CVS Team Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Midway through a value workshop, a key stakeholder announces they can only attend half the remaining sessions. What is the BEST facilitator response?
- Restructure the agenda so decisions requiring that stakeholder occur while they are present (Correct answer)
- Cancel the workshop and reschedule for a later quarter
- Proceed unchanged and make decisions without them
- Ask the stakeholder to send a written proxy vote for all items
Correct answer: Restructure the agenda so decisions requiring that stakeholder occur while they are present
Adjusting the agenda preserves stakeholder input on critical decisions without derailing the study.
Question 2: Which behavior by a value study facilitator MOST undermines team creativity during brainstorming?
- Evaluating and critiquing ideas as they are offered (Correct answer)
- Recording every idea without attribution
- Encouraging wild or unconventional ideas
- Building on previously suggested ideas
Correct answer: Evaluating and critiquing ideas as they are offered
Judging ideas during generation violates deferred-judgment rules and suppresses participation.
Question 3: A design engineer on the team becomes defensive when the group questions the original design's cost. How should the facilitator manage this?
- Emphasize that the study targets functions and value, not the competence of the original designers (Correct answer)
- Exclude the engineer from cost discussions
- Agree to skip analysis of that engineer's design elements
- Report the engineer's attitude to their supervisor
Correct answer: Emphasize that the study targets functions and value, not the competence of the original designers
Framing the study around functions rather than blame reduces defensiveness and keeps designers engaged.
Question 4: What is the MAIN purpose of establishing ground rules at the start of a value study workshop?
- To set shared behavioral expectations that support open participation and efficient sessions (Correct answer)
- To document contractual liability for the study outcome
- To assign blame if the study fails to meet savings targets
- To limit which members are allowed to propose ideas
Correct answer: To set shared behavioral expectations that support open participation and efficient sessions
Ground rules create agreed norms for respectful, efficient collaboration throughout the workshop.
Question 5: During the development phase, one sub-team falls behind on preparing its alternative for presentation. What should the team leader do FIRST?
- Assess the cause of the delay and reallocate support or scope as needed (Correct answer)
- Drop the alternative from the study
- Extend the entire workshop by a week
- Complete the sub-team's work personally without telling them
Correct answer: Assess the cause of the delay and reallocate support or scope as needed
Diagnosing the delay first allows targeted support or scope adjustment rather than premature drastic action.
Question 6: Why is it valuable to include team members who were NOT involved in the original project design?
- They bring fresh perspectives free of prior assumptions and design ownership bias (Correct answer)
- They are cheaper to hire than the original designers
- They can be blamed if recommendations fail
- They require no orientation to the project
Correct answer: They bring fresh perspectives free of prior assumptions and design ownership bias
Independent members challenge embedded assumptions because they have no ownership stake in the original design.
Question 7: A team member consistently arrives late and misses information phase briefings. The MOST effective corrective step is to:
- Speak with the member privately to understand the issue and reinforce attendance expectations (Correct answer)
- Ignore the behavior to avoid conflict
- Publicly reprimand the member at the next session
- Immediately request their removal from the project
Correct answer: Speak with the member privately to understand the issue and reinforce attendance expectations
A private conversation addresses the root cause and preserves the member's dignity and engagement.
CVS Team Management 3
Midway through a value workshop, a key stakeholder announces they can only attend half the remaining sessions.
What is the BEST facilitator response?