Things to consider when structuring operations cases?

Hi there,

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

• First of all, it would be great if you provide a proposal for a specific case study question, so that I can give feedback on it, which yields more value for you than answering this more holistic question.
• Moreover, I would highly advise you to keep in mind that structuring a case study into factors is only meaningful if the interviewer specifically asked for factors, which normally is not the case. Instead, think in terms of activities that should be conducted sequentially to come to a solution for the case study question.
• Lastly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to solving the wide variety of operations case studies, besides the fact that they are not that different from typical strategy consulting case studies.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best structure any case study question, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there!

A great structure is an ‘insightful’ structure. And that means it needs to be tailored specifically to the context of the client. 

By trying to generalise it into an ‘operations framework' we are making it less insightful and thus less of a good framework. 

Still, if you want to next best thing to that, you could think about it in terms of a meta-structure, meaning the actual operations process. Break it down into consecutive steps and present those as being the structure. This way the structure will be MECE (since it consists directly of what the actual operations process is) and it is as tailored as possible to the case type. 

Sharing with you a guide you might find useful which cover structuring techniques:

• Free Guide: Mastering Structuring & Brainstorming

Best,
Cristian

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Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> SoyTechnologies  

Well, it depends on the operations case doesn't it?

Do you think a consultant would recommend the same approach to a client if they're asking to consolidate their factories versus optimize their supply chain?

Will Walmart take the same framework/approach when looking to move its operations away from China as it would when looking to incorporate data analytics into its US warehouses?

Of course not!

There is no generic list of factors to a high level “type” of case…rather there is THINKING about the problem in a structured manner.

If you'd like some practice, here are some cases I wrote along supply chain/operations:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/mbb-climate-change-operations-285

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/beginner/bcg-us-supply-chain-crisis-290

1) PrepLounge has that category in their case Library here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases?language=en&topic[]=13&topic[]=8&sort=real-case-desc&page=1&perPage=20

2) Google and casebooks are your friend. As are the McKinsey Operations and BCG Operations sites!

3) Send me a message and I can provide you with a few good ones and/or case you in them! Some examples include:

• X retailer currently is seeing delivery delays due to lack or storage containers and skyrocketing container costs - how would you go about resolving this situation?
• Vaccine maker x is seeing shortages in supplies for manufacturing - how can we resolve these shortages?
• X distrubiton center would like to purchase an inventory management system - how would you evauate this decision?

Here are some additional helpful Q&As:

• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/public-sectory-operations-4249
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/deloitte-business-operations-interview-process-in-switzerland-8374
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hi-guys-7463
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/preparation-case-studies-for-case-interview-as-sales-operations-planning-consultant-8641
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/preparing-for-mckinsey-operations-interview-9122
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-approach-an-operational-case-10016

In addition to what was said, consider the difference between actionable frameworks and non-actionable frameworks.

• Actionable frameworks: They're analytical blueprints for what you want to achieve throughout the case and should include a handful of key parameters that seem reasonable to investigate and ultimately put together to get to an answer. Those kinds of frameworks are typical for candidate led cases where you actually need to solve the case.
• Non-actionable frameworks: They may look similar but are a completely different kind of beast. They are usually associated with interviewer-led cases, which is exclusive to McKinsey, who don't want you to solve the case and instead answer different questions about the case. You develop these frameworks as a response to Q1, which is typically a version of “what do you think should be considered for situation xyz”. The resulting structure is not actionable and is much wider and deeper than the actionable structures.

Bottom-line, make sure you know what is actually being asked of you and what the point of your ´framework´ is. If you're interviewing with McKinsey, I suggest to get in touch with me

Best of luck!

Moritz

Hello,

The answer to this is always going to depend on the case prompt, context, and objective. In some cases, it might make more sense to go factory-by-factory, in some cases you’d want to consider each step of the supply chain, in some cases you’d have something closer to a standard profitability framework. There’s little sense in giving a general answer, but if you provide us with an example case and prompt, we can provide more specific guidance for you there!

Hi there,

The other coaches already described it well - there is no one size fits all, just like there is not just one single type of operations problem. I'd add that there's a certain tendency to do the analysis part of such cases using process structures, such as value chains / supply chains - a nice way to systematically isolate the problem (where) at hand before you go into root cause analysis (why) and find ways to fix afterwards.

Feel free to reach out if you'd like to learn more.

Regards, Andi