CPP Stakeholder Analysis & Communication 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A process improvement team discovers that a key department head is actively spreading negative rumors about the initiative. According to stakeholder management best practices, what is the FIRST action the team should take?
- Escalate the issue to senior leadership immediately
- Schedule a one-on-one meeting to understand the department head's concerns (Correct answer)
- Send a formal written rebuttal to all staff
- Remove the department head from stakeholder communications
Correct answer: Schedule a one-on-one meeting to understand the department head's concerns
Direct engagement to understand underlying concerns is the first step before escalating or taking corrective action.
Question 2: Which stakeholder communication model distinguishes between information that must be 'pushed' to stakeholders versus information they must 'pull' themselves?
- RACI matrix
- Push-Pull communication framework (Correct answer)
- Stakeholder salience model
- Communication register
Correct answer: Push-Pull communication framework
The Push-Pull communication framework categorizes methods by whether information is actively sent (push) or made available for stakeholders to retrieve (pull).
Question 3: In CPP methodology, a 'latent stakeholder' is best described as someone who:
- Has high power but low interest in the process
- Is unaware of how the process change will affect them (Correct answer)
- Actively opposes the process improvement effort
- Has formal authority to veto process changes
Correct answer: Is unaware of how the process change will affect them
Latent stakeholders are those whose stake exists but who are not yet aware of their connection to the process or its changes.
Question 4: A communication plan for a large-scale process redesign project should be reviewed and updated:
- Only at project initiation
- Once per quarter regardless of project status
- Whenever significant stakeholder changes or project milestones occur (Correct answer)
- Only when stakeholders formally request changes
Correct answer: Whenever significant stakeholder changes or project milestones occur
Communication plans are living documents that must be updated whenever the stakeholder landscape or project context changes significantly.
Question 5: Which technique is most effective for identifying hidden stakeholders who may be impacted by a process change but are not obviously connected to it?
- Surveys distributed to current known stakeholders
- Snowball stakeholder identification using existing contacts (Correct answer)
- Review of the organization chart alone
- Analysis of only direct process participants
Correct answer: Snowball stakeholder identification using existing contacts
Snowball identification leverages known stakeholders to refer others who may be impacted, uncovering hidden connections.
Question 6: When a process improvement team communicates with a highly technical stakeholder group versus a non-technical executive group, the PRIMARY difference in approach should be:
- Frequency of communication only
- Level of technical detail and terminology used (Correct answer)
- The communication channel selected
- Whether to use written or verbal communication
Correct answer: Level of technical detail and terminology used
Tailoring the depth of technical content and language to the audience's expertise is the most critical adjustment between these two groups.
Question 7: A stakeholder who has low power and high interest in a process improvement project should be managed primarily by:
- Monitoring with minimal communication
- Keeping them informed and engaged without overwhelming leadership (Correct answer)
- Involving them in all strategic decisions
- Assigning them formal project authority
Correct answer: Keeping them informed and engaged without overwhelming leadership
Low power/high interest stakeholders should be kept informed and satisfied since they care deeply but cannot directly influence the project.
CPP Stakeholder Analysis & Communication 2
A process improvement team discovers that a key department head is actively spreading negative rumors about the initiative.
According to stakeholder management best practices, what is the FIRST action the team should take?