Training · CO-2 · Lesson 01 of 06
How a case works
The rule
Cases follow a shape: prompt, structure, data gathering, analysis, recommendation. Knowing the shape frees attention for the content.
Step 1: listen and clarify
Write down key facts and the objective. Ask clarifying questions about the goal, timeframe and constraints. Repeat the question back to confirm you are solving the right problem.
Step 2: structure
Ask for a moment, then present a structure — a set of mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive areas to investigate. Tailor it to the case rather than reciting a framework.
Step 3: analyse
Work through the most promising branch first, requesting data, doing calculations aloud and interpreting results. After each finding, state what it means and where to go next.
- Clarify
- 2–3 min
- Structure
- 3–4 min
- Analysis and data
- 15–18 min
- Brainstorm
- 3–4 min
- Recommendation
- 2 min
Step 4: brainstorm
Interviewers often ask for ideas: ways to grow revenue, risks of entering a market. Give structured lists — internal versus external, short-term versus long-term — rather than random ideas.
- ·Group ideas into categories before listing.
- ·Prioritise the most impactful ideas.
- ·Tie ideas back to case facts.
Step 5: recommend
Lead with the answer, give two or three supporting reasons with numbers, then risks and next steps. Speak as if presenting to a CEO.
Hold onto this
- ·Repeat the problem back and state the objective you will solve for.
- ·Ask for the data you need in order, and say what you will do with it.
- ·Close with a recommendation, the reason, the risks, and the next step.
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Education, not financial advice. Figures may be simplified for illustration.