Deck 1: Managing Successful Programmes (MSP)

Question 1

What can be described as a "Statement that describes the purpose, cost, time, and performance requirements/constraints for a project"?

A)Portfolio
B)Projects Dossier
C)Tranche
D)Project Brief

Answer 1

Project Brief

Question 2

Which type of driver is a change to an industry regulator or watchdog?

A)Societal change
B)Technological change
C)Legislative compliance
D)Political change

Answer 2

Political change

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the Programme Office?

A)Risk and issue tracking
B)Holding master copies of all programme information
C)Maintaining the list of stakeholders and their interests
D)Reporting progress of the programme at regular intervals to the SRO

Answer 3

Reporting progress of the programme at regular intervals to the SRO

Question 4

For a programme that focuses on technology or engineering infrastructure, which of the following characteristics is likely to lead to a high predictability of outcome?

A)Specification led
B)Medium-term effect
C)Challenges to historical working practices
D)Diverse or new products and services

Question 5

For a programme that focuses on business transformation, which of the following characteristics is likely to lead to a low predictability of outcome?

A)Specification led
B)Medium-term effect
C)Adoption of best practice
D)Volatility of the marketplace

Question 6

In the genesis of a programme Business Case, which document is produced from the Programme Mandate and feeds into the production of the Business Case?

A)Programme Plan
B)Programme Definition Document
C)Programme Brief
D)Programme Preparation Plan

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT within the scope of Quality Management in a programme?

A)Adherence to strategy policy and standards
B)Striving for excellence in everything the programme does
C)The quality of decisions taken by the programme's leadership
D)Systematic use of processes tools and techniques

Question 8

Which of these is an output from "Identifying a Programme"?

A)Appointment of Programme Board
B)Approved Business Case
C)Blueprint
D)Programme Plan

Question 9

Who is normally accountable for "Approval to Proceed" on a programme?

A)Programme Board
B)Senior Responsible Owner
C)Business Change Manager
D)Sponsoring Group

Question 10

Which of the following is an output of "Defining a Programme"?

A)Approved Business Case
B)Outcome achieved
C)Standards complied with
D)Capability delivered

Question 11

Which of the following is an output of "Managing the Tranches"?

A)Next tranche prepared
B)Next tranche approved
C)Next tranche defined
D)Next tranche initiated

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT an input to "Delivering the Capability"?

A)Blueprint
B)Programme Communications Plan
C)Projects Dossier
D)Project Briefs

Question 13

Which of these activities does "Delivering the Capability" not include?

A)Engage stakeholders
B)Carry out Gateway Reviews
C)Align projects with programme objectives
D)Align projects with benefits realisation

Question 14

Which of these activities takes place as part of "Delivering the Capability"?

A)Align projects with programme objectives
B)Develop the Blueprint
C)Develop the Benefit Profiles
D)Develop governance arrangements

Question 15

In "Delivering the Capability," which role is responsible for aligning projects with programme objectives?

A)Programme Manager
B)Programme Office
C)Business Change Manager
D)Senior Responsible Owner

Question 16

Which role is responsible for realising the benefits?

A)Programme Manager
B)Senior Responsible Owner
C)Sponsoring Group
D)Business Change Manager

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an output of "Realising the Benefits"?

A)Achievement of outcomes
B)Risks and issues managed
C)Benefit measures
D)Changes in operations

Question 18

Which of these is NOT an output of "Closing a Programme"?

A)Final tranche prepared
B)Programme team disbanded
C)Lessons learned
D)Plan for post-programme benefits review

Question 19

Who is responsible for confirming programme closure?

A)Senior Responsible Owner
B)Programme Manager
C)Business Change Manager
D)Programme Office

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT one of MSP's four suggested levels of stakeholder engagement?

A)Maintain interest
B)Active consultation
C)Formally approve
D)Keep informed

Question 21

Part of the project output to the strategic objective chain is in which order?

A)End Benefit -> Outcome -> Business Change
B)Business Change -> End Benefit -> Outcome
C)Business Change -> Outcome -> Intermediate Benefit
D)Outcome -> Business Change -> Intermediate Benefit

Question 22

How would you classify a Speculative Driver?

A)High importance to the current organisation and high importance to the future organisation
B)High importance to the current organisation and low importance to the future organisation
C)Low importance to the current organisation and high importance to the future organisation
D)Low importance to the current organisation and low importance to the future organisation

Question 23

One of these statements is true. Which one?

A)The Programme Blueprint is delivered through the Programme Vision.
B)The Programme Vision contains implicit outcomes and benefits.
C)The Programme Blueprint contains implicit outcomes and benefits.
D)The Programme Vision specifies the capability.

Question 24

Which is the correct sequence for some of the activities in the Benefits Realisation Process?

A)Execute benefits realisation; Review and evaluate realisation; Optimise and look for other benefits
B)Identify and map benefits; Execute benefits realisation; Plan benefits realisation
C)Identify and map benefits; Establish and maintain Benefits Management Strategy; Optimise and look for other benefits
D)Execute benefits realisation; Plan benefits realisation; Optimise and look for other benefits

Question 25

Which of the following documents are put in place by MSP's Governance Themes?

A)Business Case, Quality Management Strategy, and Project Mandate
B)Requirements Specification, Blueprint, and Business Case
C)Quality Management Strategy, System Specification, and Product Specification
D)Blueprint, Business Case, and Quality Management Strategy

Question 26

Which of these is the MSP definition of a programme?

A)A well-defined ongoing arrangement whereby a set of projects can be aligned to achieve specific company objectives
B)A strategic assignment of an organisation's resources to achieve long-term objectives within a defined framework
C)A temporary, flexible organisation created to coordinate, direct, and oversee the implementation of a set of related projects and activities in order to deliver outcomes and benefits related to the organisation's strategic objectives
D)A collection of projects with a common purpose that are managed within the organisation's standard governance framework

Question 27

Which critical organisational element is NOT directly aligned by Programme Management?

A)Recruitment policy
B)Corporate Strategy
C)Delivery mechanisms for change
D)Business-as-usual environment

Question 28

How does MSP define Programme Management?

A)The management of a set of activities with dependencies, durations, and deadlines
B)The action of carrying out the co-ordinated organisation, direction, and implementation of a dossier of projects and transformation activities to achieve outcomes and realise benefits of strategic importance to the business
C)The co-ordination of a group of projects
D)A timetable for change

Question 29

What is the MSP term for one of the "manageable chunks" that a programme can be divided into and which assist review and monitoring of progress?

A)Dossier
B)Project
C)Tranche
D)Portfolio

Question 30

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of a vision-led programme?

A)May also be referred to as a "must do" programme
B)Tends to be top down in approach, with cross-functional implications for the organisation's operations
C)Likely to focus on innovation or strategic opportunity offered by the business environment
D)Has come into existence to deliver a clearly defined vision that has been created and is owned by the top of the organisation

Question 31

To which of MSP's programme management principles does the Business Case contribute most?

A)Adding value
B)Learning from experience
C)Envisioning and communicating a better future
D)Leading change

Question 32

Which of these would you NOT usually find in a Business Case?

A)Overall programme schedule showing the relative sequencing of the projects
B)Investment appraisal
C)Estimated costs and overall timescales
D)Cashflow forecast

Question 33

Which graphical tool is used in MSP to illustrate the trade-off between the costs associated with a programme and the value of its benefits?

A)Programme Profit Plot
B)Net Benefit Line
C)Earned Value Graph
D)Value Added Curve

Question 34

Which of the following statements is correct?

A)Risks and issues are the same.
B)Risks occur at programme level, while issues are at project level.
C)Risks are things that may happen, while issues have happened.
D)Risks are handled by managers, while issues are handled at a lower level.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a principle of programme risk management?

A)Understand the programme context Risk change
B)Capture all project risks centrally
C)Involve stakeholders
D)Monitor for early warning indicators

Question 36

Which of these is NOT one of the four primary risk management processes?

A)Implement
B)Identify
C)Plan
D)Estimate

Question 37

In which of the risk management processes would a risk manager communicate aspects of risk to a stakeholder?

A)Assess - Evaluate
B)Identify - Context
C)Identify - Risks
D)All of them

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of programme issues?

A)A problem or question affecting all or part of the programme in some way
B)A required change to some aspect of the programme
C)A previously identified risk that has now hit and requires the appropriate issue management action
D)A potential change to legislation that may affect the business

Question 39

Which of these statements about quality management is false?

A)Quality management within a programme is delegated to each of its constituent projects.
B)Quality management in a programme ensures that stakeholders are satisfied that their planned benefits have the best chance of being realised and will meet their expectations.
C)The management of quality within a project is generally more straightforward than quality management within a programme.
D)A programme's strategic goals may change during the life of the programme and quality management must stay aligned to these goals.

Question 40

Which of the following would you find in a Quality Management Plan rather than a Quality Management Strategy?

A)Criteria to assess programme success
B)Resource requirements for quality management
C)Guidelines to ensure the appropriate use of audits and health checks
D)Plans and dates for audits and reviews

Question 41

Which reason for programme closure can be described as "shows the cost of the remainder of the programme compared with additional benefits it will realise are disproportionate to what has been achieved so far"?

A)Evidence
B)Strategy changed
C)Planned closure
D)80/20 rule

Question 42

Which role appoints and chairs the Programme Board?

A)Senior Responsible Owner
B)Sponsoring Group
C)Programme Office
D)Business Change Manager

Question 43

Which of the following documents does NOT form part of a programme's governance framework?

A)Corporate governance of the organisation
B)Risk Management Strategy
C)Benefits Management Strategy
D)Corporate IT Strategy

Question 44

In which document are project risk escalation routes defined?

A)Risk Management Strategy
B)Monitoring and Control Strategy
C)Benefits Management Strategy
D)Quality Management Strategy

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT part of the four-stage programme "Approval to Proceed" process?

A)SRO (and Programme Board) approves
B)Sponsoring Group endorse
C)Programme Board review
D)Sponsoring Group authorise the SRO

Question 46

What is the purpose of "Managing the Tranches"?

A)Adding another level of detail to the Programme Plan
B)Grouping the projects into logical clusters
C)Digging the foundations for the programme
D)Implementing the defined governance for the programme

Question 47

What term is used for the process whereby a risk within an individual project can be referred to the programme for management?

A)Sharing
B)Escalation
C)Transfer
D)Absolution

Question 48

Which role is responsible for ensuring the particular benefits relevant to each project can be realised from implementing the outputs from these projects?

A)Programme Manager
B)Project Manager
C)Programme Office
D)Business Change Manager

Question 49

Which of the following is not included in "Benefits Realisation Management"?

A)Managing projects
B)Managing pre-transition
C)Managing transition
D)Managing post-transition

Question 50

Which of these is NOT one of the three tests for information produced to assist with managing benefits realisation?

A)Relevance
B)Confidentiality
C)Accuracy
D)Currency

Question 51

Through the transition process, what action should be taken if business performance of the benefit measures moves out of tolerance?

A)Close the programme
B)Escalate to the SRO and the Sponsoring Group
C)Realign the benefit measures with the business performance
D)Raise an issue with the Business Change manager

Question 52

When are programmes normally closed?

A)When all projects are finished
B)When all products are delivered
C)When the end goal has been achieved, new capabilities have been delivered and some benefits have been realised
D)Never

Question 53

Which of these is a main reason for closing a programme?

A)The changes the programme was created to bring about have been delivered.
B)The Programme Office has completed the Configuration Management process.
C)The Business Change Manager has confirmed that all transitions have taken place.
D)All the programme risks have been resolved.

Question 54

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the MSP principles?

A)Universal in that they apply to every programme
B)Self-validating in that they have been proven in practice
C)Compulsory in that by forcing teams to use them an organisation can achieve consistency
D)Empowering because they give practitioners of this framework some added ability or power to influence and shape transformational change towards success

Question 55

Which answer identifies two of the principles to be observed when applying MSP?

A)"Learning from experience" and "Adding value"
B)"Learning from experience" and "Focus on products"
C)"Focus on products" and "Leading change"
D)"Leading change" and "Manage by exception"

Question 56

Which of the following is not an MSP principle?

A)Applying strict, detailed control to all programme activities, including projects
B)Envisioning and communicating a better future
C)Adding value
D)Designing and delivering a coherent capability

Question 57

Which of these is NOT a feature of the kind of leadership that is required in programme management?

A)Solves problems and creates novel solutions
B)Engenders trust with consistent and transparent behaviours
C)Demands a high level of certainty
D)Actively engages stakeholders

Question 58

What is defined as the functions, processes, and procedures that define how the programme is set up, managed, and controlled?

A)The programme's Blueprint
B)The programme's Quality Management System
C)The programme's Governance
D)The programme's Quality Management Strategy

Question 59

Which role owns the Business Case?

A)Senior Responsible Owner
B)Programme Manager
C)Sponsoring Group
D)Business Change Manager

Question 60

Which of these is NOT a responsibility of the Programme Board?

A)Ensuring the integrity of the benefit profiles and realisation plan and ensuring that there is no double-counting of benefits
B)Defining the programme's governance framework
C)Providing assurance for operational stability and effectiveness through the programme delivery cycle
D)Defining the acceptable risk profile and risk thresholds for the programme and its constituent projects

Question 61

For which of the following does the Programme Office bear responsibility?

A)Design of the programme team
B)Design of the Change Team
C)Reporting progress of the programme at regular intervals to the Senior Responsible Owner
D)Advice and guidance on roles and responsibilities

Question 62

Which of the following is a key principle for effective leadership of a programme?

A)Empowered decision making and giving individuals the autonomy to fulfil their roles effectively
B)A focus on cost scope and schedule
C)Detailed specification of all work to be undertaken at all levels
D)Total visibility of progress against plan at the highest level

Question 63

Which role is responsible for day-to-day management of the programme?

A)The Programme Director
B)The Programme Manager
C)The Programme Management Office
D)The Business Change Manager

Question 64

Who is responsible for ensuring maximum efficiency in the allocation of resources and skills within the Projects Dossier?

A)The Sponsoring Group
B)The Senior Responsible Owner
C)The Programme Manager
D)The Business Change Manager

Question 65

For which of the following is the Business Change Manager responsible?

A)Managing communications with the Programme Board
B)Advising and supporting the SRO
C)Managing the programme's budget
D)Ensuring business ownership of Benefit Profiles

Question 66

In MSP, which role is said to be the "voice of the business"?

A)Business Change Manager
B)Programme Manager
C)Sponsoring Group
D)Senior Responsible Owner

Question 67

Which of the following is the best description of "the Vision"?

A)It is a top level plan showing the main projects
B)It is a picture of a better future
C)It is a model of the future state
D)It is a marketing message designed for external stakeholders

Question 68

Which of the following would the Programme Communications Plan NOT tell you?

A)Which stakeholders the communications are trying to reach
B)How much information will be provided and to what level of detail
C)How feedback will be recorded
D)Why a particular communication channel has been chosen

Question 69

Which of the following is NOT one of the objectives of the communications process?

A)Keep awareness and commitment high
B)Describe the desired future end state
C)Make sure that all stakeholders have a detailed view of the future architecture
D)Explain what changes will be made and when

Question 70

In the Stakeholder Engagement Process, which step occurs between "Defining the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy" and "Engaging Stakeholders"?

A)Measuring effectiveness
B)Creating and analysing stakeholder profiles
C)Planning the Engagement
D)Identifying stakeholders

Question 71

Which of these is the best description of a benefit?

A)An opportunity for change
B)A change in an organisation's capability
C)A measurable improvement
D)A transformational change

Question 72

What is the name of the relational mapping technique which is used in the early stages of business case building to help the team in systems-thinking?

A)Overview Relation Model
B)Outcome Residual Method
C)Outline Relationship Method
D)Outcome Relationship Model

Question 73

Which of the following is NOT one of the four critical validation tests of a benefit?

A)Measurement
B)Attribution
C)Description
D)Resolution

Question 74

Which of the following is NOT an objective of a benefit review?

A)Assess the level of benefits achieved against the Benefits Realisation Plan
B)Inform stakeholders and senior management of progress in benefits realisation and to help identify any further potential for benefits
C)Assess the performance of the changed business operations against their original (baseline) performance measures
D)Ensure the new capabilities are embedded within the operational environment through appropriately managed business change

Question 75

During the development of which document would you be likely to use the POTI model?

A)Blueprint
B)Business Case
C)Programme Mandate
D)Quality Management Strategy

Question 76

One of these statements is false. Which one?

A)The Blueprint describes the elements of the future organisation.
B)The Blueprint is a model of the organisation, its working practices and processes, the information it requires, and the technology that supports its operations.
C)The Blueprint is used to describe the transition activities of the programme.
D)The Blueprint is the specification of the future state.

Question 77

Which theme is developed iteratively with Blueprint design until an acceptable Business Case starts to emerge?

A)Planning and Control
B)Benefits Realisation Management
C)Risk and Issue Management
D)Quality Management

Question 78

Which of these is NOT part of the core information in a Programme Plan?

A)Risk and assumptions
B)Schedule showing the programme's tranches
C)Schedule of communications activities, including target audiences for each
D)Transition plans

Question 79

Which of these statements about the Projects Dossier is true?

A)One of the objectives of the Projects Dossier is to place clear and direct accountability on the projects, while avoiding a spaghetti-like tangle of interdependencies.
B)The Projects Dossier does not deal with interdependencies between projects.
C)The Projects Dossier is assembled form the Project Briefs that exist for all of the projects in the programme.
D)The Projects Dossier will not contain information about existing projects that are to be absorbed into the programme.

Question 80

Which of the following activities would be carried out during the post-transition period of a change to new ways of working?

A)Identifying resistance
B)Responding to new requirements
C)Establishing the system to measure expected benefits
D)Selling and leading the change