One of the goals of the Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity is to develop a critical mass of productivity and quality (P&Q) practitioners. These practitioners can influence P&Q implementation by building partnerships with the local government units, non-governmental organizations, industries, and other stakeholders. A P&Q practitioner is “one who is accountable for the institutionalization of productivity and quality improvement through the practice and application of various P&Q approaches and tools through promotion, training and consulting”. He/she plays different roles.
As a promoter – The P&Q practitioner is responsible in creating awareness on P&Q by applying P&Q tools and approaches in an organization. He/she is also responsible for steering, monitoring, evaluating and sustaining P&Q improvement programs in an organization.
As a consultant – The P&Q practitioner provides her expertise in applying P&Q tools and techniques to organizations. He/she also provides guidance in conducting P&Q climate diagnosis to determine current issues, problems, and opportunities for improvement (OFI).
As a trainer – The P&Q practitioner delivers trainings and learning solutions to organizations. At the same time, he/she shares his/her knowledge and skills in applying P&Q concepts, tools, and techniques. According to the APO Productivity Education & Training Accredited Learning Systems (PETALS) 2006-2007, a P&Q practitioner must have the following core competencies:
- Ability to diagnose and identify productivity issues
- Ability to work out productivity solutions
- Ability to convince stakeholders including employees and management to adopt solutions
- Ability to implement solutions
- Ability to evaluate results
- Ability to sustain improvements
On top of this, the P&Q practitioner must also have the specific clusters of competencies.
Interpersonal
- Building Trust
- Communicating Effectively
- Influencing Stakeholders
- Leveraging Diversity
- Networking and Partnering
Business/Management
- Analyzing Productivity Improvement Needs and Proposing Solutions
- Applying “Business” Acumen
- Planning and Implementing Assignments
- Thinking P&Q Strategically
- Driving Results
Personal
- Modelling Personal Development
- Demonstrating Adaptability
These core and specific competencies are required to be able to fulfil the roles and responsibilities of a P&Q practitioner. After developing and specializing in specific P&Q areas, a P&Q practitioner can later become a productivity specialist. A specialist is someone who only does productivity measurement at firm/organization level. He/she can be a 5S specialist, or a training specialist, or a productivity measurement specialist.