CFE Strategic Planning Facilitation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a strategic planning session, a facilitator notices two executives consistently dominating discussion while others remain silent. What is the BEST intervention?
- Ask the dominant speakers to leave the room
- Use structured techniques like round-robin to ensure equal participation (Correct answer)
- End the session and reschedule with different attendees
- Allow the dominant voices since they likely have the most expertise
Correct answer: Use structured techniques like round-robin to ensure equal participation
Round-robin and other structured participation techniques ensure all voices are heard without singling out or excluding participants.
Question 2: A forensic examiner facilitating a SWOT analysis should ensure that 'Threats' are distinguished from 'Weaknesses' by focusing on:
- Internal resource gaps vs. external environmental factors (Correct answer)
- Financial risks vs. operational risks
- Short-term issues vs. long-term concerns
- Personnel problems vs. technology limitations
Correct answer: Internal resource gaps vs. external environmental factors
Threats are external factors outside the organization's control, while Weaknesses are internal deficiencies within the organization.
Question 3: Which strategic planning framework explicitly links an organization's vision to measurable performance indicators across financial, customer, process, and learning dimensions?
- PEST Analysis
- Balanced Scorecard (Correct answer)
- Porter's Five Forces
- McKinsey 7-S Framework
Correct answer: Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard translates strategic vision into objectives and KPIs across four perspectives: financial, customer, internal processes, and learning/growth.
Question 4: When facilitating a strategic planning retreat, the most appropriate role of the facilitator regarding content is to:
- Provide expert recommendations on strategic direction
- Remain content-neutral while guiding the process (Correct answer)
- Challenge participants' strategic assumptions directly
- Document decisions without contributing to discussion
Correct answer: Remain content-neutral while guiding the process
A facilitator owns the process, not the content—remaining neutral allows participants to own their strategic decisions.
Question 5: An organization's strategic plan identifies a goal to 'improve customer satisfaction.' Which of the following makes this goal most strategically actionable?
- Improve customer satisfaction across all product lines
- Achieve a Net Promoter Score of 70 or above within 18 months (Correct answer)
- Train all staff on customer service best practices
- Respond faster to customer complaints
Correct answer: Achieve a Net Promoter Score of 70 or above within 18 months
SMART goals require specific, measurable targets with defined timelines—an NPS target with a deadline meets these criteria.
Question 6: In strategic planning, 'scenario planning' is primarily used to:
- Document past organizational failures for lessons learned
- Prepare the organization for multiple possible future environments (Correct answer)
- Assign blame for previous strategic missteps
- Create a single definitive forecast of future conditions
Correct answer: Prepare the organization for multiple possible future environments
Scenario planning helps organizations anticipate and prepare for a range of plausible futures rather than relying on a single forecast.
Question 7: A strategic planning facilitator should address 'groupthink' by:
- Encouraging consensus as quickly as possible to maintain momentum
- Assigning a devil's advocate role to challenge prevailing assumptions (Correct answer)
- Limiting participation to senior leadership only
- Avoiding controversial strategic topics during the session
Correct answer: Assigning a devil's advocate role to challenge prevailing assumptions
Designating a devil's advocate introduces deliberate dissent, disrupting the conformity pressure that drives groupthink.
CFE Strategic Planning Facilitation 2
During a strategic planning session, a facilitator notices two executives consistently dominating discussion while others remain silent.
What is the BEST intervention?