Clarifying question: suggested time and question types?

Question

I receive feedbacks that I ask too many questions and spend too much time asking “clarifying questions” before I start to structure the case. What is a suitable time to ask clarifying questions?

On the types of clarifying questions - I'm trying to find a balance between asking specific questions vs. too detailed. Although the questions depend case by case, could you let me know whether these questions would be suitable? Any questions that are “too detailed” and should be placed in my structure instead of clarifying questions?

1.Objective and time line: what does the client what to achieve and in what time frame?

2.Client & it's business model: who is the client and what do they sell, who is the customer, what is the distribution channel, etc

3.Operational metric: For instance, in a case the client wants to set up a call center at the lowest cost. Should I ask: operational hours / employee shift / salary budget per staff, etc?

4.Scope & definition: is the client considering selling the product domestically or internationally?

5.Limitation: does the client have enough capital to acquire competitor?

6.Rationale: why does the client want to set up its own factory?

Thanks!

Answer 1

This is indeed true.

There is not single question you "must" ask. Rather, every case is different. You need to ask questions that help you better understand the situation (objective, business model, etc). AND help you narrow your scope and focus your framework.

If there's no specific timeline there's no specific timeline.

Let me add to this - please don't ask timeline questions just for the sake of asking timeline questions. If, for example, the prompt is "We've seen an increase in demand and need to ramp up production", asking for timelines is silly...we know the answer to be ASAP. If you ask timelines, you both waste a question and show you don't think critically about problems!

I'll repeat: You need to ask questions that help you better understand the situation (objective, business model, etc). AND help you narrow your scope and focus your framework.

=====================================

I always write BOTMG at the bottom of my framework page to help myself think of things I'm missing in case I'm stuck.

This helps "trigger" you to consider questions around B = Business Model, O = Objective, T = Timing, M = Market, G = Geography.

However, you should never just say "so, what is their business model?" Obviously, ask questions that help you frame your hypothesis, understand the situation, and ultimately drive your case better.

Answer 2

Hi there,

great question - there is no such thing as a fixed time limit for clarifying question. In general these should be rather “rapid fire” and unlock a general understanding of client / context.

From my view point - appreciating that this is quite a debated topic - typically 3-5 quick clarifying questions is a good number to get you the right amount of context to nail the structure without going too detailed / make the case drag.

The ones that you mentioned can be relevant - it's key that you tailor the questions specificially to the case. Get a general understanding of this client - e.g. what are they selling, where and how rather than asking small details. Try to keep them general and open-ended (as opposed to Yes/No questions like some of the above) so you get the interviewer to talk → this will allow you to cover more with less questions.

If you'd like to work on this part, which I'd consider the most underestimated part of consistent case performance, feel free to reach out to me or any of the other coaches. We'll be happy to help nail this part.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Answer 3

Hi there!

Great question!

To clarify the basics upfront - you don't HAVE to ask questions in the beginning.

But it's great if you ask good ones.

What makes a good question?

Well, it basically has some sort of hypothesis behind it. The candidate already has something in mind, and getting an answer to that question could help them either better understand the context of the client or confirm/reject their hypothesis.

Basically, if the interviewer replies to your clarifying question by asking ‘why is that relevant?’ (which I often do as the interviewer) you should have a very good reason as to why you need that data.

In terms of HOW many questions, I'd say anything above 3-4 is a bit too much (but it's just a guideline and of course all of this depends on the case).

Best,
Cristian

Answer 4

Hello,

As others here have pointed out, there's no standard set of questions you have to ask in all cases. I would say it's typical for candidates to ask around 2-4 clarifying questions, you don't want to be asking too many or get too detailed too quickly. Instead of breaking it out by topic, I would suggest thinking of what you need clarification on - that is, you're not asking for clues to help you solve the case, rather you are making sure the prompt is clear to you. Specifically:

Do you understand the business model of the client (what it is that they do)?
Do you understand the objective of the case?
Was there any verbiage or acronyms that were unclear?

It's ok to check your understanding of those things with the interviewer. Additionally, if you didn't hear an explicit quantitative objective (e.g., financial goals, time frame), it's fine to ask whether the client has one, though I always recommend to frame this ask specifically in the context of the case.

Anything else is really better material for the case itself. So, turning it back to your list, I would say #1 is fair game, #2 only if you don't understand something about the client's business (e.g., its a CPG business and you've never heard of CPG - but no need to dive into customer profiles and distribution channels), everything else is best left for the case.