CSC Strategic Planning & Business Analysis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A senior consultant is facilitating a strategy retreat and the executive team disagrees on the company's core purpose. Which tool best helps align stakeholders on organizational identity before setting direction?
- Balanced Scorecard
- Mission/Vision/Values workshop (Correct answer)
- SWOT analysis
- Porter's Five Forces
Correct answer: Mission/Vision/Values workshop
A Mission/Vision/Values workshop directly addresses organizational identity and purpose alignment before strategic direction can be meaningfully set.
Question 2: During business analysis, a consultant discovers that a client's stated problem (slow order processing) is actually a symptom of a deeper issue (poor inventory data quality). This distinction is best described as:
- Root cause vs. proximate cause (Correct answer)
- Functional vs. non-functional requirements
- AS-IS vs. TO-BE gap
- Risk vs. issue management
Correct answer: Root cause vs. proximate cause
Distinguishing root cause from proximate cause is central to business analysis so that solutions address the actual driver of the problem, not just its surface manifestation.
Question 3: A company operating in a highly competitive, mature market with thin margins is best characterized by which position on the BCG Growth-Share Matrix?
- Star
- Question Mark
- Cash Cow (Correct answer)
- Dog
Correct answer: Cash Cow
Cash Cows are business units in low-growth, high-market-share positions that generate steady cash flows despite thin competitive margins.
Question 4: When conducting stakeholder analysis for a strategic initiative, which dimension is MOST critical for prioritizing engagement efforts?
- Stakeholder tenure with the organization
- Stakeholder interest level only
- Power and influence relative to the initiative (Correct answer)
- Geographic proximity to headquarters
Correct answer: Power and influence relative to the initiative
Power/influence combined with interest is the standard framework for prioritizing stakeholder engagement, as high-power stakeholders can make or break initiatives.
Question 5: A consultant recommends a 'fast follower' competitive strategy. This means the client should:
- Pioneer new markets before competitors
- Quickly adopt and improve innovations after competitors prove demand (Correct answer)
- Focus exclusively on cost reduction
- Avoid technology investments until late adoption
Correct answer: Quickly adopt and improve innovations after competitors prove demand
A fast follower strategy involves letting pioneers absorb market uncertainty, then rapidly entering with improved offerings once demand is validated.
Question 6: In the context of strategic planning, 'OKRs' (Objectives and Key Results) differ from traditional KPIs primarily because OKRs:
- Focus only on financial metrics
- Are set annually without revision
- Connect aspirational goals with measurable milestones at all organizational levels (Correct answer)
- Replace the need for strategic planning sessions
Correct answer: Connect aspirational goals with measurable milestones at all organizational levels
OKRs link aspirational objectives to specific, measurable key results and cascade across organizational levels, making strategy execution more transparent than standalone KPIs.
Question 7: A client wants to enter a new geographic market. Which analytical framework best assesses the macro-environmental factors (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal) affecting this decision?
- SWOT
- PESTEL (Correct answer)
- Value Chain Analysis
- Ansoff Matrix
Correct answer: PESTEL
PESTEL analysis systematically examines the six macro-environmental dimensions most relevant to market entry and strategic positioning decisions.
CSC Strategic Planning & Business Analysis 2
A senior consultant is facilitating a strategy retreat and the executive team disagrees on the company's core purpose.
Which tool best helps align stakeholders on organizational identity before setting direction?