Free IASP SPP Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 5

Intrinsic motivation arises from internal drivers such asempowerment, meaningful job design, and opportunities for learning/training. In contrast,remuneration or compensation plans are extrinsic motivatorsbased on external rewards. The IASP SPP curriculum distinguishes intrinsic from extrinsic motivation, emphasizing the importance of fostering intrinsic factors for sustained engagement, creativity, and satisfaction.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Motivation】【Deci & Ryan, Self-Determination Theory】

AGantt chartvisually represents project activities along a timeline, showing start and end dates and dependencies. It facilitates scheduling, tracking, and communication. The IASP SPP curriculum identifies Gantt charts as essential project management tools supporting strategy implementation. PERT charts also show project activities but focus on task sequences and critical paths, spider diagrams illustrate relationships, and organizational charts show hierarchy.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Project Management】【PMI, PMBOK Guide】

Operational planning should commence only after thestrategic plan is approved and finalizedto ensure alignment of tactical activities with strategic priorities. The IASP SPP curriculum highlights that premature operational planning risks misalignment and wasted effort. Clear strategic direction guides resource allocation, goal setting, and performance measurement at the operational level.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Operational Planning】【Kaplan & Norton, Balanced Scorecard】

Continuous improvementis foundational to strategic management, ensuring ongoing adaptation, learning, and performance enhancement. This commitment fosters organizational agility and resilience, critical in dynamic environments. The IASP SPP curriculum emphasizes embedding continuous improvement into culture and processes as a key to sustaining competitive advantage and strategic success. Consensus management and reengineering support improvement but are not as fundamental, while quality circles are specific tools rather than cornerstones.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Continuous Improvement】【Deming, Out of the Crisis】

Macro-level environmental scanning focuses on broad external forces, includinggeopolitical, sociocultural, economic, technological, environmental, and industry trends(PESTEL analysis). These factors shape the context within which organizations operate, influencing opportunities and risks. The IASP SPP curriculum stresses that understanding these macro factors enables proactive strategy formulation and risk mitigation. Other options describe micro or industry-specific factors, which are important but secondary to the overarching macro environment.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Environmental Scanning】【Aguilar, Scanning the Business Environment】

Senior leadershipis responsible for maintaining clear separation between strategic planning and routine operations, ensuring focus on long-term direction without being consumed by daily tasks. The IASP SPP curriculum stresses this role to preserve strategic thinking and governance, while operational managers handle execution. Committees or mixed employee groups support but do not hold ultimate responsibility.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Governance】【Kotter, Leading Change】

Middle management plays a critical role in bridging senior leadership and frontline employees during strategic plan implementation. The key activity in working with middle management isbuilding buy-in and ownership of the strategy. Ownership motivates middle managers to actively champion the strategy, align team efforts, and ensure that operational actions support strategic goals. The IASP SPP curriculum emphasizes that without genuine commitment from middle managers, strategic plans often fail during execution. Middle managers are accountable for translating strategic intent into specific tasks and maintaining momentum. While communication and understanding objectives are important, these support activities are secondary to securing ownership to drive performance.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Implementation Leadership】【Kotter, Leading Change】

Customer value is primarily created through appreciation, empathetic service, and reducing psychological costs such as effort or anxiety in purchase/use. While customer surveys can be useful feedback mechanisms,simply enticing participation without delivering value or acting on feedback contributes least to customer value. The IASP SPP curriculum highlights that authentic value creation focuses on improving experience and meeting customer needs, not on administrative tasks like survey solicitation.【IASP SPP Study Guide - Customer Value】【Prahalad & Ramaswamy, Co-creation of Value】