CPFM Module II
Integrated Case Study cheat sheet
Every chapter's key points, formulas and definitions on one page, for the last week before the exam. Each heading links to the chapter that explains it.
Analysing a case: identifying the salient issues
- The integrated case applies the diploma's other nine papers to a single, realistic public-sector scenario, usually longer and more detailed than a single-paper exam question.
- Read the case once for context, identify the entity, its mandate and the problem or decision it faces, note the timeline and figures, then read it again noting which facts relate to which paper.
- A salient fact directly bears on the problem or decision: if it were removed, the analysis would change. Background gives context only, and distractors test whether you can tell what matters.
- State the core problem in one or two sentences first, list the salient facts under their subject area, note any tensions between facts, and only then relate them to prior knowledge.
- Restating the case earns little: say in one sentence why each fact you cite matters to your answer.
Key terms
- Salient facts
- Directly bear on the problem or decision the case asks you to address, if removed, the analysis would change.
- Background information
- Provides context but does not itself change the analysis, useful for understanding, not for the core argument.
- Distractors
- Details included to test whether a candidate can tell what actually matters, a common feature of a well-written integrated case.
The rest of the sheet covers
- Relating the issues to the knowledge obtained
- Proposing practical solutions
- Drafting policy documents
- Exam technique and revision
- Glossary