Case Interviews
How do I adapt my framework when the case changes direction?
What should I do if an exhibit suddenly shifts the case from one part of my framework to another before I've finished the first area? I also struggle with brainstorming when my ideas don't divide neatly into several buckets. How flexible should the structure be?
Ian’s Answer
Great questions!
#1 Frameworks are a guide and are meant to be adjusted
So, you should absolutely be prepared to either enter a new piece of your framework or change your framework altogether as new information comes in. How do you handle this?
Well, first, you can really just articulate what you're doing. You can say "Oh, interesting, so if looks like we have some information on y. I don't want to forget about x, but let's see what y brings us first. Ok, looks like it's about..." Then, when you've "finished" with y, you can check to see if there's any info on x. If there isn't, move to z :)
Second, you can re-summarize/iterate where you are. This is especially useful if you have the change the entire framework. Say "Ok, so it looks like now we actually need to look a 3 key things to solve this"
#2 You can absolutely have "no buckets" when brainstorming...if needed
This is really a judgement call and depends on the type of brainstorming. In terms of selling strategies, I agree with you, this can really fundamentally be a list. However, try to bucket. For example, you could bucket selling strategies as 1) Those that bring in new customers and 2) Those that increase the value of existing customers. Alternatively, it could be 1) Increase basket size per visit 2) Increase visits per customer 3) Increase # customers
Hope this helps!