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Brainstorming vs Frameworks

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Feb 28, 2024

Sascha

Expert

Accenture | Digital Strategist | Empathic Case & Career Coach | Personalized sessions & training

Sascha

Expert

gave the best answer on Feb 22, 2024

Accenture | Digital Strategist | Empathic Case & Career Coach | Personalized sessions & training

Hey there 👋, Brainstorming and using Frameworks are not mutually exclusive. When you utilize a framework, sometimes it is necessary to brainstorm some ideas within different stages of the framework. For example if you u ... (read entire answer)

9
Answers

284
Views

117
Total Upvotes

on Feb 28, 2024 on Feb 28, 2024
Last Activity

Brainstorming - prioritisation vs creativity

brainstorming brainstorming questions Case Interview

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Anonymous gave the best answer on Feb 10, 2021

Hi, I would recommend following a step-by-step approach to impress the interviewer without knowing their intention to ask this brainstorming question. Sometimes the interviewers want to evaluate your creativity, somet ... (read entire answer)

10
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1.5 k
Views

110
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Is it okay to ask for a minute during the middle of the interview when the interviewer asks a brainstorming question?

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Cristian

Expert

#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Cristian

Expert

gave the best answer on Oct 31, 2023

#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Absolutely. Always ask for time. The idea that you should always be answering on the spot was propagated by candidates through peer practice, not interviewers. Interviewers don't expect you to answer on the spot. Her ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

1.9 k
Views

5
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Looking for exciting discussions from the community?

Can you tell me about some good frameworks for brainstorming that can apply to different types of cases?

brainstorming brainstorming questions Interviewer-led mckinsey style

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Dorothea

Expert

Ex-Oliver Wyman with 100% interview success rate - specialized in female career coaching

Dorothea

Expert

gave the best answer on Aug 10, 2018

Ex-Oliver Wyman with 100% interview success rate - specialized in female career coaching

Hi Kay, hope this finds you well. There is indeed no one size fits all approach, but certain frameworks may be good as a first starting point: Internal / external = used for market entry (internal - capabi ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

3.3 k
Views

9
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Brainstorming practice areas

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Antonello

Expert

McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Antonello

Expert

gave the best answer on Oct 16, 2021

McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi! Reduce time to market Increase product awareness Improve productivity Etc. Hope this helps. Best, Anto

7
Answers

763
Views

21
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Brainstorming practice resources

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Florian

Expert

Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Florian

Expert

gave the best answer on Sep 09, 2021

Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there, Reach out and I'll send you some case collections you can use to break out the structuring and brainstorming questions for practice drills. Alternatively, you can also use the PrepLounge case database to prac ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

1.4 k
Views

18
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Not structured enough in brainstorming session..always ask for time to think?

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Cristian

Expert

#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Cristian

Expert

gave the best answer on Oct 31, 2023

#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Yes to both questions - take time to think and provide a ‘structured’ answer. Taking time helps you get depth to your thinking and then also figure out what is the best way to communicate your ideas in a structured man ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

1.5 k
Views

12
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Brainstorming: being structured vs. being realistic

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Anonymous gave the best answer on May 06, 2020

There is no conflict here actually. A good structure doesn't need to be rigid - it doesn't have to follow the internal/external, financial/non-financial, or other typical ways. What matters is you capture the key aspe ... (read entire answer)

13
Answers

1.9 k
Views

53
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Asking questions under brainstorming questions

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Cristian

Expert

#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Cristian

Expert

gave the best answer on Oct 31, 2023

#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Absolutely. Anything that you do that makes the interview feel more like a conversation is a good thing to do. Basically the interview is meant to simulate the conversation you would have with a client. Here's also an ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

2.3 k
Views

7
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Brainstorming

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Anonymous gave the best answer on Oct 10, 2018

Hi, a couple tips: Always ask if you can take ~30 seconds to structure your thoughts. Just because it's a brainstorm, doesn't mean it shouldn't be nicely structured. Worst case, they say you shouldn't take a break, ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

2.8 k
Views

6
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Brainstorm question: Imagine you’re doing a project with Amazon and they’re complaining about a surge in theft in their warehouses – what could be causing this surge in theft?”

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Oct 31, 2023

Raj

Expert

FREE 15MIN CONSULTATION | #1 Strategy& / OW coach | >70 5* reviews |90% offers ⇨ prep-success.super.site | MENA, DE, UK

Raj

Expert

gave the best answer on Oct 30, 2023

FREE 15MIN CONSULTATION | #1 Strategy& / OW coach | >70 5* reviews |90% offers ⇨ prep-success.super.site | MENA, DE, UK

Here are a few questions to consider: Are there any external factors contributing to the surge in theft? For example, is there an increase in organized crime or theft in the surrounding area where the warehouses are loc ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

329
Views

23
Total Upvotes

on Oct 31, 2023 on Oct 31, 2023
Last Activity

Need Help with Structured Brainstorming

brainstorming questions Case Interview

Most recent answer on Oct 25, 2023

Hagen

Expert

#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

Hagen

Expert

gave the best answer on Oct 20, 2023

#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

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 ... (read entire answer)

10
Answers

499
Views

68
Total Upvotes

on Oct 25, 2023 on Oct 25, 2023
Last Activity

Do you have a question for our consulting experts, too?

Resources/approaches to practice brainstorming (with reference answer)

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Aug 30, 2023

Hani

Expert

Associate and All-star Interviewer at OW | Ex-S& | 5+ years in the Middle East |300+ Interviews | INSEAD MBA

Hani

Expert

gave the best answer on Aug 15, 2023

Associate and All-star Interviewer at OW | Ex-S& | 5+ years in the Middle East |300+ Interviews | INSEAD MBA

Hello there,It is helpful to set a timer when you are practicing brainstorming. This will help you to stay focused and to generate more ideas in a shorter amount of time.I would suggest 3 methods to get better consisten ... (read entire answer)

6
Answers

400
Views

29
Total Upvotes

on Aug 30, 2023 on Aug 30, 2023
Last Activity

How "rigid" should the brain storming structure be? (with example)

brainstorming questions

Most recent answer on Aug 27, 2023

gave the best answer on Aug 21, 2023

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 i ... (read entire answer)

6
Answers

298
Views

14
Total Upvotes

on Aug 27, 2023 on Aug 27, 2023
Last Activity

commercial passenger aircraft worldwide

brainstorming questions brainteaser Market sizing

Most recent answer on Apr 17, 2023

gave the best answer on Apr 16, 2023

Hi there, I think overall you've done a nice job here! 8 or 9 out of 10! Here's what I like: Overall approach is logical (# of passengers ==> flights ===>planes) You have estimated not assumed (even though you sai ... (read entire answer)

2
Answers

507
Views

23
Total Upvotes

on Apr 17, 2023 on Apr 17, 2023
Last Activity

Effects of cannabis legalisation in Germany

brain teaser brainstorming questions brainteaser

Most recent answer on Apr 16, 2023

Emily

Expert

Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

Emily

Expert

gave the best answer on Apr 15, 2023

Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

Hi there! So when you're answering a case question you want to create a structure which is specific to the question. Your structure of micro / macro is very generic and doesn't answer the question specifically. For ex ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

467
Views

22
Total Upvotes

on Apr 16, 2023 on Apr 16, 2023
Last Activity

Clarifying questions during case study

brainstorming questions case questions case study Structure

Most recent answer on Jan 01, 2023

Clara

Expert

McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Clara

Expert

gave the best answer on Nov 27, 2022

McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello! Yes, totally! Imagine how foolish you would feel if you failed just because not asking something little! Think about cases as business problems you are helping to solve, and you can only do that when you have 100 ... (read entire answer)

12
Answers

707
Views

49
Total Upvotes

on Jan 01, 2023 on Jan 01, 2023
Last Activity

When to ask which questions: Which questions do you ask before you come up with a structure and which do you ask after?

asking questions brainstorming brainstorming questions Case Interview case study Clarifying questions Interview issue tree MBB order of operations preparation rule of thumb Structure

Most recent answer on Aug 30, 2022

Vlad

Expert

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Vlad

Expert

gave the best answer on Mar 07, 2017

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Pre-structure questions 1) Clarify the business model. Even if you think you understand it, try to repeat it to make sure that you understand in correctly. 2) Clarify the objective. Here make sure that your goal is: ... (read entire answer)

15
Answers

17.5 k
Views

86
Total Upvotes

on Aug 30, 2022 on Aug 30, 2022
Last Activity

Facebook/Meta - Decreasing sales in EU

Bain & Company BCG McKinsey and Bain brainstorming questions case interview practice with consultants consulting facebook growth strategy McKinsey & Company Revenue analysis The Boston Consulting Group

Most recent answer on Aug 07, 2022

Ashwin

Expert

Ex Consulting Director | Bain and company , Deloitte| INSEAD

Ashwin

Expert

gave the best answer on Aug 07, 2022

Ex Consulting Director | Bain and company , Deloitte| INSEAD

Hey there , Good structure to identify revenue growth opportunities and it is MECE , great work. This structure is excellent if the problem had just been - identify revenue growth opportunities. However, the proble ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

765
Views

22
Total Upvotes

on Aug 07, 2022 on Aug 07, 2022
Last Activity

What are some 'creative' ways to increase topline revenue?

Bain & Company BCG brainstorming brainstorming questions calculation Case Interview McKinsey profitability revenue

Most recent answer on Jul 04, 2022

Florian

Expert

Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Florian

Expert

gave the best answer on Jul 01, 2022

Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there, Good question! The creative aspect is super important for McKinsey brainstorming questions. The quality of your answer depends on if you cover the issue broadly at the top-level (exhaustive) and add the neede ... (read entire answer)

4
Answers

1.4 k
Views

42
Total Upvotes

on Jul 04, 2022 on Jul 04, 2022
Last Activity

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Consulting Q&A – Ask Questions about Your Career

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