Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Define Phase: Project Charter 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which section of a project charter quantifies the financial impact of successfully completing the project?
- Business case (Correct answer)
- Problem statement
- Goal statement
- Project scope
Correct answer: Business case
The business case section quantifies the financial and strategic value that justifies the investment in the project.
Question 2: A project charter goal statement should be written using which framework to ensure it is measurable and time-bound?
- SIPOC
- SMART (Correct answer)
- 5 Whys
- RACI
Correct answer: SMART
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, making them ideal for project charter goal statements.
Question 3: In a Lean Six Sigma project charter, the 'entitlement' of a process refers to:
- The regulatory compliance requirements
- The theoretical best performance the process can achieve (Correct answer)
- The budget allocated to the project team
- The customer's minimum acceptable performance level
Correct answer: The theoretical best performance the process can achieve
Entitlement is the best performance a process can theoretically achieve given its current design, often used to set the project goal.
Question 4: When a Black Belt discovers mid-charter development that the project scope is too broad, the best corrective action is to:
- Proceed anyway and adjust later during Analyze phase
- Narrow the scope and re-align with the sponsor (Correct answer)
- Split into multiple sub-projects documented within the same charter
- Remove the scope boundary section entirely
Correct answer: Narrow the scope and re-align with the sponsor
Narrowing scope and re-aligning with the sponsor ensures the project is feasible and maintains sponsor commitment before work begins.
Question 5: Which charter element formally documents who has decision-making authority over project resources and direction?
- Problem statement
- Team roles and responsibilities (Correct answer)
- Milestone plan
- Voice of the Customer summary
Correct answer: Team roles and responsibilities
The team roles and responsibilities section defines authority levels, including who is the sponsor, Black Belt, and team members.
Question 6: A project charter's problem statement should avoid which of the following?
- Quantifying the magnitude of the problem
- Stating when the problem occurs
- Identifying the root cause of the problem (Correct answer)
- Describing where the problem is observed
Correct answer: Identifying the root cause of the problem
The problem statement describes what is wrong and its impact; identifying root cause is the job of the Analyze phase, not the Define phase.
Question 7: The primary purpose of obtaining a sponsor's signature on the project charter is to:
- Satisfy an administrative documentation requirement
- Formally authorize the project and commit organizational resources (Correct answer)
- Transfer legal liability to the sponsor
- Signal that the project has been completed successfully
Correct answer: Formally authorize the project and commit organizational resources
Sponsor signature formally authorizes the project, commits resources, and signals organizational support for the team's work.
