveys that were sent out by post, only 12 were returned.
Customer survey findings are as follows:
Overall satisfaction with Woodhouse Recruitment:
7 totally satisfied
2 somewhat satisfied
0 dissatisfied
1 totally dissatisfied
No comments provided
Ease of doing business with Woodhouse Recruitment:
5 totally satisfied
4 somewhat satisfied
2 dissatisfied
1 totally dissatisfied
Comments from candidates:
 Got the job I wanted, thanks so much
 Consultants friendly
 Hard to contact consultants
 Didn’t keep us up to date with progress of applications
Customers who said they would recommend Woodhouse Recruitment to others:
5 very much so
4 most likely
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2 no, I would not recommend
1 definitely not recommend
Comments from candidates:
 Would definitely recommend
 I would not recommend as I was not happy about the lack of information throughout the
process
 I would not recommend. I kept being sent for jobs that just were not right for me.
There are several reasons that show that the survey made by company is not effective. There is
need of carrying the overall process of taking feedback that is not considered by the company. Along
with that all the stakeholders must be involved at the time of designing the questionnaire and that is
not done by the company and this has impact on the business (Belloso, 2020). There is need of working
as per the size of question so that there is no problem being faced by the respondents in filling
responses. There must be hints being given to the respondents’ so that they do not face any major
issue. All these points are not considered by the company and that is the reason the work is not carried
in effective manner. This survey cannot be seen as reliable.
Successes from this type of continuous improvement initiative
By adopting continuous improvement plan a company is able to manage the work in effective
manner. The use of right tools and techniques is necessary for the company so that they are able to
achieve good position in market. The employees of the company are also able to get effective position
by following the training sessions. It is necessary for the company to monitor the performance so that
they are able to create effective image (Habidin and et.al., 2018). By completing goals and objectives, a
company is able to manage the work effectively. There is need of carrying the work in proper manner
and the taking benefit of the initiative. This will motivate the employees and their performance.
This must be followed in future as well. The company will able to meet the benchmarks of the
industry and perform better than the others in the industry. In future they must use proper planning so
that best is provided to them. There is need of carrying survey in proper manner so that it is also done
effectively.
Review and analyse the results
Overall satisfaction with Woodhouse Recruitment
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totally satisfied somewhat satisfied dissatisfied totally dissatisfied
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Chart Title
Ease of doing business with Woodhouse Recruitment
totally satisfied somewhat satisfied dissatisfied totally dissatisfied
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Chart Title
Customers who said they would recommend
very much so most likely no, I would not
recommend definitely not
recommend
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Chart Title
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It is analysed that the customers are not fully satisfied by the services. It is necessary for the
company to enhnace the level of satisfaction so that best is provided to the customers. There is need
of providing recommendation to the company.
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d. Make recommendations for future customer surveys, including the frequency
 There is need of systemizing the surveys so that best results are attained. This helps to get
better results and attain success.
 There is need of involving all the stakeholders so that the work is complete in proper manner.
 There is need of using easy language so that respondents ae able to give solution.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that innovation plays an important role in the
organisation and the business firms in order to introduce new products and services in the market. On
the other hand, continuous improvement is also one of the important concept that is to be considered
by the organisations in order to promote the sustainability in the market. It facilitates the organisation
to use the natural resources in an effective way through which the needs of the future generation
should not be harmed. It has been analysed these facilitates the organisation to attract lots of
customers towards the business and which results in the generation of profits in the future.
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REFERENCES:
Books and Journals
Abdallah, A.B., Dahiyat, S.E. and Matsui, Y., 2018. Lean management and innovation performance:
Evidence from international manufacturing companies.
Management Research Review.
Agostini, L., Galati, F. and Gastaldi, L., 2020. The digitalization of the innovation process: Challenges
and opportunities from a management perspective.
European Journal of Innovation Management.
Ahmed, S., Abd Manaf, N.H. and Islam, R., 2018. Effects of Six Sigma initiatives in Malaysian private
hospitals.
International Journal of Lean Six Sigma.
Alexander, P., Antony, J. and Rodgers, B., 2019. Lean Six Sigma for small-and medium-sized
manufacturing enterprises: a systematic review.
International Journal of Quality & Reliability
Management.
Antony, J. and Gupta, S., 2018. Top ten reasons for process improvement project failures.
International
Journal of Lean Six Sigma.
Belloso, W.H., 2020. On innovation.
Therapeutic innovation & regulatory science,
54(5), pp.1068-1075.
Bochulia, T. and Sivitska, S., 2020, June. Strategies of the New Time in the Perspective Development of
Innovation-Oriented Economy of Ukraine. In
International Conference BUILDING INNOVATIONS
(pp. 591-605). Springer, Cham.
Habidin, N.F and et.al., 2018. Total productive maintenance, kaizen event, and performance.International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management.
Park, H.Y and et.al., 2018. Family firms’ innovation drivers and performance: A dynamic capabilities
approach.
Journal of Family Business Management.
Suresh, M., Ganesh, S. and Raman, R., 2019. Modelling the factors of agility of humanitarian
operations.
International Journal of Agile Systems and Management,
12(2), pp.108-123
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