CMP Decision Making & Problem Solving 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a capture review, the team discovers a key technical requirement that conflicts with the proposed solution approach. What is the BEST immediate action?
- Ignore the conflict and proceed with the original approach
- Convene a technical red team to assess the impact and develop mitigation options (Correct answer)
- Withdraw from the pursuit immediately
- Notify the customer about the conflict
Correct answer: Convene a technical red team to assess the impact and develop mitigation options
A technical red team assessment identifies the severity of the conflict and generates options before escalating or changing strategy.
Question 2: Which decision-making framework is MOST appropriate when a capture team must rank multiple pursuit opportunities with limited BD budget?
- Delphi method
- Weighted scoring model (Correct answer)
- Brainstorming
- Nominal group technique
Correct answer: Weighted scoring model
A weighted scoring model applies quantitative criteria (win probability, revenue, strategic value) to objectively rank pursuits.
Question 3: A capture manager receives conflicting intelligence from two sources about a competitor's pricing strategy. What should be done FIRST?
- Accept the lower price estimate to be conservative
- Cross-validate both sources against additional market data (Correct answer)
- Discard both sources and rely on historical pricing
- Report the conflict to senior leadership for resolution
Correct answer: Cross-validate both sources against additional market data
Cross-validation against a third data point establishes which intelligence source is more credible before informing pricing decisions.
Question 4: The '5 Whys' technique is MOST useful in capture management for:
- Estimating proposal costs
- Identifying the root cause of a lost bid (Correct answer)
- Scheduling proposal milestones
- Assessing competitor strengths
Correct answer: Identifying the root cause of a lost bid
Iterating through five 'why' questions traces a loss back to its root cause, enabling corrective action for future pursuits.
Question 5: When a capture team faces an unstructured problem with no clear precedent, which approach is MOST effective?
- Apply the most recent precedent regardless of fit
- Use analogical reasoning combined with structured brainstorming (Correct answer)
- Delegate the problem entirely to the proposal manager
- Wait for the customer to provide additional guidance
Correct answer: Use analogical reasoning combined with structured brainstorming
Analogical reasoning draws on similar past situations while structured brainstorming generates novel options suited to the unique context.
Question 6: A go/no-go gate decision reveals a pursuit scores below the threshold on strategic alignment but high on near-term revenue. What is the RECOMMENDED course of action?
- Override the gate and pursue based on revenue alone
- Escalate to leadership with a clear risk/benefit analysis before deciding (Correct answer)
- Automatically decline the opportunity
- Reduce the strategic alignment weight in the scoring model
Correct answer: Escalate to leadership with a clear risk/benefit analysis before deciding
Gate exceptions require leadership visibility and a documented risk/benefit analysis to ensure accountability.
Question 7: Which cognitive bias MOST commonly causes capture teams to overestimate their probability of winning a recompete?
- Confirmation bias (Correct answer)
- Anchoring bias
- Availability heuristic
- Framing effect
Correct answer: Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias leads incumbent teams to selectively interpret customer signals as positive while downplaying negative indicators.
CMP Decision Making & Problem Solving 2
During a capture review, the team discovers a key technical requirement that conflicts with the proposed solution approach.
What is the BEST immediate action?