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Anonymous B
on Dec 11, 2017
Global
I want to receive updates regarding this question via email.

Operations Cases? McK

I had a recent first round and had two very specific operations Cases, both having to calculate OEE. I've practiced every other case type and even though I passed this round, these through me for a loop as structuring and ideas were on the micro level very different then many of the other cases I've done.

Anyone have any resources for practicing these specific case types? 

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Top answer
Vlad
Coach
edited on Dec 11, 2017
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

There are several types of operational cases that you may have:

1) Operational math problems. (e.g. Should we increase the speed of the elevator or just buy a second one? How should we reduce the queues? How should we increase the output of a factory?).

Structuring:

  • Usually, you have to look at the process. Even the most complicated systems have the inflows and outflows

The key concepts that you have to learn:

  • Capacity and utilization (both machine and people)
  • Cycle time, Throughput time, Little's Law
  • How the does lowest cycle time influence the production? (Lead time = cycle time of the slowest process)
  • How can we mitigate the bottlenecks with low cycle time? (Buffer, Parallel process, speeding up)

2) Cost cutting cases

Structuring:

  • What is the cost composition and what are the biggest costs
  • Benchmarking of the biggest costs to find the improvement potential
  • Process improvements to meet the benchmarks
  • Costs and benefits of the proposed initiatives

The key concepts that you have to learn:

  • Internal / external benchmarking
  • Idle time
  • Core processes (usually are optimized) and the supporting processes (usually are cut)
  • Math structures (Frequency of operations * time per operation)
  • Other useful structures (e.g. people - process - technology)

Feel free to reach me for further help with these cases.

Best

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1 comment
Elie
on Apr 28, 2018
Hello Vlad, I'd like to know where does demand fit in the 1st case of your framework. Thank you
Xabi
Coach
on Sep 12, 2016
Ex-McKinsey Engagement Manager and IESE MBA
Originally answered question: Mckinsey operations case types

Hi! Here an OPS Associate at Mckinsey

I had 3 + 3 interviews and only one was really about operations.

It was about calculating the OEE of a manufacturing plant. However, there is no need to have specific knowledge since you will receive the instructions in case you dont know how to calculate it.

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Frederic
Coach
on Nov 10, 2023
ex A. Partner McKinsey |Senior Interviewer| Real Feedback & Free Homework between sessions|Harvard Coach|10+ Experience

YES! Ping me a DM for some real case examples. Warm regards, Frederic

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Deleted
Coach
on Sep 09, 2016
Current partner @ Andreessen Horowitz (VC firm). Ex-Mckinsey, ex- strategy guy at Google.
Originally answered question: Mckinsey operations case types

It's not very different from hiring for a regular general track McKinsey hire. You'll have cases and the areas can vary widely - sure, you  might get an odd ops case, but if you do really well in them, they'll quickly challenge you with non-ops cases.

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Odeh
on Dec 12, 2017

Can you please clarify what OEE is?  Acronyms can mean different things to different people.  Thanks.

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1 comment
Deleted user
on Dec 12, 2017
OEE is Overall Equipment Effectiveness...a calculation used to weight scheduled machine time vs effective machine time
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