Ford Assessment Tests

Ford Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a supervisor at a coffee shop. Your two colleagues have both called in sick, you are running the shop alone through the morning rush, and the queue is out of the door. Your area manager rings to say she is coming in at midday to review the shop’s cleaning records with you, which will take an hour. You have not had a break. The records are up to date. It is 10am. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing about being short-staffed, serve through the rush, and get through the review at midday as arranged so that your area manager is not given the impression you cannot cope.
   2. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.
   3. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.
   4. Ask your area manager to postpone the review, explaining that you are on your own, and leave it to her to find a new date when the shop is properly staffed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.

   Least effective: C. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: it conceals the one fact that would change her plan, so she arrives to a shop with a queue and no cover, and the next rota is built as though today worked.

   C: Abandons own committed work: shutting a trading shop mid-rush with a queue outside is a unilateral decision affecting customers and takings, taken without telling the area manager who is on the phone at that moment.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it raises the problem, which is right, then narrows it to one solution. Cover for the shop would suit her visit and you better than a cancelled review, and it is never offered.

   The most effective response is to tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, and ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover: she set the midday review without knowing, that is the fact that would change her plan, and she is on the phone now. Offering her the choice keeps both options open while you keep serving. It beats asking her to postpone the review and leaving her to find a new date, because that raises the same problem but presents only one solution, when cover would suit the shop and her visit better than a cancellation. It beats serving through the rush in silence so she is not given the impression you cannot cope, because that leaves her arriving to a queue and no cover, and confirms to the business that a single-staffed rush is workable. The least effective response is closing the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break: it shuts a trading shop mid-rush on your own authority, with a queue outside and your area manager on the phone, without telling her. That is worse than the other two, which mishandle the conversation but keep the shop open. The principle: when circumstances have changed under someone else’s plan, give them the fact and the options while they can still act, and keep working meanwhile.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an account executive at a video production company. Your client’s marketing director, Elena, is launching a product at a trade show on Friday and opens her presentation with a film you are producing, promised for Wednesday so her team can rehearse with it. Today, Monday, your animator tells you the final effects cannot be finished before Thursday evening. Your account director is due at Elena’s offices on Thursday for the final run-through. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hold the news until Thursday's run-through, when the account director can explain the delay face to face and walk Elena's team through how the finished film will arrive that evening.
   2. Phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, apologise, and ask what would help most: a simpler cut for rehearsals or trimming the effects to deliver sooner.
   3. Email Elena today that the final effects are taking slightly longer than planned but the film will be with her in good time for Friday, so her team is not alarmed while the animator catches up.
   4. Say nothing to Elena, press the animator to finish faster, and deliver whatever is ready on Wednesday, treating the delay as an internal production matter unless her team notices and asks.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, apologise, and ask what would help most: a simpler cut for rehearsals or trimming the effects to deliver sooner.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing to Elena, press the animator to finish faster, and deliver whatever is ready on Wednesday, treating the delay as an internal production matter unless her team notices and asks.

   A: Delays the message: a senior person explaining difficult news in person is appealing, but Elena's team spends Monday to Thursday rehearsing around a Wednesday delivery that is not coming, and by the run-through there is no time left to adapt the launch plan.

   C: Over-reassures the stakeholder: it contacts Elena promptly, which is right, but "in good time for Friday" dresses a Thursday-evening delivery as comfortable, so her team keeps rehearsal plans built on Wednesday and the real impact lands later, when nothing can be adjusted.

   D: Hides the problem: handing over incomplete work as though it were the promised film, and telling the client nothing unless she notices, conceals a delay that directly affects her launch, a concealment failure unlike the other options, which all inform her eventually.

   The most effective response is to phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, and ask what would help most: she is relying on Wednesday to rehearse the opening of a Friday launch, so the delay is her news now, and a call delivers it with an apology and real choices while four days remain to adapt. It beats holding the news until Thursday’s run-through, because that buys a better messenger at the cost of the four days in which she could actually re- plan; by Thursday the information is accurate but useless. It beats emailing that the effects are taking slightly longer but the film will arrive in good time, because that tells her promptly and trades accuracy for comfort: it invites her team to keep a rehearsal schedule you already know is broken, so the honesty is only partial. The least effective response is saying nothing and delivering whatever is ready on Wednesday: unlike waiting for the run-through, which ensures she hears the truth from a senior person before the launch, and unlike the softened email, which at least discloses that a delay exists, it conceals the problem entirely and passes off incomplete work, leaving her to discover at the trade show what you knew on Monday. The principle: transparency before comfort. Give a stakeholder bad news while they can still act on it, stated at its real size, with options.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are an events coordinator at a conference centre. A client’s two-day conference starts on Thursday. On Tuesday you learn the main auditorium’s air-conditioning has failed and cannot be repaired before Friday. A smaller room could hold the delegates but only seated theatre- style, losing the exhibition space the client has sold to sponsors. The client’s events manager is contactable. Your operations director is on leave until Thursday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the client's events manager today, explain the failure, set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space, and agree the plan with her before anything is moved.
   2. Move the conference to the smaller room and email the client to confirm the change, explaining that the auditorium is unusable and this was the only workable alternative.
   3. Wait until Thursday when your operations director is back, so that the client is given a decision with the authority of the centre behind it rather than an incomplete picture.
   4. Leave the conference in the auditorium and say nothing, since the room may be tolerable in October and telling the client now would cause alarm about something that might not be a problem.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ring the client's events manager today, explain the failure, set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space, and agree the plan with her before anything is moved.

   Least effective: D. Leave the conference in the auditorium and say nothing, since the room may be tolerable in October and telling the client now would cause alarm about something that might not be a problem.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the client sold exhibition space to sponsors, so the trade between a cooler room and the sponsors' stands is hers to make, not yours to make and announce.

   C: Delays the decision: the conference starts on Thursday. Waiting for the director removes the client's last two days to tell sponsors, rearrange stands or find another venue.

   D: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it gambles a client's two- day conference and her sponsors on the weather, with the one person who could plan around it deliberately left uninformed. That is concealment, not judgement.

   The most effective response is to ring the client’s events manager today, explain the failure, and set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space: she sold that space to sponsors, so only she can weigh a working room against losing it, and on Tuesday she still has two days to tell them or make other arrangements. Giving her the failure, the option and the cost lets her decide while deciding is still possible. It beats moving the conference to the smaller room and emailing to confirm the change, because that takes a commercial decision about her sponsors out of her hands. It beats waiting until Thursday when your operations director is back, because that consumes the client’s entire remaining planning time for the sake of internal authority. The least effective response is leaving the conference in the auditorium and saying nothing: it leaves a two-day conference in a room with no air-conditioning, tells nobody, and relies on the weather. That is worse than moving the room, which at least secures a usable one, and worse than waiting for the director, which at least intends to tell her. The principle: when a failure forces a trade-off that belongs to the client, give them the facts and the options while they still have time to choose.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a software tester. Two days before a release you find a defect that loses a customer’s unsaved form data in an uncommon but reproducible sequence. The developer who owns the area says it is an edge case and can wait for the next release in a month. The release manager decides what ships and is at her desk. The release notes are being finalised this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Log the defect with reproduction steps and take it to the release manager today, explaining what a customer loses and that the developer considers it an edge case.
   2. Raise the defect on the tracker with full reproduction steps and let the normal triage process pick it up in time for the release decision.
   3. Accept the developer's judgement that it is an edge case, since he owns the area, and add it to the backlog for the release in a month.
   4. Leave it out of the release discussion, since it is uncommon and raising it two days before a release would look like an attempt to hold up the developer's work.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Log the defect with reproduction steps and take it to the release manager today, explaining what a customer loses and that the developer considers it an edge case.

   Least effective: D. Leave it out of the release discussion, since it is uncommon and raising it two days before a release would look like an attempt to hold up the developer's work.

   B: Delays the decision: the tracker is the right record and the release notes are finalised this afternoon. A ticket awaiting triage may not reach the release manager before the decision is made.

   C: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: whether a data- losing defect is acceptable to ship is the release manager's call, not the developer's and not yours. Deferring to ownership of the code settles the wrong question.

   D: Hides the problem: it withholds a known data-losing defect from the people deciding what ships, out of concern about how raising it would look. That is concealment, not a judgement about severity.

   The most effective response is to log the defect with reproduction steps and take it to the release manager today, explaining what a customer loses and that the developer considers it an edge case: losing a customer’s data is the kind of defect a release decision should be taken with knowledge of, she owns that decision, and the notes are finalised this afternoon. Presenting his view alongside yours is honest and lets her weigh both. It beats accepting the developer’s judgement that it is an edge case, because whether to ship a known data-losing defect is not his call; he owns the code, she owns the release. It beats raising it on the tracker and letting normal triage pick it up, because a ticket in the queue may not surface before this afternoon’s decision. The least effective response is leaving it out of the release discussion because raising it would look like holding up his work: it keeps a known defect away from the people deciding what ships, and the reason is how it would be perceived rather than anything about the defect. That is worse than the other two, which route it wrongly or slowly but keep it visible. The principle: get a known defect in front of whoever owns the decision, in time for the decision, and let them weigh it.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a stock administrator at a supermarket distribution depot. While reconciling deliveries you notice that chilled goods from one supplier have been booked in as ambient for the past three weeks, which means they have not been counted against the chilled storage limit. Nobody has asked you to look at this and it is not your area. The depot manager is on site today. The next chilled delivery arrives tomorrow morning. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Correct the coding on the three weeks of records yourself so the chilled figures are accurate again, and carry on with your reconciliation now that the numbers add up.
   2. Take the figures to the depot manager today, show him the three weeks of miscoded deliveries and that another is due tomorrow, and ask who should correct the records and the booking-in process.
   3. Leave it alone, since booking in is not your area and the chilled team have presumably been managing their storage by eye without relying on the coding being right.
   4. Note the discrepancy in your reconciliation report at the end of the month, where the depot manager and the supplier team will both see it set out with the supporting figures.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Take the figures to the depot manager today, show him the three weeks of miscoded deliveries and that another is due tomorrow, and ask who should correct the records and the booking-in process.

   Least effective: C. Leave it alone, since booking in is not your area and the chilled team have presumably been managing their storage by eye without relying on the coding being right.

   A: Acts on assumptions without checking: it makes the spreadsheet right and the depot no safer. Nobody learns why the miscoding happened, so tomorrow's delivery is booked in the same way and the storage limit is still being exceeded unseen.

   C: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: you are the only person who knows the chilled limit has been unmonitored for three weeks, with another delivery due. Assuming somebody else has it covered, and saying nothing, is the one response that leaves the risk live.

   D: Delays the decision: a month-end note is the right record and the wrong clock. A chilled delivery arrives tomorrow against a storage limit the depot believes it is inside.

   The most effective response is to take the figures to the depot manager today and ask who should correct the records and the booking-in process: you hold information nobody else has, there is a delivery tomorrow, and he is on site today and can decide both. Taking it to him with the figures makes it actionable rather than a rumour. It beats correcting the three weeks of coding yourself, because that fixes the numbers and leaves the cause untouched, so tomorrow’s delivery is miscoded exactly the same way. It beats noting the discrepancy in your month-end reconciliation report, because a month-end report arrives after the delivery it should have prevented. The least effective response is leaving it alone because booking in is not your area: it is the only response that leaves a live storage risk unreported on an assumption that someone else is watching, which is precisely what three weeks of miscoding shows is not happening. That is worse than correcting the records, which at least fixes the data, and worse than the month-end note, which at least records it. The principle: when you find a problem nobody has assigned you, take it to the person who can act on it, on the clock the problem is running to.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are an area support assistant for a restaurant chain, visiting a branch to help with stock counts. In the kitchen you notice the fridge temperature log has identical readings written in for the past two weeks, including for a day the branch was closed. Food safety is not your role and you have no authority here. The branch manager is on site. Your area manager is contactable by phone. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing, since food safety is not your role, you have no authority at this branch, and the branch manager will have his own reasons for how the log is kept.
   2. Raise it with the branch manager, ask him to check the fridges now, and ring your area manager today because the log for two weeks cannot be relied on.
   3. Mention it to the branch manager and suggest he starts recording the readings properly from now on, then get on with the stock count you came to do.
   4. Photograph the log and include it in your visit report, so that the area manager sees the evidence when the report is circulated next week.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Raise it with the branch manager, ask him to check the fridges now, and ring your area manager today because the log for two weeks cannot be relied on.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing, since food safety is not your role, you have no authority at this branch, and the branch manager will have his own reasons for how the log is kept.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: identical readings including a closed day mean the log is not a record of anything, so nobody knows whether food has been held safely. Having no authority is a reason to tell someone who has, not to say nothing.

   C: Treats a safety failure as a paperwork fix: recording properly from now on corrects the form and leaves two weeks in which nobody knows whether the fridges held temperature, with that food still in them.

   D: Delays the decision: the evidence is captured and the food is still being served. A report next week arrives long after the fortnight it describes.

   The most effective response is to raise it with the branch manager, ask him to check the fridges now, and ring your area manager today: identical readings across a fortnight including a day the branch was shut mean the log records nothing, so nobody knows whether the fridges have held temperature, and food is being served now. Getting the fridges checked today and telling the area manager addresses both the immediate risk and the recording failure. It beats suggesting he starts recording the readings properly from now on, because that leaves the last two weeks, and the food from them, entirely unexamined. It beats photographing the log for your visit report next week, because that is far too slow for a live food safety question. The least effective response is saying nothing because you have no authority at this branch: it leaves an unreliable food safety record and possibly mishandled food untouched, on grounds that are precisely why it should go to someone who does have authority. That is worse than the other two, which act too slowly but do act. The principle: when a control turns out not to be working, get the immediate check done and tell the person with authority the same day.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a designer at an architecture practice. You and your colleague Joel jointly developed a cladding detail that cut a project’s costs significantly. At this week’s internal review, Joel presented it as his own work, and the design director asked him to lead its rollout across other projects. Afterwards you told Joel the idea was joint; he disagreed, saying his early sketches came first, and the exchange grew tense before you were both called away. The design director has told the team she wants concerns brought to her directly. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave the disagreement where it is and concentrate on making your contribution visible on the next project, keeping dated records of your design work so any future dispute can be settled with evidence.
   2. Email the practice partners, copying Joel and the design director, to state that Joel has claimed sole credit for joint work and to request that the rollout be reassigned before he presents the detail more widely.
   3. Take your dated records to the design director privately, ask her to establish how the detail actually developed, and let her decide how the credit and the rollout should be handled.
   4. Ask Joel for a private conversation once you are both free, compare your records of how the detail developed, and propose that you tell the design director together how the work was shared.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask Joel for a private conversation once you are both free, compare your records of how the detail developed, and propose that you tell the design director together how the work was shared.

   Least effective: B. Email the practice partners, copying Joel and the design director, to state that Joel has claimed sole credit for joint work and to request that the rollout be reassigned before he presents the detail more widely.

   A: Avoids the difficult conversation: better records protect you next time, but the misattribution stands now, and it hardens with every project the rollout reaches; the disagreement with Joel is live and only a conversation can resolve it.

   B: Escalates destructively over everyone's head: a written accusation to the partners, demanding reassignment before any real attempt to resolve the disagreement, turns a recoverable dispute between colleagues into a formal grievance in front of the whole leadership, an attack rather than a resolution.

   C: Escalates prematurely: the director has invited concerns, but going to her before you and Joel have properly compared records asks her to adjudicate a dispute the two of you have not yet tried to resolve, and Joel first hears your case from his boss rather than from you.

   The most effective response is to ask Joel for a private conversation, compare your records, and propose telling the design director together: the disagreement is with Joel, so the first move is a calm conversation over the actual evidence, aiming at a joint account you can both stand behind when the director hears it. It beats leaving the disagreement alone and keeping dated records for next time, because that leaves the misattribution standing just as the rollout spreads the detail across other projects; record keeping protects the future while conceding the present. It beats taking your records to the design director privately, because that asks her to adjudicate before the two of you have genuinely tried to resolve it yourselves, and turns a recoverable peer disagreement into a case argued behind Joel’s back. The least effective response is emailing the partners to accuse Joel and demand the rollout be reassigned: unlike staying quiet, which at least does no further damage, and unlike going to the design director, which goes quietly to one person and leaves the outcome open, it broadcasts a written accusation to the leadership and demands his project be taken away before any resolution has been attempted. That is escalation as attack. The principle: resolve conflict with the person first, privately and on evidence; involve authority only after that fails, and never by public accusation.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a lifeguard at a leisure centre, and the only lifeguard on poolside while a children’s swimming lesson is in the water; centre rules require a qualified lifeguard on poolside whenever the pool is in use. Through the corridor window you notice that a delivery of boxed stock has been left stacked against the fire exit in the public corridor. Nobody else seems to have noticed, and the lesson runs for another forty minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Slip out to move the boxes yourself while the instructor is in the water with the class, reasoning that the corridor is a short walk away and you will only be gone a few minutes.
   2. Mention the boxes to the receptionist next time she passes poolside, and leave it with her to find whoever handles deliveries, since moving stock is not something you can deal with mid-session.
   3. Plan to move the boxes yourself as soon as the lesson finishes in forty minutes, keeping an eye on the corridor meanwhile, so the exit is dealt with without the pool ever being left unattended.
   4. Stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once to report the blocked fire exit, and check for yourself when the lesson ends that it has been cleared.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once to report the blocked fire exit, and check for yourself when the lesson ends that it has been cleared.

   Least effective: A. Slip out to move the boxes yourself while the instructor is in the water with the class, reasoning that the corridor is a short walk away and you will only be gone a few minutes.

   A: Abandons a safety-critical post: leaving children swimming with no lifeguard on poolside breaks the one rule that exists to prevent a drowning, and trades that protection for a corridor errand someone else could do, a reckless breach of your own committed duty rather than a quick favour.

   B: Passes responsibility to others: a casual mention whenever the receptionist happens to pass carries no urgency and no follow-up, so the fire exit stays blocked for as long as the message takes to wander through the building; you spotted the hazard, but nobody owns it.

   C: Delays the decision: it protects the pool, but it accepts a blocked fire exit in a public corridor for another forty minutes when a single phone call could have it cleared far sooner. Watching a hazard is not the same as acting on it.

   The most effective response is to stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once, and check yourself when the lesson ends that the exit has been cleared: it treats both duties as real, so the pool keeps its lifeguard, the hazard reaches someone who can have it moved, and you verify the outcome rather than assuming the report worked. It beats mentioning the boxes to the receptionist when she next passes, because that hands the hazard on without urgency or follow-up, so a blocked fire exit waits on a passing conversation and nobody is accountable for the result. It beats planning to move them yourself once the lesson finishes, because that leaves the exit blocked for the full forty minutes for the sake of handling it personally, when reporting it now clears it sooner at no cost to the pool. The least effective response is slipping out to move the boxes while the instructor is in the water: unlike telling the receptionist, which keeps the required cover in place while telling someone, and unlike waiting until the lesson ends, which keeps the cover and eventually acts, it removes the only lifeguard from a pool with children in the water. It is the one response that creates a graver risk than the one it fixes, and a breach of the centre’s own safety rule. The principle: taking ownership of a problem you spot means making sure it gets fixed, not doing it yourself at any price; never abandon a safety- critical commitment to run someone else’s errand.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a finance assistant at an engineering company. Yesterday you emailed the monthly departmental spending report to six department heads. Today you notice a formula error pulled last month’s figures into two columns, overstating several budgets. The department heads hold separate budget meetings tomorrow morning, where they will set spending plans using your report. It is now mid-afternoon and you have already prepared a corrected version. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Plan to explain the correction in person at the start of tomorrow's meetings rather than emailing today, so the department heads hear it directly from you with the right context.
   2. Replace the report on the shared drive with the corrected version without telling anyone, since anyone who opens the file again before their meeting will see the right figures.
   3. Email all six department heads now, state plainly that yesterday's report contained an error, attach the corrected version, and highlight which columns changed so they use the right figures tomorrow.
   4. Tell your own manager about the error first and wait for their advice on how to word the correction before contacting any of the department heads.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Email all six department heads now, state plainly that yesterday's report contained an error, attach the corrected version, and highlight which columns changed so they use the right figures tomorrow.

   Least effective: B. Replace the report on the shared drive with the corrected version without telling anyone, since anyone who opens the file again before their meeting will see the right figures.

   A: Delays the message: the department heads may prepare tonight using the overstated figures, and with six separate meetings running tomorrow morning you cannot be in the room to deliver the correction at every one.

   B: Hides the problem: silently swapping the file conceals that an error ever existed, and anyone working from yesterday's email or a saved copy keeps the wrong figures with no warning. That is concealment, not just a slower or clumsier correction.

   D: Tells the wrong audience first: briefing your manager is sensible, but waiting for advice before contacting anyone leaves the six people who actually rely on the figures uninformed while a simple factual correction sits ready to send.

   The most effective response is to email all six department heads now, state plainly that yesterday’s report contained an error, and attach the corrected version: they are the people relying on the figures, the correction is ready, and an email this afternoon reaches all of them before they prepare for tomorrow, highlighting exactly which columns changed. It beats waiting to explain the correction in person at tomorrow’s meetings, because that leaves the heads working from overstated figures overnight and depends on you being present at six separate meetings you cannot all attend. It beats telling your own manager first and waiting for advice on the wording, because a straightforward factual correction needs no approval, and waiting leaves the affected people uninformed for hours when you could simply copy your manager in. The least effective response is replacing the file on the shared drive without telling anyone: unlike correcting it in person, which does eventually tell everyone, and unlike checking with your manager, which at least starts an open correction, it relies on people happening to reopen the file and conceals that a mistake was ever made. The failure is the concealment, not the speed. The principle: when you have sent out wrong information, correct it quickly, openly, and directly to everyone relying on it.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a trainee at an accountancy practice, working with a colleague on a client’s year-end file due to the manager on Friday. You have finished your sections. Your colleague, who joined a month ago, has fallen behind on hers and tells you privately that she does not understand the fixed-asset schedule and has been guessing. It is Wednesday afternoon. Your manager is available and approachable. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Take her fixed-asset sections and complete them yourself alongside your own work, so the file is right and she is not exposed as struggling in her first month.
    2. Sit with her now, work through the fixed-asset schedule together so she can do it herself, and agree that she tells the manager today if it still will not be ready for Friday.
    3. Tell her she needs to speak to the manager today, since guessing at a fixed-asset schedule on a client file is not something you can help her with, and get on with your own review work.
    4. Say nothing and let the file go to the manager on Friday as it stands, since the sections are hers and it is the manager's job to review the work and pick up any errors.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Sit with her now, work through the fixed-asset schedule together so she can do it herself, and agree that she tells the manager today if it still will not be ready for Friday.

    Least effective: D. Say nothing and let the file go to the manager on Friday as it stands, since the sections are hers and it is the manager's job to review the work and pick up any errors.

    A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: it saves her embarrassment this week and leaves her unable to do the schedule next time, while the manager still believes she can.

    C: Passes responsibility to others: the advice is right and delivered as a handoff. A month into the job, being told to go and confess alone is the likeliest way to ensure she does not.

    D: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: you know a client file contains guessed figures and let it reach the manager as finished work. Relying on review to catch what you already know is wrong is silence, not delegation.

    The most effective response is to sit with her now and work through the fixed-asset schedule together, agreeing that she tells the manager today if it still will not be ready: there are two days left, the gap is a teachable one, and doing it together fixes both the file and the reason it went wrong, with a clear trigger if time runs out. It beats taking her fixed-asset sections and completing them yourself, because that gets Friday’s file right and leaves her exactly as unable to do a fixed-asset schedule as she was on Monday. It beats telling her she needs to speak to the manager today and getting on with your own review, because a month-old trainee told to go and explain herself alone will very often not do it, so the advice is correct and the outcome is unchanged. The least effective response is letting the file go to the manager on Friday as it stands: it is the only response that knowingly lets guessed figures reach a manager as completed client work, and it justifies that by calling it someone else’s job to catch. That is worse than doing her sections, which produces a correct file, and worse than sending her to the manager, which at least points her at help. The principle: help a colleague become able to do the work, and agree who tells the manager if it still will not be ready.