Stakeholders, Communication & Business Case

What is the main purpose of a business case?

• A To justify the investment by setting out the costs, benefits, risks and strategic alignment ✓
• B To record daily progress against the schedule
• C To define the technical design of the solution
• D To list the project team's names

Answer: The business case provides the justification for undertaking the project, balancing costs, benefits, risks and alignment to organisational objectives.

Who is a stakeholder in a project?

• A Only the members of the project team
• B Only external suppliers
• C Only the people who pay for the project
• D Any individual or group with an interest in, or who may be affected by, the project ✓

Answer: A stakeholder is any party with an interest in the project or who is affected by it, including sponsors, users, team members, suppliers and the wider public.

In stakeholder analysis, stakeholders are commonly assessed and prioritised according to their:

• A Height and age
• B Power (influence) and interest in the project ✓
• C Office location only
• D Years of service in the company

Answer: A common technique is the power/interest grid, mapping stakeholders by their level of influence and their interest to decide engagement strategies.

What is the primary purpose of a communication plan?

• A To list the project's risks and their owners
• B To decompose the scope into work packages
• C To set the project budget
• D To define what information is communicated, to whom, how often and by what means ✓

Answer: A communication plan sets out the stakeholders' information needs: what is communicated, to whom, when, how frequently and through which channels.

What is the difference between success criteria and key performance indicators (KPIs)?

• A KPIs are set only after the project closes
• B Success criteria apply only to BAU, not projects
• C They are identical terms
• D Success criteria define what a successful project looks like; KPIs are measures used to track progress towards them ✓

Answer: Success criteria are the standards by which the project will be judged successful, while KPIs are the measurable indicators used to monitor progress towards those criteria.

Benefits realisation in a project is concerned with:

• A Decomposing the scope into a WBS
• B Producing the project's outputs as quickly as possible
• C Ensuring the intended benefits are actually achieved, often after the outputs are in use ✓
• D Recording risks in the risk register

Answer: Benefits realisation focuses on ensuring the planned benefits are achieved, which often occurs once the project's outputs are deployed and used in operations.