I'm thinking about things like reorganizing a supply chain, consolidating factories, etc.
I'm at a loss for how to structure cases like this. What are the major factors you'd have to consider when structuring these types of cases?
Hi there,
I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:
If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best structure any case study question, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
Best,
Hagen
Hi there!
A great structure is an ‘insightful’ structure. And that means it needs to be tailored specifically to the context of the client.
By trying to generalise it into an ‘operations framework' we are making it less insightful and thus less of a good framework.
Still, if you want to next best thing to that, you could think about it in terms of a meta-structure, meaning the actual operations process. Break it down into consecutive steps and present those as being the structure. This way the structure will be MECE (since it consists directly of what the actual operations process is) and it is as tailored as possible to the case type.
Sharing with you a guide you might find useful which cover structuring techniques:
Best,
Cristian
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Well, it depends on the operations case doesn't it?
Do you think a consultant would recommend the same approach to a client if they're asking to consolidate their factories versus optimize their supply chain?
Will Walmart take the same framework/approach when looking to move its operations away from China as it would when looking to incorporate data analytics into its US warehouses?
Of course not!
There is no generic list of factors to a high level “type” of case…rather there is THINKING about the problem in a structured manner.
If you'd like some practice, here are some cases I wrote along supply chain/operations:
1) PrepLounge has that category in their case Library here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases?language=en&topic[]=13&topic[]=8&sort=real-case-desc&page=1&perPage=20
2) Google and casebooks are your friend. As are the McKinsey Operations and BCG Operations sites!
3) Send me a message and I can provide you with a few good ones and/or case you in them! Some examples include:
Here are some additional helpful Q&As:
In addition to what was said, consider the difference between actionable frameworks and non-actionable frameworks.
Bottom-line, make sure you know what is actually being asked of you and what the point of your ´framework´ is. If you're interviewing with McKinsey, I suggest to get in touch with me
Best of luck!
Moritz
Hello,
The answer to this is always going to depend on the case prompt, context, and objective. In some cases, it might make more sense to go factory-by-factory, in some cases you’d want to consider each step of the supply chain, in some cases you’d have something closer to a standard profitability framework. There’s little sense in giving a general answer, but if you provide us with an example case and prompt, we can provide more specific guidance for you there!
Hi there,
The other coaches already described it well - there is no one size fits all, just like there is not just one single type of operations problem. I'd add that there's a certain tendency to do the analysis part of such cases using process structures, such as value chains / supply chains - a nice way to systematically isolate the problem (where) at hand before you go into root cause analysis (why) and find ways to fix afterwards.
Feel free to reach out if you'd like to learn more.
Regards, Andi
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