Project Report – Fail Criteria
The apprentice will be deemed as a ‘fail’ for the project report element if the criteria for ‘Pass’ grade are not met, specifically the apprentice will fail should they meet any one or more of the criteria below:-
- Not submit their project report to the EPAO within one month following the gateway
- Not provide a statement signed by their employer authenticating the project report and presentation and confirming business benefits associated with the improvement project
- Not demonstrate their role in setting-up and leading others in an improvement team (i.e. worked alone without communication and consultation throughout the project)
- Fail to address a substantive business problem/opportunity in the workplace
- Are unable to demonstrate that sustainable business benefits have been delivered into the business as a result of any project(s) carried out
- Not demonstrate that they have applied a recognised methodology (e.g. PPS, DMAIC, 8D)
- Not correctly applied and/or interpreted Lean, Six Sigma, Project and Change Management tools
- Fail to demonstrate data-backed decision making to support definition, measurement, analysis and improvement or equivalent phases of the recognised methodology being applied.
- Not present the project using a concise, visual format
- Not demonstrate holistically through the project report, presentation and questioning, their knowledge and skills as set out in Annex 3 and as detailed in the L4 standard
Project Report – Pass Criteria
Apprentices must demonstrate all the following criteria for a Pass:
1. Prepare, submit and present a project report to agreed timescales that details one improvement project. The project must:
- Show business benefit to the apprentice’s employer (S22)
- Follow the steps of a recognised Problem-Solving methodology (e.g. PPS, DMAIC, 8D) with a clear flow from one step to another and supported by the application/interpretation of appropriate Lean, Six Sigma and Change Management tools (S1, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9, S10, S11, S19, S22)
- Demonstrate data-backed decision-making to support definition, measurement, analysis and improvement (S12, S13, S14, S15, S16, S17, S18, S20)
2. Present the project using a concise, visual format and include:
- Explanation of how they chose and scoped the project (S7)
- How they used each tool (S6)
- How they led a cross-functional team during the project (K2, K4)
Project Report – Merit & Distinction Criteria
In order to obtain a Merit, the delegate must satisfy all pass criteria (related to KSBs above) and satisfy both of the below:
- Clearly explains how the outputs of each tool are used to inform the next step.
- Identifies and takes the opportunity to share and/or replicate the improvements made to one other area / system where there are differences in the solutions/controls required to deliver successful outcomes.
In order to obtain a Distinction, the delegate must satisfy all pass and merit criteria and satisfy both of the below:
- Identifies and takes the opportunity to share and/or replicate the improvements made to one other area / system where there are differences in baseline metrics.
- Seeks opportunities to apply Lean, Six Sigma, Project and Change Management tools in daily work.
Professional Discussion – Fail Criteria
The apprentice will be deemed as a ‘fail’ for the professional discussion element if the criteria for ‘Pass’ grade are not met, specifically the apprentice will fail should they meet any one or more of the criteria below:-
- Not submit their CPD log to the EPAO within one month following the gateway
- Not demonstrate holistically, their knowledge skills and behaviours as set out in Annex 3 and as detailed in the L4 standard
- Not explained how they involved others in decision making and how they influenced others
- Not clearly planed the management of the project and the management of change
Professional Discussion – Pass Criteria
1. Provide evidence of their behaviours as detailed in the L4 standard (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5)
2. Clearly explain:
- Methods used for making decisions in the project team (K2)
- How they engaged and influenced others (S2)
- Their coaching skills as set out in the L4 standard (S3)
- Their approach to Project Managament (S4)
- Their approach to Change Management (S5)
- Their approach, results and learning relating to developing skills in Experimentation and Optimisation as set out in the L4 standard (S18)
- Their use of benchmarking to inform target setting and improvement options (S21)
3. Critically evaluates their improvement journey and identifies recommendations for improvement/change (e.g. “If I were to do this again I would…”) (B4)
Professional Discussion – Merit & Distinction Criteria
In order to obtain a Merit, the delegate must satisfy all pass criteria (related to KSBs above) and satisfy both of the below:
- Identifies opportunities for cross-functional improvement.
- Supports delivery of business-wide improvement projects led by Improvement Experts.
In order to obtain a Distinction, the delegate must satisfy all pass and merit criteria and satisfy both of the below:
- Takes the opportunity to prepare and/or deliver training to upskill colleagues.
- Seeks opportunities to involve others in building a Continuous Improvement culture.
Multiple Choice Examination (maximum obtainable = 40 marks)
- Fail Criteria – Less than 25 marks
- Pass Criteria – 25 to 29 marks
- Merit Criteria – 30 to 35 marks
- Distinction Criteria – 36 marks or greater
