BBC LA County BBC Problem-Solving and Decision-Making 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A clerk receives two urgent requests simultaneously — one from a supervisor and one from a department director. What is the best first step?
- Complete the supervisor's task first since they assigned it
- Inform both parties of the conflict and ask for prioritization guidance (Correct answer)
- Complete whichever task is shorter to free up time
- Ignore the supervisor's request and serve the director
Correct answer: Inform both parties of the conflict and ask for prioritization guidance
When conflicting urgent requests arrive from different authority levels, transparently communicating the conflict allows the appropriate party to set priorities.
Question 2: You discover a calculation error in a report that has already been distributed to five departments. What should you do first?
- Wait to see if anyone notices the error
- Quietly correct your personal copy and say nothing
- Notify your supervisor immediately and help prepare a correction (Correct answer)
- Blame the error on the person who gave you the original data
Correct answer: Notify your supervisor immediately and help prepare a correction
Errors in distributed documents must be escalated and corrected promptly to prevent decisions being made on faulty information.
Question 3: When analyzing a workplace problem, which approach best ensures you address the root cause rather than just the symptom?
- Apply the first solution that comes to mind
- Ask 'why' repeatedly to trace the issue back to its origin (Correct answer)
- Implement the solution used for a similar past problem
- Escalate every problem immediately to management
Correct answer: Ask 'why' repeatedly to trace the issue back to its origin
Root-cause analysis using iterative 'why' questioning uncovers the underlying issue rather than masking surface symptoms.
Question 4: A coworker asks you to approve a form that requires a supervisor's signature, saying the supervisor is unavailable. What should you do?
- Sign it yourself to help the coworker meet the deadline
- Refuse and explain that only an authorized supervisor can approve the form (Correct answer)
- Leave the signature line blank and submit the form anyway
- Ask another coworker to sign in the supervisor's place
Correct answer: Refuse and explain that only an authorized supervisor can approve the form
Procedural controls exist for accountability; approving documents outside your authority undermines those controls.
Question 5: You are given a project with unclear instructions. The best course of action is to:
- Guess the intent and complete the project your own way
- Do nothing until the instructions are crystal clear
- Clarify ambiguities with your supervisor before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Ask a coworker to interpret the instructions for you
Correct answer: Clarify ambiguities with your supervisor before proceeding
Clarifying unclear instructions with the assigning supervisor prevents wasted effort and ensures the work meets expectations.
Question 6: Which of the following is the LEAST effective strategy when you encounter an unfamiliar problem at work?
- Consult relevant policies and procedures
- Seek guidance from a more experienced colleague
- Make a decision based solely on personal instinct without research (Correct answer)
- Break the problem into smaller, manageable parts
Correct answer: Make a decision based solely on personal instinct without research
Acting purely on instinct without consulting resources or colleagues is the least reliable approach to an unfamiliar problem.
Question 7: A database you rely on for daily tasks is down. Your best immediate action is to:
- Wait indefinitely until the system comes back online
- Report the outage to IT and identify manual workarounds to maintain productivity (Correct answer)
- Leave work early since you cannot complete your tasks
- Access a colleague's computer without permission to use their login
Correct answer: Report the outage to IT and identify manual workarounds to maintain productivity
Reporting the issue and finding interim workarounds keeps operations running while the technical problem is resolved.
BBC LA County BBC Problem-Solving and Decision-Making 2
A clerk receives two urgent requests simultaneously — one from a supervisor and one from a department director.
What is the best first step?