How to improve framework creativty

Question

I have been practicing casing for approximatively a month now, and I struggle to be creative in my issue trees/frameworks. I often end up using the profitability or business framework, customizing only the questions I ask with respect to the buckets.

I think this issue stems from another one: I cannot figure out if my framework should include the whole process to resolving the client's issue (e.g. finding the root cause, determining strategies, evaluating potential risks), or if I should focus only on the first phase (e.g. competition, customers, product, company). What do you think?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi there,

That's a great question and probably one of the most common issues people struggle with when getting into case interviews.

As I understand your current approach, you are mainly relying on memorized frameworks that you try to adjust to the cases you are working on.

If you want to receive an offer you need to learn how to create structures from scratch and move towards a first-principles problem-solving approach.

To answer your question directly, a framework should be an analysis plan, not a project plan that helps you understand where the issue is coming from or how to answer the question of the client. Hence, for most cases you would focus on the diagnostic stage.

I am quoting a few portions of an article I wrote on the topic:

Consider the following recent prompts from consulting firm interviews:

"A hotel has lower bookings: Who would you talk to?
"Machines break down more often: What factors could be contributing to this issue?"
"Airline customer satisfaction is down: How would you analyze the situation?

These scenarios cannot be answered through memorized frameworks. Trying to fit these unique problems into a pre-existing framework often leads to frustration and poor performance.

Why framework memorization fails

1. No points for problem-solving

Case interviews are designed to test your problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, not your ability to regurgitate memorized information. Frameworks are meant to be a guide, not a script. Using a memorized framework can make it obvious that you are not thinking critically about the problem at hand. Interviewers want to see tailored, relevant, and concrete analytical constructs. Using generic categories and ideas not tailored to the case will score poorly in problem-solving.

2. Creative and unique scenarios

Case interviews often involve unique and unpredictable scenarios. No two cases are the same, so a memorized framework will not apply to the specific problem you are presented with. For example:

"You are working with an operator of a specific type of machine. They break down at different rates at different locations. What factors can you think of why that would happen?"

Which Victor Cheng framework or Cosentino idea would you present here? There isn’t a single bucket that would work. We covered that before.

Even in more traditional settings, firms want to see your own perspective, no cookie cutter approach

3. Limiting creativity

Using a memorized framework limits your ability to think creatively. If you always have something to fall back on, then your mind will automatically stop looking at new ideas and angles for a case.

When you try to fit the problem into a pre-existing framework, you may miss opportunities to come up with innovative solutions. Welcome to the 99% of non-offer holders...

4. Lack of rationale

Case interviews also test your ability to communicate and present your thought process effectively. When relying on a memorized framework, you may struggle to explain the reasoning behind your solutions. You have no clear hypotheses.

Interviewers want to understand why you think a certain way, not just what you think. Memorizing frameworks can hinder your ability to support and defend your choices.

The memorized framework approach was developed by Marc Cosentino, a career advisor with no skin in the game who has never seen a consulting firm's office from the inside. When I was at McKinsey there was a saying that his advice is preventing more offers than the actual difficulty of the interviews. Something that makes you think…

There is a reason why only 1% of applicants get the offer, yet everyone continues to rely on the faulty framework approach.

How to change this?

At the core, all consulting firms want to see creative ideas communicated in a structured manner, the more exhaustive the better.

Your goal should be to develop a tailored and creative answer that fits the question. The framework should - broadly speaking - follow these three characteristics:

Broad
Deep
Insightful

You would need to go into detail and qualify your answer with practical examples and more details.

To work on this, please reach out either for coaching or the following: I am launching a free case interview foundations course and am happy to include you as a beta tester in the coming weeks.

Alternatively, you could also check out my book The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview, where I discuss many techniques that help you build a framework with a broad top-level that covers the problem fully, develop depth with 2-3 levels of analysis and ensure that what you are creating is relevant, tailored, and concrete enough for the respective case.

All the best,

Florian

Answer 2

I've been in your shoes (as a prospective application and early tenure associate trying to navigate a new industry). Here are a few practical things to deploy in your case prep to help refine that skill:

Start with a sharp definition of the problem: After the interviewer shares the prompt, make sure you align with them on what you are solving for. If the prompt is very open-ended, ask thoughtful questions about the client's objectives, business model, and industry (need to strike a good balance here, and I can help you).
Develop a hypothesis (answer to the case): while it's hard to do that 2-3 mins in, it's best to take a stab at the answer early (in your notes). This will help you identify what you need to test to confirm or refute your initial answer (e.g., we should enter this market or buy this firm).
Break the problem into components: with a clear understanding of the problem and an initial idea of what an answer might be, you break the problem down into its component parts. Getting good at this takes practice and exposure. Avoid the generic frameworks at all costs.

What is the most effective way to practice? I would take a case book from a reputable MBA program (Google "MBA case books") and 1) read the prompt (don't cheat and look ahead!), 2) time yourself on 2min to develop a hypothesis and structure to the problem, and 3) read the rest of the case and learn from how the writer approached the problem.

Want to practice on the go? Here is an unconventional idea that has worked well for me and folks I have coached: read a business headline and think about what the writer will cover in that article before reading the rest of the article

Answer 3

Hi there,

Your situation is quite similar to what most candidates face at the beginning of case preparations so you have nothing to worry about.

The root cause of what you described is that you consider the framework creation exercise as a checkbox task that needs to be conducted based on a predetermined formula, which is not how it should be approached.

You should fundamentally adopt a first principles approach where you are thinking about what is relevant to that specific problem. The truth is some candidates stumble through endless cases till they eventually obtain a semblance of this skill while others engage in quality practice / deliberate coaching to fast track the learning process and learn the cues for this.

Feel free to reach out for an intro chat if you need a clearer glimpse into how this works.

Fathu

Answer 4

Hi there, and thanks for asking, Indeed, setting up the framework for a profitability case can be a bit confusing, ho... (read entire answer)

Hi there, and thanks for asking, Indeed, setting up the framework for a profitability case can be a bit confusing, however, I would advise you not to think of “THE” framework wh... (read entire answer)