Hi Community,
For customers, can we have them appear under both categories?
Under Market (What are customers’ needs)
Under Business Model (Which customers we serve)
I’m trying to make this MECE, but I’m not sure if this approach is truly MECE.
Thanks a lot!
I think it is better to put these 2 questions together in one place instead of having customer appearing in different branches of the structure - it can be confusing and seems not MECE.
Best,
Emily
Hello!! I agree with Emily, I would think of customers only under one branch (typically it’s market), where you can also address the customers that exist versus the ones you serve. If you mention them in two different buckets, it’s not MECE. Your thought process when explaining the different branches is what makes a good case!
If needed for the quantitative part of the case, of course you can include customer numbers when evaluating business model.
Hi there,
the customer should not be repeated in various branches of the issue tree. Here are 2 options how to do that:
Option 1:
In the framework you proposed—with “Customer Market” and “Business Model” both at the first level—it’s important to keep the customer element MECE by mentioning it only once in the second layer. For example, under “Customer Market” you’d address customers’ needs, and under “Business Model” you’d focus on which customers you serve, but avoid duplicating customers across both branches at the top level.
Option 2:
Alternatively, some candidates structure the framework with “Customers” as a first-level category alongside other stakeholders (e.g., suppliers, competitors). In that case, the analysis of customer needs and segments happens as subcategories within the “Customers” branch, keeping the structure clear and MECE.
Both approaches work, but the key is to avoid overlapping customer definitions at the same level to maintain a clean and mutually exclusive framework.
Cheers,
Kevin
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