Non Financial issues to consider

Hi Rinat,

from your question it is not clear whether you are referring to a specific type of case (eg you struggle with market entry and M&A for the non-financial/qualitative part) or if it is a general problem for structuring qualitative parts.

As for the first issue, ideally you should have a proper structure ready for each type of case (here you can see an example for a market entry case: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/regarding-market-entry-1046)

As for the second point, you can consider the following steps in order to generally improve your qualitative structure:

#1: Optimize the framework

In order to optimize your framework, you should personalize it proceeding as follows:

1. Create some basic structures for your frameworks. Case in point should work well for that, although it presents too many frameworks, many of which not very useful. Still, it’s a good starting point.
2. Start practicing cases (ideally, you should get to 50+) in person, online, or reading MBA handbooks. Every time you find a new approach to solve the case that is not present in your structure, write it down and add it to your framework keeping a MECE approach.
3. Eliminate or consolidate the sections in your frameworks that you do not find useful to solve cases.
4. Find commonalities between frameworks, so that you do not have to remember 7-8 structures completely different, but just few differences between frameworks.
5. Once received the initial information from the interviewer, present the framework adapting it to the specific goals of the client, mentioning why you would like to explore a particular area and the connection of that area with the goals previously communicated by the interviewer.

#2: Communicate correctly the framework

This may potentially be your main issue, as you mentioned you believe your frameworks are already good. If you do not communicate correctly your framework, even if this is perfect you will not score high for the interviewer.

The easiest thing you may do to communicate correctly the framework is to proceed as follows:

1. Repeat the objective (“So you asked me to identify [OBJECTIVE], right?”)
2. Present first the main areas, numbering the main elements (“I believe we may do 3 things: Number 1 we may work on [FIRST TOPIC], Number 2 on [SECOND TOPIC], Number 3 on [THIRD TOPIC]”)
3. Present your full structure for each area, still keeping a structure based on numbers (“Let me go deeper in the first area. Here I believe we may follow 5 different steps. Step 1, I would like to [DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST STEP], Step 2…etc.”

#3: Brainstorm in a structured way whenever you are unable to find a proper framework

This is something you may want to do in case you are unable to find the right structure for a particular question. In order to brainstorm in a structure way, you may want to proceed in a way similar to what shown in #2, but taking more time in 1) Repeat the Objective and applying brainstorming in 3) Present your full structure. More specifically:

1. Recap all the information you received until that moment. This will give you time without sounding you don’t know where to go.
2. Identify 2-3 key elements that would constitute the fundamental areas of your structure.
3. After having defined the key areas, then start brainstorming for each of them.

At the following link you can find the full article I wrote on structured brainstorming, where I also presented a specific example:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-is-the-best-way-to-structure-a-mini-framework-to-answer-a-mckinsey-creativity-questions-1304#a2770

Hope this helps,
Francesco