Hello,
So I have been using crafting cases course content and had a question about the 4 step approach to building a conceptual framework.
They seem to talk about raising issues/questions interchangeably to drive hypotheses formulation and then test them. Could any use a simple example to show the difference between issues, questions and hypotheses and a way to test them?
That’s a great question, and I see why that specific course material might seem confusing. In practice, especially once you are on the job, we often treat Issue and Question synonymously—they both serve to define the area of ambiguity we need to explore. The goal of the first step is simply to break the massive client problem into smaller, manageable areas of inquiry.
The critical distinction is the move from the ambiguity of the Question to the specificity of the Hypothesis. The Hypothesis is your initial educated guess about the answer, and it must be testable through data.
Think of it using a simple profitability case:
1. Issue/Question (Ambiguity): Why is overall profitability declining?
2. Framework Branch (Specific Question): Is this driven by declining Revenue or increasing Costs?
3. Hypothesis (Testable Statement): Our declining profitability is driven by a 15% year-over-year decrease in average transaction size, not by an increase in costs.
The power of that hypothesis is that it immediately dictates the next step (the test). You don't waste time diving into cost analysis. You immediately ask the client for the transaction database, segment it by region, and compare the past three years of average transaction value. If the data supports the 15% decrease, the hypothesis is proven, and you've found your root cause. If the data shows transaction size is flat, the hypothesis is killed, and you move rapidly to your next most likely branch (e.g., a cost hypothesis).
Hope that clarifies the logic!
hey there :)
Short answer with a simple example and yes I also did this course years ago and found the same wording confusing. An issue is a broad area to look at like profits are declining. A question is a concrete prompt like is the profit drop driven by revenue or costs. A hypothesis is a testable statement like profits are down because prices fell. You test it by checking price trends versus volume and costs. The idea is issues define where to look, questions sharpen focus and hypotheses make a clear claim you can validate with data. Happy to clarify more if helpful.
best,
Alessa :)
Feel free to share a screenshot of this content to have more context.
But basically, I think the confusion appears typically from a misunderstanding of what a hypothesis is.
A hypothesis is a belief that is supported by evidence.
The evidence is either data that you've come across during the case OR knowledge that you've accumulated outside of the case.
If you cannot support your hypothesis with several pieces of evidence, then at most you have an idea. And you should question yourself where this idea comes from.
Best,
Cristian
