CPT Risk Assessment & Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A performance consultant discovers that a new training initiative was implemented without a needs assessment. What is the PRIMARY risk of this approach?
- Increased training development costs
- Solutions may not address actual performance gaps (Correct answer)
- Reduced stakeholder buy-in
- Longer implementation timelines
Correct answer: Solutions may not address actual performance gaps
Skipping needs assessment means interventions may target symptoms rather than root causes, resulting in no measurable performance improvement.
Question 2: Which risk analysis technique uses probability estimates and consequence ratings to prioritize performance improvement risks?
- Fishbone diagram
- Risk matrix (Correct answer)
- SWOT analysis
- Force field analysis
Correct answer: Risk matrix
A risk matrix plots likelihood against impact, enabling teams to visually prioritize which risks require immediate mitigation.
Question 3: A CPT is evaluating a blended learning rollout across 12 regional offices. Which factor most significantly increases implementation risk?
- Use of multiple media formats
- Inconsistent technology infrastructure across sites (Correct answer)
- Varying content difficulty levels
- Large total learner population
Correct answer: Inconsistent technology infrastructure across sites
Inconsistent technology infrastructure creates variable learner experiences and may prevent access to critical learning components.
Question 4: When applying ISPI's HPT Model, risk management activities are MOST closely associated with which phase?
- Performance analysis
- Cause analysis
- Intervention selection (Correct answer)
- Evaluation
Correct answer: Intervention selection
During intervention selection, practitioners assess feasibility, resource constraints, and potential unintended consequences — all core risk management activities.
Question 5: An organization wants to pilot a performance improvement intervention before full rollout. What risk mitigation strategy does this represent?
- Risk transference
- Risk avoidance
- Risk reduction (Correct answer)
- Risk acceptance
Correct answer: Risk reduction
Piloting reduces risk by testing the intervention at small scale to identify issues before committing full organizational resources.
Question 6: Which stakeholder group poses the GREATEST adoption risk when performance improvement initiatives challenge existing power structures?
- End users
- Middle managers (Correct answer)
- Senior executives
- External vendors
Correct answer: Middle managers
Middle managers often control day-to-day implementation and may resist changes that threaten their authority or require significant behavior change.
Question 7: A risk register in a performance improvement project should document which of the following for each identified risk?
- Only the probability rating
- Description, probability, impact, and mitigation plan (Correct answer)
- Financial cost estimates only
- Name of the responsible executive
Correct answer: Description, probability, impact, and mitigation plan
A comprehensive risk register captures the nature of each risk, its likelihood and potential impact, and the planned response strategy.
CPT Risk Assessment & Management 2
A performance consultant discovers that a new training initiative was implemented without a needs assessment.
What is the PRIMARY risk of this approach?