Need Help with Structured Brainstorming

You are being tested two things:

• Do you have business sense?
• Can you think and communicate in a structured way?

The ideal candidate will do both. They will think of broad categories of solutions, and then explore them (i.e., first struture, then brainstorm). 

So let's say the client has a profitability problem. Then you would go and would think about revenue, then cost, and then possibly even working capital / balance sheet ideas. 

Let's say they want to know how to grow. You think how to optimize current business; and then how to create new growth avenues (new categories, new geographies, etc.).

Now here's one thing I must correct: interviewers are not looking for creativity. It's not about the out-of-the-box idea. As mentioned above, it's about being able to show very strong business sense, and being structured.

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I understand the struggle; balancing structure and creativity isn’t always straightforward. I would advise you to perhaps create a flexible structure beforehand. By having a basic framework that can adapt to various cases, you might find it easier to fit your creative ideas into a structured format without feeling constrained.
• Moreover, when it comes to brainstorming, consider this: having a structure doesn't necessarily mean limiting your creativity. Instead, it's about channeling it more effectively. By creating groups, you're guiding your thinking, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the problem space, and making your ideas easier to follow for your listener.
• Lastly, to get better at structured brainstorming, practice is crucial. Initially, try to brainstorm topics seperately where you can create broad categories and then fill them with ideas. Over time, you'll find it becomes more intuitive, allowing you to think both creatively and structurally at the same time.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hey,

The ability to brainstorm mostly mostly depends on how developed your business sense is. The more cases you solve with other candidates, the more structuring patterns you start noticing and the more ideas come to your mind. 

The experience of working at management consulting or similar roles that involve problem solving certainly helps as well.

However, there are some life hacks that can make the brainstorming process easier for you. For one, try to break the problem into TWO high-level drivers and then try to break them down even further on the fly.

The examples could be:
“The problem can either lie in Supply or Demand areas”;
“To fix the profit decline we can work either with the Revenue or the Cost side”
“The problem with the production process can be either machinery related or employee related” etc.

Hope this helps,
Nick

Great question!

I wrote this article that explains it in more detail, including the structuring techniques to use for brainstorming questions: 

• Expert Guide: Mastering Structuring & Brainstorming

But in short, brainstorming is not a ‘brain storm’ but rather a set of structured ideas. That's the expectation in a consulting interviews. 

Practically, what that means is that brainstorming questions should be treated similarly to the upfront framework question in a case. They are both structure and should have an overarching hierarchy of areas before moving to the detailed points / ideas. 

Best,
Cristian

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Hello there,

Structured brainstorming is a fundamental skill in case interviews, serving as a powerful demonstration of your ability to think logically, organize your thoughts, and tap into your creativity. It involves a systematic approach:

Identify the Problem: Begin by gaining a deep understanding of the client's situation. What are their objectives, goals, and the challenges they're facing? This initial step sets the foundation for your brainstorming process.

Generate Brainstorming Buckets: Brainstorming buckets are essentially broad categories that encompass all potential solutions to the client's problem. These buckets serve as the framework for your brainstorming session. For instance, if your client is struggling with sales growth, your buckets could include "New Product Development," "Marketing and Sales Strategy," and "Customer Experience."

Generate Ideas Within Each Bucket: Once you have your brainstorming buckets in place, the next step is to generate as many ideas as possible within each of these categories. It's crucial not to censor yourself during this stage – the aim is to produce a wide array of ideas, irrespective of their initial quality.

Evaluate and Prioritize Ideas: After generating a list of ideas, the next step is to evaluate and prioritize them. Consider criteria like cost, time required for implementation, potential impact on the client's goals, and feasibility. This evaluation process will help you identify the most promising ideas.

Creating effective brainstorming buckets involves considering various factors:

Client's Business Aspects: Think about the different facets of the client's business that could be contributing to their problem. What are the areas where they can make improvements?

Types of Solutions: Consider the various types of solutions available. What are the different approaches and strategies that could potentially address the client's issue, drawing inspiration from successful solutions in similar situations?

Remember that you don't need to spend excessive time devising brainstorming buckets; the goal is to establish a few categories that encompass all potential solutions. Additionally, don't confine yourself to these buckets – if you have an idea that doesn't fit neatly into any of them, share it anyway. Case interviewers value creativity, so thinking outside the established framework can be a strong asset.

Structured brainstorming becomes more refined with practice, enabling you to focus on the client's problem effectively and generate a multitude of innovative ideas. Ultimately, it showcases your ability to approach complex issues systematically and creatively – a valuable skill in consulting and problem-solving.

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

Remember that the bar is a bit lower when it comes to brainstorming (as opposed to frameworking). 

Ultimately, I view brainstorming as “framework” light. If you can group your ideas into 2-3 categories, even if they are not perfectly MECE, this is ok!

Q1: When I try to do this, I often find myself spending more time coming up with buckets than I do coming up with ideas, and I feel it limits my creativity. 

You need to practice more. Buckets should not limit creativity. Practice the build up technique as well as the structure down technique to allow ideas to flow better.

Here's some reading to get you started: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Does it matter if I don't have a structure so long as my ideas are creative? If so, how do I get better at structured brainstorming? 

Yes. It does matter. You need to be structured. This is SO HARD to learn on your own. Get a coach to help train you in this (not something that just quickly gets fixed in a Q&A)

EXAMPLE: HERE ARE 6 FRAMEWORK OPTIONS FOR A PROMPT

Prompt: how to increase the number of recruited foster families?

Option 1

1. Reach out to more families/make more aware
2. Increase conversion of families who are aware

Option 2

1. Improve outreach - going to families
2. Improve “in”reach - families coming to us
3. Improve inherent offering/pitch

Option 3

1. Reach out to more families
2. Reach out to “better” families (higher inherent likelihood of saying yes)
3. Increase conversion of families

Option 4

1. People - improve sales/recruitment team
2. Processes - improve recruitment processes
3. Tools/Tech - bring in better recruiting tools, data analytics, etc.

Option 5

1. Ethos - persuade on character/legitimacy
2. Pathos - persuade on emotion
3. Logos - persuade on logic

Option 6

The 4 Ps

1. Product - “bundle” fostering in a better way (make it seem better, improve the experience, etc)
2. Price - compensation
3. Place - where it occurs, where the outreach is (online, in person, etc.)
4. Promotion - how we market/advertise

Hi there! It's great that you're looking to improve your structured brainstorming approach. While creativity is important, having a structured framework can help you organize your ideas and ensure that you cover all relevant aspects. It also demonstrates your ability to think systematically and analytically, which is highly valued in consulting.

To improve your structured brainstorming skills, I recommend the following approach:

Start by identifying the key dimensions or buckets that are relevant to the client's situation. These could be different strategies, market segments, operational areas, or any other relevant categories.

Once you have your buckets, focus on generating ideas that fit into each bucket. This will help you ensure that you cover a wide range of possibilities and avoid missing any important areas.

Prioritize your ideas within each bucket based on their potential impact, feasibility, and alignment with the client's objectives. This will help you present a more focused and impactful set of ideas.

Remember to communicate your thought process and rationale behind each idea. This will demonstrate your ability to think critically and provide a solid foundation for your recommendations.

By practicing this structured approach, you'll become more efficient in generating ideas while maintaining a systematic framework. It's important to strike a balance between creativity and structure, as both are valuable in the consulting world.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.

Hi there,

Who gave you this feedback? I don't think it's very helpful.

As a former McKinsey interviewer, I really don't care as much about how answers to brainstorming questions are structured, as I do about the content.

You're actually highlighting something very important that I cover in my coaching i.e. the tradeoff between having a good but ‘empty’ structure vs. having an unordered laundry list of good ideas. If I had to choose, I'd go for the laundry list every time!

Keep up the good work and feel free to get in touch if you'd like help with this.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Moritz

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>> Need a senior McKinsey coach? See my profile in a nutshell
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Hi there,

Brainstorming during a consulting interview requires a good balance between structure and creative ideas. Start conceptually thinking the big buckets for ideas and then start shooting concrete ideas under each one. 

Structure would definitely help to (1) come out with more ideas under each bucket / theme and (2) communicate and share your ideas.

Happy to discuss this more deeply. Just send me a message.

Alberto

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Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs 

You raise a valid point, brainstorming as an exercise is best done in an unstructured way to allow for ideas to flow. As an interviewer I have never expected someone to provide a detailed structure when answering such questions.

If you must add structure what I find most helpful is to first right down all the points and then ‘loosely’ bucket them. Sometimes even if it is two buckets it works well. Two buckets is very easy because it can just be a version of ‘X and not X’.