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Multi-stage framework

It appears that most of the cases are multi-stage, starting from market assessment to competition analysis to entry strategy, etc. 

Is it necessary to come up with a separate framework for each stage at the beginning? or focus on the first stage and then develop frameworks for the following stages along the way (like a dynamic optimization)?

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Clara
Coach
on Jan 06, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

First of all, I would double check if indeed it´s a multi-stage case, since normally they start just with one question -precisely, to avoid this kind of confusion in the candidate-

Secondly, be careful with the frameworks, particularly in thiese cases in which the right answer would be a combination of multiple ones. Frameworks are useful to learn methodologies of "how to solve X kind of problem", not to place them there by heart. Imagine how many candidates would have done that before... would not impress the interviewer. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

on Jan 06, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
it depends on how clear at the beginning is the fact that you have to handle a multi-stage problem. Typically the first question of the interviewer is only related to the first stage and in these cases, the complete framework is not needed.

Hope it helps,
Antonello

Luca
Coach
on Jan 06, 2020
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello Robin,

You have always to look at frameworks as something that will help you during the resolution and not something written down just to impress the interviewer. Indeed, if you spend time writing all the things that come up to your mind and then you take time to explain them to your interviewer, he could be annoyed.
They perfectly know theory studied on the books and they want to see people that are able to use it in a smart way, not people that know it by heart.
That said, at the beginning write down only the framework that will be probably useful during the resolution, you can always ask later for 30 seconds to develop and complete it.

Hope it helps,
Luca

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