MBB Improvement Plan: How to juggle?

Totally get how overwhelming this feels, but it’s doable with a structure. Here’s a simple plan (also, you can contact me for more support) :

1. Create a personal quality checklist — 5–7 key checks (e.g. “Did I double-check filters?”, “Do my numbers add up?”). Keep it as a sticky note or on your desktop and use it before sending any work.
2. Do a "manager's eyes" quality check before marking work as done, re-read the whole thing and ask yourself: If I were to look at this for the first time as a manager, is there anything that seems off or unclear?
3. Always always do a step-back and think about next steps (add this to the personal checklist). For ANY work you do, ask yourself WHY you are doing, and what would be the next-step to achieve that goal. Everything you do has to be towards that. This has completely changed the quality of my work as a consultant.

Many of us have been there. You’ve got this!

Hello there,

First, know this: you’re not alone. Many strong consultants face this feedback early on — and most who take it seriously, like you are, turn things around. Here are a few suggestions to get started:

1. Fewer Mistakes: Build a QA Habit

Goal: 90–100% accuracy on first pass

Tactics:

• Use a QA checklist: filters correct, numbers reconciled, no outliers, clear labels.

• Block 5–10 minutes before sending anything for final review.

• Use color coding in Excel and double-check filters/sums.

• Consider a buddy check with a peer for high-stakes work.

2. Think Ahead: Anticipate Next Steps

Goal: Add value beyond the ask

Tactics:

• Ask yourself: What’s the “so what”? What will they ask next?

• Use this structure:

→ Issue → Possible Cause → Implication → Next Step

• In updates, say:

“I found X. I think Y may explain it — here’s what I’ll explore next.”

3. Do It Right, Fast

Goal: 90% solid on first draft

Tactics:

• Timebox your work: “30 minutes to rough it out, then refine.”

• Structure first: What’s the question, steps, and output?

• Midway check-in: “Gut check — does this look right?”

Daily Habits (5–10 minutes each)

• Morning: Review checklist and pick 1 focus area (e.g., avoid filter errors).

• Evening: Log 1 win, 1 lesson learned.

• Use a sticky note reminder:

“Quality First – Think Ahead – So What?”

Hi there,

You're right to focus on this - these are fixable, but they require habits, not Post-its. A sticky note won’t prevent errors if your underlying process doesn’t change (also, we tend to ignore the things in front of us if they are there all the time)

Here’s what works in practice:

1. Build structured workflows: Create a simple checklist for common tasks (e.g., filters checked, formulas reviewed, assumptions listed). Use it every single time - turn it into muscle memory over time.
2. Think two steps ahead: Before starting any analysis, ask yourself:  Why am I conducting this analysis? What am I looking for? What will the manager/client do with this? What’s the logical next question? Bake that into your output. Once the analysis is done, focus on the so-what? What does the outcome mean in the context of the engagement?
3. Work in layers: Don’t aim for perfection from the start. Do a rough pass to test logic with rough assumptions, then layer in precision. This prevents rework and avoids missing big flaws late.
4. Quality control with time caps: Budget 10–15% of your time for sanity-checking your work. Always do a final pass as if it were someone else’s work. 

The mountain only looks big because you’re trying to solve it all at once. Break it down, systematize, and you’ll improve fast.

Cheers,

Florian

This is a matter of:

• following an organized process / being organized (only move on to the next task AFTER you finish and do a quality review on the previous one).
• systematically do quality check and confirm things before sending to the manager. In this case, do a full quality review on everything that was done.
• having a manager approach to do the quality assurance. Basically you have to "play with data", i.e., do some analysis and think about the results. Are they what one would expect? Are they plausible? The large majority of mistakes are found when you actually do pivot tables analyze the data and think about the "so what's".
• Finally, keep a list of the major mistakes you've done (e.g. hard coding, wrong filters, etc.). This list becomes your checklist.

In some instances, you may ask a peer you trust to check / test your work before you send it.

Hey ?

Totally get that this feels like a huge mountain to climb right now – but don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone. I had a similar “improvement talk” back at McKinsey, and looking back, it was actually the moment where I truly started growing ?

Here’s a simple and actionable approach to juggle everything effectively:

✨ 1. Reducing Work Mistakes → Create a “Clean Thinking” Checklist
Make a small checklist (sticky note, notebook, Notion doc – whatever works) and go through it before sending any analysis or slide. Examples:
– Are filters correctly applied?
– Are units consistent and aggregations correct?
– Did I update all references and dates?
– Is the storyline on the slide logically sound?

? Review it after every task – it’ll become second nature within a week or two!

✨ 2. Always Think 1 Step Ahead → Ask Yourself:
"If I were my manager, what would I ask next?”
Train yourself to think beyond the immediate task. If you’re asked to validate data, don’t stop at identifying discrepancies – list possible reasons why they occurred. You don’t need to be 100% right – the mindset is what counts ?

✨ 3. Better Quality from the Start → Structure + Timeboxing
Often, mistakes come from rushing in without clarity. Before starting a task, write down:
– What’s the goal?
– What are my 2–3 steps to get there?
– How much time will I spend on each step?

Aim for slower but clearer thinking at the beginning → leads to faster, more accurate delivery later. Once you’re ~80% done, take a short break (just 5 mins), then review with a fresh mind – you’ll catch way more.

?Bonus tip: A sticky note on your screen with your top 3 reminders (e.g., “Double check filters | Think ahead | Take 5 before reviewing”) is super effective early on. You could also use a daily habit app to ask: “Did I apply my key learnings today?” – helps you stay accountable without being overwhelming ?

If you’d like, I’d be happy to support you 1:1 with more tailored tips or to review some sample tasks together ✨

You got this – it’s absolutely learnable ??

Best,
Alessa ?

Hi!

I noticed you've already gotten detailed advise on how to actually improve but I wanted to share my own high-level performance improvement strategy that I used:

But first of all:

1. Do not take this TOO personally: Do not let this low time overwhelm your mind and body, continue to look after yourself, eat well, try to exercise, see your family. A job is also just a job and do not neglect yourself for it. 

This is EXACTLY what I did to pass my low perfomance moment

2. Create a plan to take control of your performance:

• You need to find a mentor/ leadership that believes in you - if not, that's fine. Just work with the manager/partner of your current project

•  Be honest with your new manager if you're joining a project/starting a new study and tell them where you are.

•  List out your development/common mistake areas. State whow you want to improve on those development areas e.g. quality control mistakes, I'd like none, improving speed etc. 

• Set regular check-points with your managers/person going to rep you in the reviews e.g. PD, DGL/team leads to keep them updated on your progress. (I literally had a call once a week with my team manager) 

• You need to take note of your own improvement and progress and make it known to everyone. Send an end of week email to your team manager and the person who is going to rep your case in the reviews with all your highlights and improvement areas.  e.g. This week i completed the deck and sent it for first review in 4 hours and there were no QC mistakes . Now is not the time for modesty and humilty. Own your progress.

• Before your performance appraisal time, set time with all your partners/managers and get your story clear. Make sure they know of all the progress points. Make sure they know what you did. Partners are busy people, they forget. You're one of many. Make your story known. 

   

3.  Then once it's done, chill out. A job is job. I always say if you're not having one of the three things in your current job, what's the point.  1. Learning 2. Earning or 3. Having Fun 

Good luck!!

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I would advise you to start using a short checklist system to internalize the three improvement points. Don’t overengineer it - just a 3-point bullet list on the top of each working document is enough. The key is visibility and repetition.
• Moreover, I would highly advise you to use "pre-mortems" for your slides and models - before you say they’re done, ask yourself what could still be wrong or confusing if a manager opens it cold. This helps reduce careless errors and think through next steps.
• Lastly, I would advise you to time-box each chunk of work, even if roughly, and aim for clarity first, perfection later. Especially in analysis, aiming for "90% right on first go" is more about clean structure and logic than about flawless data.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen