Prepare for a Project Structuring Case Interview

Question

Hi all,

I have some insights into an upcoming case interview at Accenture, where I am supposed to structure a consulting project based on a prompt. This means that I am supposed to develop a timeline with kick-off, include regular feedback-sessions with the client and so on.

Has anyone ever done such a type of “case study” and could maybe provide me with a good basic structure of how to set up a consulting project?

Thanks in advance and all the best!

Answer 1

While I have not heard of such a case study, the following are standard practices across assignments.

Select the team
Have an internal project kickoff with all the internal and external materials distributed prior
Align on roles in the team (project lead, associates, SMEs, Senior Leadership ets)
Have a client kickoff discussion with a clearly defined agenda, timelines and deliverables
Set up regular checkins as well as leadership team meetings once a month or whatever cadence makes sense
Have a mid point check in to ensure things are on track
Have a final presentation
Have a plan for post delivery handover/walkthrough

There are many other elements to consider but hope the above helps.

Answer 2

Hi,

I have had coachees who have been asked this type of question before, although most often as an add on to an actual case question that tests your problem solving skills. E.g. at the end of the case the interviewer might ask you how you would structure the project.

In addition to timeline and the process steps, you may also need to think about the staffing and resourcing and also how you want to allocate the modules or works teams (depending on the nature of the prompt).

There are standard things to consider when structuring a project but what makes your answer insightful will depend on the context of the prompt and the nuances around how you think and reason on the process choices.

I think what you really need to consider and think about is how long this interview will be and whether or not you will be expected to also do some part of the typical case problem / problem solving. This will greatly affect how you try and prepare for the interview

If the entire ~20-30min interview is just only on project structuring, then you'll definitely have to go to 2-3 more levels of depth than what we coaches can briefly describe on a Q&A forum post. You'll also likely be asked to discuss and defend the rationale for your answers - because that's how the time has to be used up
If there is a portion on the typical case problem, then the structuring of the project will not be as in depth, because some time needs to be allocated to solving the case

Happy to do a more detailed chat and share some tips based on my experience as a Principal - just drop me a dm

Answer 3

Hi there,

There are some good answers here already so I just like to add my 2 cents.

While the overall process structure is pretty much the same for each project (the top level), make sure to tailor your answer to the industry and context to demonstrate business sense and judgment.

Don't use generic buckets but use the terms and insights from that particular industry and consider how it impacts the content and timeline of your answer.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 4

Justus,

Great that you have an understanding of the interview structure upfront.

Yes, basically you are asked to create a framework that is a project plan.

Most consulting projects are typically structured along 4 pillars (so you could use this as a starting point):

1. Diagnostic (as-is) - typically short, max 4 weeks, to identify the root cause of the problem and high level solutions

2. Design (to-be) - slightly longer, 6-8 weeks, to go more granular into developing the initiatives that are meant to deliver the impact

3. Implementation - 4-6-12 months, the actual execution of those initiatives

4. Monitoring - a continuous process that ensure that the initiatives are on track to hit the targets and collecting feedback to continuously improve the process

Reach out if you have follow-up questions.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 5

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