5 Personal performance

At their simplest, National Occupational Standards can be used to make sure people are working to standards of good practice when carrying out their day-to-day activities. Each unit covers a discrete function and describes what someone has to do to perform this function effectively. It also describes the skills and knowledge they need to apply.

Steps to take:

Step 1 Identify the relevant standards
When you are about to undertake an activity – particularly an activity that is unfamiliar to you or you haven’t carried out for some time – identify which units from the Legal Advice Standards or other sets of National Occupational Standards are relevant.

Step 2 Plan to carry out the activity
Use the unit(s) – particularly the statements of effective performance – to help you plan how you will approach the task. You may well find that the statements of effective performance suggest ways in which you can carry out the activity more effectively.

Step 3 Check your skills and knowledge
Use the relevant sections of the unit to check whether you possess all the required skills and knowledge. You may find that:

  • You do not have all the necessary knowledge and information
  • You need to learn specific techniques or develop your skills
  • You need the support and advice of a more experienced colleague to carry out certain aspects of the activity

You can then take action to acquire the knowledge and information you need, develop your skills and techniques or gain the support of your manager, supervisor or a more experienced colleague to help you with this activity.

Step 4 Monitor your performance
Whilst you are undertaking this activity, kept the relevant unit(s) to hand and use the statements of effective performance as checklists to ensure you are working to good practice

Step 5 Evaluate your performance
When you have completed the activity, reflect on your performance. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What went well?
  • What did not go so well?
  • What would you do differently next time?
  • In what ways did the standards help you perform effectively?
  • What personal development or training would help you carry out the activity more effectively?

Sometimes it is useful to carry out this evaluation with others, perhaps your line manager or colleagues. It is particularly useful to use the National Occupational Standards in this way as part of the professional supervision process.

If, when you have completed this process, you have identified some development needs, discuss these with your line manager as part of the personal development planning and review process.

Checklist

  • Are you clear about the National Occupational Standards to which you should be working?
  • Do you use the National Occupational Standards to plan your work, particularly when you have to tackle new or unfamiliar activities?
  • Do you use the National Occupational Standards to check you are performing in line with good practice?
  • Do you use the National Occupational Standards to reflect on your practice and identify areas where you need to improve?