Hello,
Got this McKinsey case from their website and can't figure out which type of case it fits into (from the article on this website: there's Market Sizing, Market Entry, Growth Strategy, Pricing, M&A, Valuation, Profitability).
If this case is its own type, what is it called, where can I practice it and what framework could be used?
Prompt: Our client is building a new city mandated by the government. Q1: Can the water utility infrastructure of this new city be a for-profit company and should our client own/invest in it?
How many other types of cases have I missed? Or is everything else just a combination of all the ones I mentioned above?
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Unusual cases - identifying type of case
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Hey there,
It’s a bit of a trap to think there’s a fixed set of case types you need to memorize. A more useful way to think about cases is whether they’re asking for a diagnosis, a decision, or a solution and then build a MECE structure around what’s needed to answer that question.
This case is a decision case, specifically an investment/ownership decision.
To answer that, your structure should focus on decision criteria such as:
- Business model viability (demand, pricing, regulation)
- Cost & CapEx profile
- Strategic fit with the client
- Regulatory / political environment
- Risk–return trade-off
McKinsey cases often go beyond standard buckets, especially in public sector or infrastructure contexts.
Happy to help you practice structuring more "unusual" case types.
Hello,
From a practical POV on the job, cases are typically categorized based on Industry and Function
- E.g. Industry: Banking, Consumer Goods, Public Sector etc.
- E.g. Function: Strategy, Operations, M&A etc.
The problem with thinking about cases and approaches in this way is that quite easily the number of permutations can balloon into a very large number (just look at each of the firm's websites and note how many capabilities and industries they serve).
So what then is the answer?
- Well, you could use several known types of 'frameworks' if the situation allows it. But sometimes it's exactly like you mentioned - either its not as intuitive or you cannot use a readily available 'framework'.
- Therefore the answer is to start with a question and build a logic that answers the question in a MECE way
- It's sounds simple or vague but this is really what we do on the job all the time in consulting, and the difficulty is precisely in thinking and crafting something that is specific rather than memorizing something
All good answers are logical - regardless of whether or not they conform to an existing known 'framework' or not.
All the best!
