CLEP Principles of Management Exam Prep

Answer: B - STAR stands for situation, task, action, result.

S-Explain the situation.
T-Describe the task that needed to be completed.
A-What action did you take?
R-Describe the result.

For example: “I was brought in to lead a $1.5 million project that was failing and management didn’t understand why. My task was to bring the project back onto schedule. To do this, I analyzed why the project had fallen behind schedule and discovered that the team was in a matrixed organization and the operational processes were taking precedence over this project. To solve the problem, I worked with functional managers to free time up for key resources. The result was that we got the project turned around and delivered on schedule. Furthermore, we won an addition $500,000 contract because the client went from being dissatisfied to very happy.”

Key Takeaway: STAR is an effective technique to deliver a cohesive narrative of what you as a project manager are doing. Master it and you will win points in interviews and with senior managers.