Written case study presentation

Hi, since there are no specifics you have provided, here are some tips for writing a good presentation on a case.

1. Structure Your Document Clearly:

• Executive Summary: Begin with a concise summary that outlines the case context, your conclusions, and recommendations. This should be a standalone section that offers value even if the reader goes no further.
• Introduction: Set the scene by briefly describing the business situation or problem. Clearly state the objectives of your analysis to orient the reader.
• Analysis: Present the core of your case study in distinct, logical sections. This section should include:
  • Data Presentation: Use charts, graphs, and tables where appropriate to visualize data effectively.
  • Problem Solving: Detail how you approached the problem and any analytical methods used (e.g., SWOT, PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces).
• Recommendations: Based on your analysis, clearly outline actionable and realistic recommendations. Explain why these actions are expected to work in the given context.
• Conclusion: Briefly recap the problem and proposed solutions. Reinforce how your recommendations provide value to the client or stakeholders.

2. Be Concise and Focused:

• Avoid unnecessary jargon and be as clear as possible to ensure that your audience understands the case without external research.
• Each sentence should add value—be it furthering the narrative, elucidating a point, or explaining a concept.

3. Use Visuals Wisely:

• Charts and Graphs: Use these to break down complex data into digestible visuals that complement your text.
• Diagrams: Process flows, frameworks, and diagrams can as needed to summarize methodologies or compare options.
• Appendices: Typically not needed for an interview but if there is something detailed you need others to refer to you can have this section.

All the best with your preparations,

Udayan

Hi there,

Q: Can someone please give me an idea how I can present written case studies best?

In general, for a written case I would recommend the following.

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1. Prepare in advance with other case study

You should be able to find a few written cases online to use for your self-prep. Ideally, the cases should include:

1. Graph interpretation
2. Math calculation
3. The amount of information you expect for your interview (if unknown, I would target at least 10-20 slides/pages)

2. Outline an action plan to analyze the material

Assuming you have 90 minutes to review the material, a possible time schedule is the following (to adapt based on the amount of information and questions):

• 3 min – Read the questions
• 20-30 min – Read the material
• 10 min – Structure the approach
• 40-50 min – Perform math/ Identify answers/ Create slides
• 5 – Final review

The time to read the material depends on how much material you will receive. The overall time available depends on the company/type of written case.

3. Define a strategy to present your results

To present your findings in the second part, I would suggest keeping the same structure used for a conclusion in a live interview, that is:

1. Summarize the main questions you have to answer
2. Present your proposed answers and detail the motivation behind
3. Present risks and next steps for the areas you have not covered

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To present the slides, I would recommend taking into account the following:

A) Structure of the presentation

Normally the structure for a 5-slide presentation is the following:

• 1st slide – summary of the questions and your answers
• 2nd, 3rd and 4th slides - supporting arguments for the first slide
• 5th slide - risks and next steps

If you can prepare more slides, you can expand slides 2, 3 and 4 accordingly.

B) Content of each slide

There are 3 basic components for most slides:

1. Title
2. Written content 
3. Graphs / Tables

Many candidates structure the title as a mere description of what the chart/content is about.

A great title instead shows the implication of the graph/content as well.

Example: say a graph is showing a cost structure for a division.

• A bad title would be: “Cost structure from 2005 to 2015”.
• A good title would be: “Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable”.
• A great title would be “Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable due to ABC”, assuming you have insights on that.

The rule of thumb is that if you read all the titles of the slides, you should get a clear idea of the message of the presentation.

C) Presentation of the slides

When you present, I would recommend the following steps for each slide:

1. Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
2. Present the main message of the slide: “As you can see, we have a cost structure that makes it unfeasible to be competitive in this market”
3. Provide details: “The graph, indeed, shows how our fixed cost is XYZ, while competitors can benefit from economies of scale. Indeed…”

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If you need more help please feel free to PM me, I do a session specifically on written cases.

Good luck!

Francesco

Yes - do reach out and I'm happy to share a couple of examples.

Then if you need more help, we can do a simulation together with feedback that covers structure, content and delivery. 

Best,
Cristian