How to lead module from end-to-end as consultant?

This is excellent feedback and signals that your leadership is ready for you to make the shift from executing tasks to owning an entire line of inquiry. This is arguably the most difficult transition point in the consultant journey.

The core skill you are describing—structuring vague problems—is often called Hypothesis-Driven Structuring. When your module is unfamiliar, you are getting lost because you are treating it like a case interview (where you generate a full issue tree) rather than a real client situation, where you only need a strong, falsifiable starting point. Your PL expects you to come to them with a proposed answer, not a blank page.

Here is the operational fix: Before you open a single piece of client data or start building a detailed issue tree, spend 30 minutes on the "Blank Slide Test." Force yourself to articulate the module's core finding on a single PowerPoint title slide: "The primary driver of X issue is likely Y, meaning we must test Z." This is your strawman hypothesis. The PL isn't checking if your hypothesis is right (it rarely is on the first try), they are checking if your structure is sound.

Your pre-meeting deliverable to the PL should be this strawman hypothesis, supported by an initial draft of a MECE Issue Tree (even a handwritten one). This immediately changes the conversation dynamic. Instead of saying, "Where should I start?" you are saying, "I believe we should start here, focused on these three potential drivers. Does this structure make sense, and where are my blind spots?" This demonstrates you own the thinking and shifts the PL's role from providing direction to providing targeted critique, which is exactly what they want to see.

All the best!

Hi there, 

Sure, happy to share a perspective. The feedback you received is common btw - most Associates will get this feedback at some point.

Let me divide this feedback & guidance in 2 ways:

1. Bring solutions (at least suggestions), not only the problem/issue

Project Leaders (PLs) are very busy, having to deal with clients, partners, team members, on top of actually ensuring the delivery of output. Thus, what PLs really crave from a strong associate is that the associate brings them solutions, rather than problems (most of the time). Now, let me be clear - this does NOT mean that you should never approach your PL when you need help, you should. It's about how you approach them.

End-to-End (E2E) ownership is partly about developing the ability to always think in solutions. When faced with a new obstacle/challenge that you may be unsure as to how to best tackle - treat it like you would an interview case. Analyse it, break it down, and identify a range of solutions. Then attempt to rationalize teh best course(s) of action. At this point, you are well equipped to go to your PL. Here, you are not just bringing an issue - you are seeking their advice/guidance on your solutioning. This will be received as E2E ownership.

2. E2E ownership is broader more generally

As you continue to mature & grow as a consultant, the expectation of your "E2E ownership abilities" will grow somewhat. You will be expected to be: 

A) Proactive: developing the ability to foresee (some) challenges/issues that are likely to occur, and perhaps mitigate them

B) Able to structuring whole workstreams/projects: developing the ability to take broad problems/goals and breaking them down into clear bite-sized constituents that can be delivered by yourself or multiple stakeholders

C) Able to take care of yourself and stakeholders' wellbeing: E2E ownership is eventually not only about delivering output/solutions. As you grow into a PL yourself, part of E2E ownership will be developing the ability to understand your own needs and the needs of those you are working with sufficiently well to ensure the wellbeing of all parties. 

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My advice for now --> Focus on the 1st element of E2E ownership I described above for now. This will mainly mean you focus on always developing hypotheses for how you could solve your issue(s) before involving others - which requires practicing your structuring and problem solving skills. Just make sure to not overdo it - it's important to balance your time vs. coming up with a great answer before seeking guidance.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely, 
Thor

I'll add to this a few practical steps assuming you have already understood the overall problem statement:

1. Find out who has done that type of work before from your knowledge repository or intranet

2. Schedule 15min intros with those that will make the time with the objective of trying to understand broadly what the key issues are in those type of cases (for those with published works, come having read some of them). Keep the more experienced persons later in your sequence so that you would already have the rookie questions cleared by the time you meet them.

3. Create a "dot-dash" for your workstream with dummy facts based on a hypothesis (which you would already have a bit of an idea on the typical key issues/facts based on all the intro chats you had). Think of this as the executive summary of all the work you would have produced and insights generated by the end of your case (you won't have all the facts and quantities, that's okay. It's the direction of the hypothesis and focus of analysis that's important)

4. Test with you principal. The dummy facts and insight will essentially determine what analysis you will need and ultimately your workplan, so you essentially get to test the core parts of your work without opening PPT or Excel.
 

e.g., of a roughly sketched dot-dash below. With more thinking and case context, I'm sure you can pull something stronger together as an intial cut 

· ABC Co could explore expansion of x, y and z products to take adavantage of the continued growth trend:
- x has shown xx% growth over the past 5 years, with recent market projections anticipating higher demand for 2026-2028

· The regulatory environment creates new regional opportunity for y and z:
- Efforts for ease in regulation have stimulated renewed investor interest in y and z within other regions; xxx Act already passed with effective date April 2026
- Industry experts anticipate impact of eased regulation to drive additional investment in the ranges $xx-$xx Mn towards y and z production

This is a skill that takes several years and mentoring to master.

It's not something you'll solve magically with a Q&A!

Since you're getting paid the big bucks at MBB, why not invest in yourself (and your future earning potential)?

Find a coach that matches you, and can work with you to build up this skill-set alongside your job.

The faster you fix this, the faster your future promotion. That extra earnings compounds.

It might sound brutal/direct, but reading some text here will help a bit, but a coach/mentor is what you really need!

hey there :)

This is really common early in consulting. A practical way to improve is to start every new problem by explicitly mapping the “knowns vs unknowns” and then breaking it into a simple hypothesis-driven structure. Practice creating mini-storylines on small problems first, get feedback, and gradually expand to more complex modules. Over time, this builds confidence to lead end-to-end even on unfamiliar topics. Mentorship and case practice are key.

best, Alessa :)

First of all, this is completely normal. It's part of the developing curve. Esp when you are making the transition to being a standalone Associate. 

If I were you, I would follow-up with the manager to ask for more detailed feedback and agree with them to create for you opportunities to more independently manage end to end workstreams. You will get better at it by just doing it. But it will be messy, and you will fail along the way. It's not going to feel great at times, but you will get better. 

I also coach existing consultants who are at the start of their career in consulting, so if you need extra help, feel free to reach out. I can't really provide more targeted feedback than this at the moment, because I don't understand specifically what is that you're struggling. 

Best,
Cristian