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Task Outlines, Templates & Resources
Assessment Criteria
Everything your team submits as part of the illuminate:nextgen Challenge is marked against the same set of seven (7) criteria, which has been developed alongside the core skills that the challenge is based upon. Depending on the task, the criteria has different weightings depending on the importance of that particular skill or knowledge for that task, so check the task outlines closely to see what the judges are looking for – and for major tasks, you can download judging rubrics to see what judges are expecting. The criteria are;
- Strategy & Organisation
- Research & Inquiry
- Creativity & Innovation
- Financial Interpretation
- Communication
- Use of Digital Technology
- Real World Application
Team Binder
In every illuminate:nextgen Challenge, your Team Binder gives you information to prepare for every day, useful templates and much more – and while you are doing the program digitally, you will still find this document critical.
Below are links to download the templates from the Team Binder for the different tasks as well as the entire document;
Resource Hunt [1.25%]
Due: Tuesday at 1:00 pm
Purpose: Help students become familiar with the resource available online.
Outline: With a range of useful resources and templates provided online, teams are given an opportunity to explore the website and submit work through it, in anticipation of later stages of the program.
Requirements: Teams need to submit one response per team through the submission option below.
Problem Frame [1.50%]
Due: Monday at 1:30 pm
Purpose: Clearly identify a problem that relates to the Core Challenge that your team will look to solve.
Template: Editable PDF (from virtual Team Binder)
Outline: To help your team move through the Innovation Process, it is critical to be able to identify and explain the problem that your team sees in an easy to understand manner. Each team is required to complete a Problem Frame using the following template;
- [People] need to [Need] because [Importance], but [Gap].
- People: should be a clearly defined group of people that have this problem.
- Need: should be a verb that outlines what the People need – an action or a requirement.
- Importance: is why these People need this Need met in their lives through justification.
- Gap: outlines why this Need is not being met at the moment.
Requirements: Teams must book in to meet with Facilitators on Collaborate to have their Problem Frame checked, refined, and approved before progressing to the next stage. To meet with facilitators, post your Problem Frame statement on your team’s channel on Collaborate and Facilitators will chat with you there.
Assessment Criteria
Team MOU [1.50%]
Due: Monday 2:30 pm
Purpose: Set clear rules and agreements within the team of how you will work together.
Template: Editable PDF (from Virtual Team Binder) | Judging Rubric
Outline: As the program is completed in teams, it is important to set a good foundation to work collaboratively together as well as prepare for any potential conflict. Teams will step through an exercise to establish key behaviours that the team will agree to, then sign it as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between all of the team members.
Requirements: Teams are to fill in the sheets within the Virtual Binder, then take a picture of the page or edit the editable PDF and upload it using the Student Resources page.
Assessment Criteria
Solution Canvas
Due: Monday Optional
Purpose: To choose a solution to the Problem Frame that is focused on the impact that will become the team’s solution for the rest of the challenge.
Template: Editable PDF Canvas
Outline: While we often can come up with a lot of creative ideas, it can be difficult to narrow down the choices to choose the idea that will be taken forward into the rest of the challenge. To support this, teams are to complete the Solution Canvas, which will help go through an ideation (creative thinking) process and evaluate the ideas based on their difficulty and impact, in preparation for choosing the idea for the rest of the challenge.
Requirements: Teams can complete the double-sided Solution Canvas (editable PDF version available to download on the Student Resources Page), save the edited the PDF with your thoughts, and upload them individually through the Student Resources page.
Assessment Criteria
Mentoring Sessions
Due: Tuesday from 9:15 am
Purpose: To share the progress of the team through the Innovation Process, and get constructive feedback and advice on the chosen idea.
Outline: It is incredibly valuable to get feedback from other perspectives when coming up with a new idea. The Mentoring Session allows teams an opportunity to present for up to three (3) minutes to share what they have worked on so far and as much detail as they have about their idea, to then allow the mentors an opportunity to answer any questions and provide general feedback.
In preparing for the presentation, teams should;
- Read through the instruction sheet explaining the process carefully.
- Read through the available mentors and post your top mentor preferences to Collaborate.
- Check Collaborate for your mentors and meeting times (You may have more than one mentor meeting).
- Consider what questions you could ask the mentor that could help your team out.
- Prepare to take notes of the feedback to review after the session.
During your mentoring session you will need to talk about:
- Your Problem Frame
- Your Solution
- Your target audience, costing, or any other information you have.
Requirements: Teams will be sent the mentor and meeting times to their team channel on Collaborate. Teams will need to follow the link sent with each mentor at the correct time to begin their session. There may be more than one team in each meeting and so teams should be prepared to listen to other teams.
Elevator Pitch [5.00%]
Due: Tuesday 1:00pm
Purpose: Clearly present the idea in a compelling manner – in a tight timeframe.
Template: Judging Rubric
Outline: When presenting a new idea, often people are asked to explain their ‘Elevator Pitch’, which is a quick outline of the idea that should go for the length of a short elevator ride. Teams are required to present a thirty (30) second recording that briefly outlines their idea, using the following guide;
- An Introduction: Your name and something to open the conversation with.
- The Problem: Briefly outline the Problem Frame.
- The Solution: Your idea in short.
- Impact: What difference will this idea really make?
- Hook: Close with a compelling question to get the listener interested.
Further detail will be provided during the Communications Presentation.
Requirements: Teams will be given time to rehearse and record their elevator pitch before uploading their recording to the Student Resources Page on time to be judged and sent to another team for feedback.
Assessment Criteria
Planning Canvas [2.50%]
Due: Tuesday 3:00 pm
Purpose: Provide a way of brainstorming elements of the business solution that need to be developed and decided upon.
Template: Editable PDF | Judging Rubric
Outline: As the solution evolves, it is important to also start putting detail into the idea to understand how it could function and what else is needed to make it work. Teams will complete the Planning Canvas to document their thoughts in these areas, understanding the canvas can be added to throughout the program. Teams will also find that by putting more thought into this task will help with later parts of the challenge, where these elements become part of the Business Case, Marketing Strategy & Business Launch Presentation.
Requirements: Teams are to complete the Planning Canvas (available as an editable PDF on the Student Resources Page), take a photo of both sides or save the edited PDF, and upload them individually through the Student Resources page.
Assessment Criteria
Team Agenda [2.50%]
Deadline (I): Tuesday 9:45 am
Deadline (II): Wednesday 9:45 am
Deadline (III): Thursday 9:45 am
Purpose: Teams need to keep themselves organised during the more flexible days of the challenge.
Template: Editable PDFs (Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4) (from the virtual Team Binder)
Outline: As teams are into the later stages of the challenge, there are a number of tasks that need to be completed that require some forward planning to ensure nothing is missed. To support this, teams are required to complete a Team Agenda each morning, outlining what the team will focus on and delegate all jobs to team members so everyone has a role.
Requirements: Teams will be advised of the submission requirements during the Morning Briefing. Complete the editable PDF and upload it to the Student Resources Page.
Market Research [5.50%]
Due: Wednesday 12:30 pm
Purpose: Complete research on key aspects of your solution to understand how it fits into the market, and if there really is a need for it.
Template: Task Outline | Judging Rubric
Outline: To understand your target customers, the benefits that your solution will create, and the wider industry, it is critical that you complete research. To support this, teams are to complete the Market Research task, with the three research areas connected to the Problem Frame. This should be prepared in a report format as a stand-alone task, but also needs to be included in the Business Case.
Requirements: Teams should document their Market Research in a report that is at least 250 words in length and upload it online to be marked.
Assessment Criteria
Draft Financial Tables
Due: Wednesday 1:00 pm
Purpose: Receive guidance and advice on your financial tables before submitting the final version.
Template: Financial Template
Outline: Due to the complexity of the financial forecasts, teams are given an opportunity to present their draft tables for feedback and assistance. As there are no marks for the draft submission, teams do not have to submit anything if that is their choice – however, there will be no feedback given without a submitted document. It is important to note that the task only requires a draft document, so it does not need to be completed before being handed in.
Requirements: Teams should upload their working file to the website to be reviewed. Feedback will be sent to your Team Channel on Collaborate.
Draft Business Case
Due: Wednesday 2:30 pm
Purpose: Receive guidance and advice on your business case before submitting the final version.
Template: Task Outline
Outline: Due to the range of new terms introduced within the Business Case, teams are given an opportunity to present their draft document for feedback and assistance. As there are no marks for the draft submission, teams do not have to submit anything if that is their choice – however there will be no feedback given without a submitted document. It is important to note that the task only requires a draft document, so it does not need to be completed before being handed in.
Requirements: Teams should upload their working file to the website to be reviewed. Feedback will be sent to your Team Channel on Collaborate.
Marketing Strategy [5.00%]
Due: Wednesday 2:45 pm
Purpose: Outline the strategy that you will take to connect with your target customers.
Template: Task Outline | Judging Rubric
Outline: Behind every piece of strong marketing material is a clear and focused strategy that helps target the customer group and leads them towards doing business with you. Teams need to outline this strategy using the attached template with enough detail for a person who they have not yet met to clearly understand what you are selling, how you are going to promote it, and how it will make an impact.
Requirements: Teams should upload the final document (as a PDF preferably) through the Resources Page.
Assessment Criteria
Financial Tables [12.50%]
Due: Thursday 2:30 pm
Purpose: Clearly demonstrate the solution can be financially viable.
Template: Task Outline | Judging Rubric
Outline: When presenting a new idea, it is important to clearly show that it is financially sustainable in the long term through your financial forecasts. Teams are required to complete the financial tables as outlined by facilitators and to help outline what it will cost to start the idea as well as what it will cost to run, using established financial accounting practices, with all notes made in the spreadsheet for the judges to review. These financial tables should connect with what is written in the Business Case.
Requirements: Teams should upload the financial tables through the Resources website.
Assessment Criteria
Business Case [17.50%]
Due: Thursday 2:30 pm
Purpose: Clearly present the reason for the solution to exist and how it will be implemented.
Template: Task Outline | Judging Rubric
Outline: When presenting a new idea, it is important to clearly outline the research that has gone on, what the idea is in detail and how it will be put into place over time. Teams will write this out in their Business Case using the template provided and be presented in a report format as introduced through the challenge. Teams should carefully explain the details and the justification for their decisions, remembering that most judges will not have seen anything else of your work before this, so will only learn of your idea through this document. The Business Case should connect with the Financial Tables the team has to complete.
Requirements: Teams should upload the document (as a PDF preferably) through the Resources Page.
Assessment Criteria
Marketing Materials [15.00%]
Due: Thursday 2:45 pm
Purpose: Demonstrate examples of the marketing materials you use to connect with your customers.
Template: Task Outline | Judging Rubric
Outline: While a good marketing strategy will provide justification for the approach, it is important to develop some creative and interesting marketing materials to connect with your customers. Teams are to create examples of their marketing materials across a variety of mediums, as outlined in the task description. For teams looking for further examples, research similar businesses and see what they are currently doing for ideas of best practice.
Requirements: Teams should upload each piece of marketing material using the Resources Page of the website one piece at a time.
Assessment Criteria
Business Launch Storyboard
Due: Thursday at 1:45 pm
Purpose: Plan out your presentation before you start recording.
Template: Storyboard
Outline: To help you plan your presentation to know what you are saying and prepare materials where possible, teams are introduced to preparing a storyboard as part of the Communications session. All teams are required to submit this to be reviewed before they start filming.
Requirements: Teams should upload the storyboard through the Resources website.
Business Launch Presentation [20.00%]
Due: Friday 11:30 am
Purpose: Professionally present your idea and prototype for investment and support.
Template: Task Outline | Judging Rubric
Outline: Even after all of the hard work in your written documents, it is important to be able to present your idea to stakeholders verbally. Teams are required to present a Pitch Video within a maximum of five (5) minutes, using the provided template. Teams should focus on sharing the work they have done and clearly present a resolved idea to the judges. Teams should film a video, which can use graphics, music, and any other multimedia tools to support their content. The video should cover:
- Introduction (20 sec) – Open strong, and introduce everyone.
- The Problem (30 sec) – Introduce the problem with research.
- Solution (45 sec) – Explain the idea in detail.
- Demonstration (45 sec) – Choose to show on of the following (a prototype of your product, 3D walk through of your locations, demonstrate your website, app or service)
- Key Milestones (20 sec) – What steps will you take to start?
- Target Customers (25 sec) – Who are your customers?
- Current Industry (25 sec) – Who else is out there? Do you stand out?
- Financial Forecast (35 sec) – Show that this will be sustainable.
- Support Required (20 sec) – What help do you need to start?
- Impact / Conclusion (25 sec) – Close with the change you’ll make.
Requirements: Teams will need to film and edit their video and upload it to Youtube (we recommend using a private Youtube Channel). To submit their video, teams need to copy the videos link into the submission box on the Student Resources page. Videos will be collected and added to a playlist for judging by both Program judges for scoring and the public a popular vote.
Assessment Criteria
Pressure Cooker [7.50%]
Due: Friday 12:00 pm
Purpose: Teams must show their problem-solving skills and how well they are prepared as a group.
Template: Judging Rubric
Outline: Despite putting time into developing the idea, sometimes situations occur that you have not planned for but still need to solve. The Pressure Cooker simulates such a situation, with the team required to collaborate to find a creative solution to the problem. Teams will use the editable PDFs within their virtual binder or in the links above to complete the task, and will need to carefully follow the instructions outlined below or on Collaborate as well as the facilitator’s guidance. The task is also timed, with penalties for handing any work in late.
The Pressure Cooker: The task outline will be loaded here at the start of the challenge. If the Pressure Cooker has begun, refresh your browser to see the challenge outline.
Pressure Cooker | Crash & Burn
We have been launched into the digital age and with that comes so many exciting opportunities. There are creative and innovative parts of software and hardware that are helping us engage with life in a way that we never have before. But with this excitement, there also comes risk.
Your business has been operating for 6 months and things are going as well as you have planned. You have developed a good small group of regular customers/users but as it is still early days you are still building your message and this means you are getting lots of new possible customers/users engaging with you regularly. As you are still quite new, a quick response or connection to these possible customers/users can make the difference between them becoming a customer or losing their interest.
You have started your normal working day with you realise that overnight, there was a glitch in your system and your entire system has crashed and it will be down for at least 48 hours. This means that your entire online platform (website and app) are down and this same glitch is in any software you have already sold when means that any products you sold in the last week have become corrupted and stopped working.
This poses a number of problems. With your online platforms down, all your existing and possible customers cannot see your business online or contact you and all sales have been shut down. It also means that any software sold in the last 7 days is not working. Due to this, you have lost 30% of your sales for the month. You will need to think about how you are going to get your system up online and get in contact with all your existing customers to ease their concerns and deal with their issues. You will also need to think of a way to rebuild your image as a trustworthy and reliable business. You will also need to think of a way to get your finances back on track.
Requirements of the Pressure Cooker:
Marketing: Your image as a business is still new and fragile, so you will need to think about how you can reassure existing and new customers that you are a great and reliable brand. Your marketing team suggests that you relaunch your business and a new marketing campaign. Will you take their advice or will you do something a bit differently.
Operations: You need to come up with a plan quickly about what steps you will need to take to get your system up and running, how will you avoid this in the future and how will you deal with the upset customers and lost new customers. Your team is also stressed and feeling the pressure of the situation, how can you encourage them?
Finances: You’ve already lost 30% of your sales for the month but this will also affect your future sales until you can build up your customers’ confidence again. What will you do to boost your sales or cut your costs and get back on track to ensure you can keep covering your expenses.
Submission Requirements
– Max 1 A4 page marketing strategy.
– Max 1 A4 page of changes to operations.
– One Financial Table with the changes as outlined, and 200 words outlining the changes.
Submit your files to resources.illuminateeducation.com.au before the clock reaches zero.
Deadline: 45 minutes.
Assessment Criteria
Troubleshooting & Helpful Information
Troubleshooting
If your team is having an issue, work through these three things;
- Check the Resources website. This website has lots of information on it, so please check the task outlines for any assistance that is already provided.
- Check Collaborate. You might not be the only team asking this question – so check the recent conversations to see if your question has already been answered.
- Ask the Facilitators or on Collaborate. If you haven’t found the answer, please ask just ask the question. If you are asking online, please avoid using the direct message feature, as it is useful for other teams to know the answer too.
Expectations For The Challenge
Organisation & Time Management are Critical
- Attend all sessions on time. Keep track of the time, and make sure you are ready for sessions when they begin to make the most of the information that is shared.
- Set how you work best. As the challenge progresses, you will be in charge of your own agenda. Consider how you can be productive and get the most out of every team member.
- Deadlines are strict. If your work is handed in after the deadline, it will get a zero mark. Make sure you plan ahead and keep accountable.
- Awards Ceremony. There is an awards ceremony at the end of the challenge, and it is a fantastic celebration of everything that you and your team has achieved. Make every attempt to be there.
Use the Resources Provided
- Use your Team Binder to help. The binder has checklists, outlines for some tasks, and helpful resources. Keep your materials together too within the binder – but don’t lose it!
- Use Collaborate. Collaborate is our online chat platform that we give access to all teams, to ask questions, get updates and provide assistance throughout the challenge.
- Use the Resources website. This website has task outlines, templates and much more – make the most of it as these will help you complete the challenge and stay on track.
- Use technology to access relevant information. You will need to complete research and access other websites to help – use technology productively to make the most of what you can access.
Behaviour Expectations
- Respect others – within your team, in the program and around us. This goes without saying, and while the challenge provides a different environment, school rules still apply.
Core Challenge
This is the problem or central issue that each team’s solution has to address. Please read the Core Challenge carefully, as your business needs to meet this to be able to win major awards throughout the week.
[Introductory Paragraph]
[Context & Information]
Your focus for the illuminate:nextgen Challenge is to… [Outline core issue and any key criteria students need to be aware of].
To fully outline your solution, your team must produce;
- a business case that justifies and explains your proposed solution,
- supporting financial information that proves the viability and benefit of the solution,
- a pitch deck presentation that gets key stakeholders and the community excited about your solution,
- a marketing campaign that outlines your thinking and creative approaches to promoting your solution,
- a demonstration site for your idea so people can experience a prototype of it for themselves,
- a number of problem-solving exercises throughout the challenge,
- and a number of other tasks to help set a strong foundation for the challenge.
Good luck!
Schedule | Day 1
| 09:15 am | Launch of the Challenge (Live) |
| 10:00 am | Introduce to the Topic (Pre-recorded) Resource Hunt Pre-Program Evaluation |
| 11:00 am | Problem Framing (Pre-recorded) |
| 12 noon | Collaboration & Research (Pre-recorded) |
| 1:35 pm | Innovation Process (Pre-recorded) |
| 2:15 pm | Problem Frame Due |
| 2:30 pm | Team MOU Afternoon Review |
Schedule | Day 2
| 09:15 am | Morning Briefing (Live) |
| 09:45 am | Mentoring Session (Live) Financial Accounting (Pre-recorded) Team Agenda Due |
| 12:30 pm | Communications (Pre-recorded) |
| 01:00 pm | Elevator Pitch Due |
| 02:00 pm | Peer Feedback Session |
| 02:30 pm | Afternoon Review |
| 03:00 pm | Planning Canvas Due |
Schedule | Day 3
| 09:15 am | Morning Briefing |
| 09:45 am | Marketing & Communications (Pre-recorded) Formal Writing & the Business Case (Pre-recorded) Team Agenda Due |
| 11:30 am | Market Research Due |
| 12:30 pm | Draft Financials Due |
| 1:30 pm | Finance Workshop |
| 1:45 pm | Draft Business Case Due |
| 2:30 pm | Afternoon Review Marketing Strategy Due |
Schedule | Day 4
| 09:15 am | Morning Briefing |
| 09:45 am | Team Agenda Due |
| 10:00 am | Business Case Workshop (Pre-recorded) |
| 11:00 am | Marketing Workshop (Pre-recorded) |
| 02:30 pm | Business Case Due Financials Due |
| 02:45 pm | Marketing Materials Due Afternoon Review |
| 5:00 pm | Business Launch Storyboard |
Schedule | Day 5
| 09:15 am | Morning Briefing |
| 09:30 am | Business Launch video Filming |
| 11:00 am | Business Launch Video Due |
| 11:30 am | Pressure Cooker |
| 01:00 pm | Peer Judging of Business Launch Videos |
| 02:00 pm | Student Review Q&A |
| 5:00 pm | Awards |
Help from a CA with your Financials
Preparing your financial documents can be hard for most people – so illuminate Education have worked closely with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (who are definitely the experts in this space!) to help you out.
There are video guides to help you prepare your financial statements with useful tips along the way that you can use as you develop your statements, as well as heaps of great resources that could help you open up some great career options.
All you need to do is click here and you’ll get access to the resources.
Treat Yo' Shelves
To help teams understand what needs to be completed in the illuminate:nextgen Challenge, the team at illuminate Education Australia have created a sample set of documents for almost all of the submissions in the challenge. They were completed under time pressure so are not perfect submissions in any way – and we believe that as you have more people on your team and more time, you should be able to do far better than what is presented here. However they will give you some insights on what the templates and tasks are asking you to do, and help you stay on track.
The business idea presented is Treat Yo’ Shelves which was developed for our social enterprise challenge, based on a bookstore and cafe space that is a vibrant space for younger people to enjoy, which has a literacy program delivered in the space as well to help people read. Examples of some tasks are below to help you out;
- Problem Frame
- Team MOU
- Planning Canvas
- Market Research
- Marketing Strategy
- Business Case
- Financial Tables
- Marketing Materials (Social Media | Printed Materials | Audio)
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