Mandate and diagnosis Review questions Mandate and diagnosis Start with a mandate that names the question, deliverable and approval authority, then separate documented facts from stakeholder accounts in an evidence register. A progress slide or unsigned plan cannot establish the cause of delay. Test competing hypotheses against a timeline and evidence that could disconfirm each one. Check sampling bias and missing records before generalising. When critical records remain unavailable, deliver a conditional conclusion and an evidence gap with a decision about obtaining it, not a categorical verdict on a supplier or team.
Review questions Test your understanding with these questions. Marking and saved results are available with a free account.
Question 1 - A sponsor demands proof of supplier fault before records are inspected. What is the first professional output? A mandate with questions, evidence and limits A provisional accusation An instruction to repair A promise of immediate launch Question 2 - A report says 80% complete while acceptance records say 50%. What is the first check? Average them to 65% Define denominator and criterion for each Use only the newest number Accuse the team of misleading the board Question 3 - An approval slips three days on a noncritical activity. What schedule conclusion follows? The project certainly slips three days There is no reason to examine it Check float and dependencies before attribution Attribute the slip to the supplier Question 4 - Only closed tickets were sampled. What threatens generalisation? Difficult open cases are absent The sample is always too large All channels are automatically equivalent Time cannot be measured Question 5 - A noncritical task slips two days and has five days of float. What is its direct finish-date effect? Certain two-day project slip No finish slip under stated assumptions Five-day slip Cancel acceptance testing Question 6 - Remaining-work estimate includes 100 thousand of a 130-thousand order. How should they be combined? Add the full 130 to estimate Subtract 100 from estimate before adding 130 Discard the entire order Use actual cost only Question 7 - Data contract is fixed, screen flow uncertain, and users are available fortnightly. Which approach fits? Freeze every screen before trial Trial screens with a stable integration gate Public financial release every fortnight Let data contract drift uncontrolled Question 8 - One specialist has 20 hours weekly, tasks need 16 and 12 hours. What is the minimum if they cannot be split? One week Two weeks Three weeks Unknown despite inputs Question 9 - Delegation allows 20 thousand per request and 60 total, 53 is used and nine requested. Who decides? The project manager because nine is below twenty The authority for exceeding contingency The supplier because it implements Any team member Question 10 - A risk has an estimated 30% chance and 80-thousand cost impact. What is simplified exposure? 24 thousand as decision average, not certain invoice 80 thousand for certain Six days for certain 30 thousand Question 11 - A new feature is proposed before launch. What must its change request include? Requester name only Incremental scope, date and acceptance effects An unmeasured benefit promise Unapproved baseline change Question 12 - A test log says “pass” without product version or environment. How should evidence be treated? Final pass Certain failure Unverified until provenance is established Implicit release approval Question 13 - An operations director attended a meeting where extra workload was not discussed. Does attendance prove acceptance? Yes, attendance is recorded No, disclose burden and seek an explicit decision Yes if silent Operations need not participate Question 14 - Eight of 100 cancellations exceed a two-minute criterion, logs do not split network and server time. What is established? The supplier is the cause The client is the cause The criterion failed and cause needs a test The system is fully accepted Question 15 - A maintenance tool launches and median closure falls, team capacity and easy-case share also rise. What conclusion follows? Tool caused all improvement No benefit is possible Compare like cases and assignment time Login count is sufficient Question 16 - At handover, support lacks incident-log read access. What follows? Full operational readiness Readiness conditional on access and its test Delete the log Accept every other defect Question 17 - An option scores 90% but breaches a non-negotiable safety condition. What follows? Approve because it scores highest Exclude from feasible options Reduce its score by one Assign safety only to supplier Question 18 - Limited release gate needs payment test, data permission and support, test passes but permission is absent. What is its status? Launch on test pass alone Defer release until permission is evidenced Supplier signs instead Remove support gate Question 19 - A test records four duplicate requests in fifty, cause is unresolved. What wording fits the memo? Supplier caused the entire defect The defect is observed, cause needs test No defect because most passed Sponsor is legally liable Question 20 - The consultant sent a forecast template, but client staff cannot avoid double-counting commitments. Is capability transferred? Yes, because the file exists Yes, if sponsor signs No, test application on new data No forecast is needed Create a free account to mark your answers and save your progress.
