CRM Strategic Planning & Analysis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When conducting a SWOT analysis for a records management program, which element addresses budget constraints and outdated technology?
- Strengths
- Weaknesses (Correct answer)
- Opportunities
- Threats
Correct answer: Weaknesses
Weaknesses are internal negative factors such as budget limitations and outdated technology that hinder program effectiveness.
Question 2: A records manager is developing a five-year strategic plan. Which framework best aligns records management goals with the organization's overall mission?
- Balanced Scorecard (Correct answer)
- Six Sigma
- Agile methodology
- Lean management
Correct answer: Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard links departmental goals to organizational mission across financial, customer, process, and learning perspectives.
Question 3: Which metric is most useful when demonstrating the ROI of a new electronic records management system to senior leadership?
- Number of boxes retrieved per month
- Cost per document retrieval before and after implementation (Correct answer)
- Total number of records in the system
- Staff satisfaction survey scores
Correct answer: Cost per document retrieval before and after implementation
Comparing cost per retrieval before and after implementation quantifies financial savings and directly supports ROI calculations.
Question 4: During environmental scanning, a records manager discovers that pending privacy legislation may require new data handling procedures. This finding belongs in which PEST category?
- Political (Correct answer)
- Economic
- Social
- Technological
Correct answer: Political
Pending legislation is a political factor in PEST analysis because it stems from governmental regulatory activity.
Question 5: A records program's strategic goal is to 'reduce legal discovery costs by 20% within two years.' What type of goal statement is this?
- Vague aspirational goal
- SMART goal (Correct answer)
- Operational objective
- Mission statement
Correct answer: SMART goal
This goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, making it a SMART goal.
Question 6: Which stakeholder analysis technique maps individuals by their level of interest and level of influence on a records management initiative?
- Risk register
- Power/Interest grid (Correct answer)
- RACI matrix
- Gap analysis
Correct answer: Power/Interest grid
The Power/Interest grid plots stakeholders on two axes to prioritize engagement strategies based on their influence and interest levels.
Question 7: When a records manager benchmarks against peer organizations, what is the primary strategic purpose?
- To copy another program's budget
- To identify performance gaps and best practices for improvement (Correct answer)
- To justify reducing staff headcount
- To eliminate the need for internal audits
Correct answer: To identify performance gaps and best practices for improvement
Benchmarking identifies gaps between current performance and industry best practices, informing strategic improvement priorities.
CRM Strategic Planning & Analysis 2
When conducting a SWOT analysis for a records management program, which element addresses budget constraints and outdated technology?