CPL Program Design & Strategic Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A program coordinator is building a logic model. Which section describes the direct products of program activities, such as workshops held or participants trained?
- Outcomes
- Outputs (Correct answer)
- Inputs
- Assumptions
Correct answer: Outputs
Outputs are the direct, measurable products of program activities, such as the number of sessions delivered or participants served.
Question 2: During a community needs assessment, a CPL discovers that the data from a survey conflicts with data from focus groups. What is the BEST next step?
- Discard the focus group data since surveys are more reliable
- Use only the survey data to maintain objectivity
- Investigate the discrepancy by collecting additional data or re-examining methods (Correct answer)
- Report both sets of data without reconciling them
Correct answer: Investigate the discrepancy by collecting additional data or re-examining methods
When data sources conflict, the best practice is to investigate the discrepancy through triangulation or additional data collection before drawing conclusions.
Question 3: A Theory of Change differs from a logic model primarily because it:
- Focuses only on short-term outcomes
- Explains the assumptions and causal pathways behind expected change (Correct answer)
- Lists program activities in sequential order
- Measures return on investment
Correct answer: Explains the assumptions and causal pathways behind expected change
A Theory of Change articulates why and how a program expects to produce change, including the underlying assumptions and causal links, while a logic model maps inputs to outcomes.
Question 4: Which planning approach is MOST appropriate when a program is operating in a rapidly changing environment with high uncertainty?
- Multi-year fixed strategic plan
- Scenario planning with adaptive strategies (Correct answer)
- Single-point forecasting
- Retrospective analysis only
Correct answer: Scenario planning with adaptive strategies
Scenario planning allows organizations to prepare multiple strategic responses for different possible futures, which is ideal in high-uncertainty environments.
Question 5: A CPL wants to ensure their new youth program is grounded in participant needs rather than staff assumptions. Which tool is MOST effective at the design stage?
- Program budget template
- Asset mapping combined with focus groups with youth (Correct answer)
- Staff brainstorming session
- Reviewing competitor program curricula
Correct answer: Asset mapping combined with focus groups with youth
Combining asset mapping with direct focus groups from the target population ensures program design reflects actual community strengths and participant-identified needs.
Question 6: In strategic planning, a SWOT analysis is used to identify:
- Staff workloads, wages, overtime, and turnover
- Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Correct answer)
- Strategies, workflows, outcomes, and timelines
- Sponsors, waitlists, objectives, and tactics
Correct answer: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats — an internal/external environmental analysis tool used in strategic planning.
Question 7: When writing program goals, which characteristic distinguishes a goal from an objective?
- Goals are time-bound; objectives are not
- Goals are broad statements of intent; objectives are specific, measurable steps toward goals (Correct answer)
- Goals are written by staff; objectives are written by funders
- Goals describe inputs; objectives describe outputs
Correct answer: Goals are broad statements of intent; objectives are specific, measurable steps toward goals
Goals provide broad direction and desired end states, while objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) steps that support those goals.
CPL Program Design & Strategic Planning 2
A program coordinator is building a logic model.
Which section describes the direct products of program activities, such as workshops held or participants trained?