Establishing Lead Measures

5 minutes 5 Questions

Lead measures are the small wins that lead to the completion of a large goal or lag measure. Given the absence of physical oversight in a virtual team, these measures provide milestones to ensure progress. They help to assess the performance of a team or a team member, providing guidance if correction is required. Typically, these measures should be predictive, meaning they can foresee success and are influenceable by the team members. Tracking these measures at regular intervals can keep every member on the same page and motivate team members to achieve these micro-goals, contributing to the larger objectives of the project.

Establishing Lead Measures - Concept & Exam Guide

What is Establishing Lead Measures:
Establishing Lead Measures is a proactive management process to identify initially trackable activities or inputs within a project that directly impact the final output outcomes or lag measures. These lead measures are actionable, influenceable and effectively predict the success of your project.

Why it is Important:
Lead Measures provides early insight into the performance of a project. It guides project managers to take required actions in advance to ensure project objectives are met. They provide a clear line of sight to the final goal and help to foster a proactive project management culture.

How it Works:
Lead Measures are identified and established based on project type, objective, and requirements. Once established, regular monitoring and control of these measures would ensure that the project is progressing as planned. If deviations are observed, corrective actions can be taken promptly.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Establishing Lead Measures
1. Understanding the difference between lead and lag measures is crucial.
2. Remember that lead measures are proactive and influenceable.
3. Questions may test your ability to select appropriate lead measures in different project scenarios.
4. Understand that lead measures directly influence the achievement of the final project goal.
5. Always think from a project manager's perspective while answering questions.
6. Be familiar with the tools to track and control lead measures in a virtual team.

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Question 1

You're in charge of a project aimed at improving customer satisfaction in a restaurant. You've set a lead measure to provide staff with hospitality training. What would be a likely outcome?

Development of new restaurant menu Decrease in customer satisfaction Improved staff-customer interaction leading to increased customer satisfaction Increases in restaurant's income

Correct Answer: Improved staff-customer interaction leading to increased customer satisfaction

The correct answer is 'Improved staff-customer interaction leading to increased customer satisfaction'. When staff are trained in hospitality, they are likely to treat customers better which leads to higher customer satisfaction. The other answers don't directly correlate with the chosen lead measure.

Question 2

You're heading a project to improve the customer service experience. As the lead measure, you've decided to reduce response times. What negative scenario might occur if this measure isn't carefully managed?

Response times increase Customer complaints decrease Staff become less busy Quality of responses decreases

Correct Answer: Quality of responses decreases

The correct answer is 'Quality of responses decreases'. If reducing response times is not carefully managed, the staff may rush to respond to queries in a timely manner and compromise the quality of their responses. 'Customer complaints decrease' is incorrect as customer complaints may increase if the quality of responses decreases. 'Response times increase' is also incorrect because the goal is to reduce response times, not to increase them. If the measure is not managed properly, it may lead to quicker but less comprehensive responses, not longer response times. 'Staff become less busy' is also incorrect because the staff will likely become busier trying to respond quickly, not less busy.

Question 3

Your team is working on a software development project. After analyzing the current situation, you decide to establish lead measures to expedite the project. One of these measures is to increase code reviews. What could be the predicted outcome of this measure?

Decrease development speed Improve code quality Increase code quantity Increase project duration

Correct Answer: Improve code quality

Increasing code reviews in software development predominantly leads to improved code quality. This is because code reviews are a systematic examination of software source code, often carried out by fellow programmers, to find any potential problems and therefore improve the overall quality of code. As for the other options: Increasing code quantity isn't directly related to code reviews but rather to productive development time. Decreasing development speed is a potential temporary result due to spending more time on reviews, but the long-term benefits of reviewing code can actually increase development speed due to fewer bugs and issues later on. Increase in project duration is both a combination of increased quantity and decreased speed and does not solely lie within the realm of increasing code reviews, as good code reviews might even decrease the project duration by identifying major issues early before they consume extra time in the development cycle.

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