Going back to a clarifying question

Question

Hi all,

I was wondering about what you can do if you find out that you have forgotten to ask a relevant clarification question. So for example, we have the Case "How can the company double its revenue over the next five years through geographical expansion". You have asked some clarification questions and the goal is clear, and you lay down your structure e.g. "Possible markets -> Our capabilities -> How to enter". While presenting your structure, you find out that you have not yet asked where the company is currently "playing", which is in my opinion really relevant since it is easier to double your revenue if you are currently the market leader in Switzerland than in the US, because you most certainly have to enter a larger market. Do you "go back" and ask the question right out of nowhere or do you wait until it gets "urgent", since you should not jump around and use a structured approach?

Thanks

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Francesco

Prep4Success Expert

updated his answer on Mar 28, 2019

#1 Expert for Coaching Sessions (2.200+) | 1.000+ Reviews with 100% Recommendation Rate | Ex BCG | 6 Years Coaching Experience

Hi Anonymous,

if you understand you forgot to clarify a point when presenting the structure, I would recommend to ask the question at that stage, ideally connecting with some parts of the structure itself, in order to make less evident you forgot the point before (communication is always key in a case and part of your assessment as well).

Assuming the structure presented is the one you described and you just completed its presentation, the following would be a possible way to formulate the question:

“(…). Now, we can start with the first point related to the possible markets to select. In order to understand that, I think it would be useful to know in which markets the company is currently active. Do we have information on that?”

Best,

Francesco

(edited)

Would it also be a good idea to readjust one's beginning structure quickly? — B on Mar 19, 2019

Hi Hrag, if the structure requires some changes after you understood some relevant points then yes, it would make sense to update it. Hope this helps, Francesco — Francesco on Mar 28, 2019

Going back to a clarifying question

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