HE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM’S lists complex problem-solving as the number one skill for jobs in 2020. Organizations are looking for people that can define problems and form solid creative responses. Like leaders themselves, good problem solvers are made, not born. Yet these skills are rarely taught. That’s where comes in. McKinsey alums Charles Conn and Rob McLean teach us how to be bulletproof problem solvers using a simple 7-steps approach. The approach has its foundation in the hypothesis-driven structure of the scientific method. This process is not just applicable to business but is useful in finding solutions for personal problems as well. In the book they apply the process to individual problems such as, “Should I put solar panels on my roof?,” “What career should I choose?,” and “Is where I live affecting my health?” Business examples range from “Should my startup raise its prices?” and “Should we go to court?” to “Can obesity be reduced?” This process can be applied to nearly every problem is responds well to the systematic problem-solving method that this approach provides.
While this is presented in a linear way, the authors make a great point that you learn more about the problem as you go. You shouldn’t be so eager to get to the end that you don’t go back and refine previous steps. “While the process has a beginning and an end, we encourage you to think of problem solving as an iterative process rather than a linear one. At each stage we improve our understanding of the problem and use those greater insights to refine our earlier answers.”
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Think about all the harebrained ideas and strategies that big companies pursue. Why do they make such obviously silly decisions? They don’t have a disciplined process for analyzing problems and finding good solutions.
I will delve into the famed McKinsey 7-step problem-solving process today.
Legendary management consulting firm McKinsey & Company takes problem-solving extremely seriously. They have developed and refined a structured 7-step methodology that all McKinsey consultants use to methodically work through challenges. As former McKinsey partner Charles Conn states,
“By following steps, we can more clearly understand what problem it is we’re solving, what are the components of the problem, which components are most important to pay attention to, which analytic techniques to apply, and how to synthesize learnings into a compelling solution story.”
This methodology is used by top consultants to methodically work through even the trickiest issues. While no framework is perfect, this one at least forces you to slow down and think things through deliberately.
The McKinsey 7-step problem-solving process is a methodology developed by the prestigious consulting firm McKinsey & Company. It provides a structured way to think through difficult situations and develop solutions.
The 7 steps are:
By rigorously working through each phase, you avoid missing key details or jumping to flawed conclusions. It results in more thorough and effective problem-solving.
Let’s dive into each of the 7 steps in more detail:
You can’t solve a problem until you truly understand what the heck it is. This deceptively simple first step is critical.
Ask: What is the actual problem we’re trying to solve here? What are the symptoms and effects we’re seeing? What are the goals and objectives? Get crystal clear upfront.
Many problem solving efforts fail right out of the gate because there was never precise agreement on the problem itself. Properly defining the problem ensures everyone is aligned and working towards the same endpoint.
Once you know the core problem, you need to break it down into its components. Diagram it visually using tools like issue trees and prioritization matrices.
The goal is to uncover root causes rather than just treating symptoms. Look for relationships between different factors. Structuring makes the inherent complexities more understandable.
With the problem neatly structured, identify the 2-3 main root causes to prioritize. These are the areas where focusing your efforts will have the biggest impact.
Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to tackle everything at once. Find the highest leverage points that will drive a disproportionate amount of the solution.
Time to start formulating potential solutions! Based on your diagnosed root causes, generate hypotheses about what changes could alleviate or eliminate the core issues.
Don’t jump straight to recommending solutions yet, but form educated guesses about promising directions to explore further. Hypotheses help avoid getting anchored on any single remedy too early.
Validate your hypotheses through research, analysis, experiments, and testing. Gather data and feedback to determine which ideas have merit versus which should be discarded.
This step is all about objectively evaluating your potential solutions before committing major resources. Ruling out the bad ideas early saves immense time and effort.
Now that you’ve pressure-tested your options, you can put together a concrete plan of attack. This is where you finally propose your recommended solutions to the problem.
Based on your testing results, synthesize the optimal combination of remedies into an integrated solution roadmap. It should comprehensively address the core issues at their root.
The final step is determining how actually to implement your solutions. What resources are required? What roadblocks might you face? How will you track progress?
Build out a detailed plan for execution, including key milestones, owners, budgets, etc. Careful planning in this step paves the way for a smooth rollout.
The 7-step methodology is most valuable for complex, ambiguous problems with unclear paths. It provides a rigorous framework to impose order on messy situations.
For straightforward issues with obvious solutions, the process may be overkill. It works best when dealing with:
Whenever you’re facing a high-stakes quandary that impacts key outcomes, applying a proven process like this can mitigate risks of overlooking key factors or making rash decisions.
Like any framework, the McKinsey 7-step approach has its pros and cons:
Weaknesses:
No model is perfect, but the 7 steps at least provide guard rails for tackling thorny problem-solving challenges in a structured way.
One of the defining challenges of problem-solving in today’s ever-changing business landscape is the pervasive presence of uncertainty. Rapidly evolving markets, disruptive technologies, geopolitical instability, and a host of other factors continuously introduce new unknowns.
This makes it critical that any structured problem-solving methodology has mechanisms built in to explicitly identify, analyze, and manage uncertainties throughout the process. The McKinsey 7-step approach achieves this in multiple ways:
Step 1: Define Uncertainty in the Problem Context From the outset, a crucial part of problem definition is fleshing out the key sources and degrees of uncertainty surrounding the issue. What are the volatile factors that could significantly impact the situation? What future scenarios need to be accounted for? Explicitly calling out ambiguities upfront prevents them from being overlooked.
Step 2: Uncertainty Branches in the Structure When disaggregating the problem into structured issue trees, distinct branches can be created to separately examine different uncertain elements and scenarios. This allows for rigorous mapping of how these uncertainties could affect other components of the problem.
Step 3: Prioritize Based on Impact x Uncertainty The prioritization phase provides an opportunity to assign intentional weight and emphasis to uncertain factors based on their potential impact and likelihood. High-impact branches with large uncertainties may get prioritized over more certain but lower-impact areas.
Step 4: Design a Hedging & Learning Plan Part of the work plan development involves designing analyses and techniques to reduce key uncertainties through research, modeling, tests, and experiments. It also involves mapping out contingency plans to hedge against various possible outcomes related to uncertainties that cannot be fully resolved upfront.
Step 5: Test Assumptions & Scenarios As the kernel hypotheses around uncertain factors are pressure-tested through analysis, the team is forced to confront and revisit the validity of assumptions. Results may invalidate certain scenarios envisioned earlier while raising new potential uncertainties to consider.
Step 6: Integrate Uncertainty into the Synthesis When synthesizing the final solution and recommendations, it is imperative to attach confidence intervals, risk factors, and contingency triggers. The team should make clear which aspects of the solution are higher or lower conviction based on remaining uncertainties.
Step 7: Build Feedback Loops in the Execution Plan Dealing with uncertainty is not a one-and-done exercise. The execution plan must include mechanisms for continual monitoring of uncertain factors, course correction if needed, and a feedback loop to refine the solution as new information emerges over time.
By systematically integrating uncertainty at each phase, the McKinsey 7-step methodology imposes a disciplined process around identifying, prioritizing, analyzing, and managing ambiguities. This maximizes the robustness of solutions in our increasingly unpredictable world.
Q: Where does the McKinsey 7-step process come from? A: It was developed by the elite management consulting firm McKinsey & Company as a structured approach for their engagements.
Q: How long does it take to go through all 7 steps? A: The duration varies widely depending on the complexity of the issue and the scope involved. For a major strategic overhaul at a large company, it could take months. For a smaller operational issue, potentially just weeks.
Q: Do you have to follow the steps exactly as laid out? A: No, the 7 steps are simply a general guiding framework. Experienced practitioners will adapt and modify the process as needed for each unique situation.
Q: Is this process only for business problems? A: No, the same core principles can be applied to all kinds of problems outside of business as well, from public policy to personal goal-setting. The fundamentals of structured problem-solving translate widely.
Q: What skills are required to use this process effectively? A: Key abilities include analytical thinking, data synthesis, attention to detail, project management, and communication. Prior consulting experience isn’t necessarily required with the right training.
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2. Do you structure the problem by breaking it down into manageable parts?
3. Do you prioritize issues to focus on the most important aspects?
4. Do you generate a hypothesis before analyzing the problem in depth?
5. Do you rely on data and facts to validate your hypothesis?
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Discover the powerful 7-Step Problem-Solving Process to make better decisions and achieve better outcomes. Master the art of problem-solving in this comprehensive guide. Download the Free PowerPoint and PDF Template.
The 7-Step Problem-Solving Process involves steps that guide you through the problem-solving process. The first step is to define the problem, followed by disaggregating the problem into smaller, more manageable parts. Next, you prioritize the features and create a work plan to address each. Then, you analyze each piece, synthesize the information, and communicate your findings to others.
In this article, we'll explore each step of the 7-Step Problem-Solving Process in detail so you can start mastering this valuable skill. At the end of the blog post, you can download the process's free PowerPoint and PDF templates .
One way to define the problem is to ask the right questions. Questions like "What is the problem?" and "What are the causes of the problem?" can help. Gathering data and information about the issue to assist in the definition process is also essential.
After defining the problem, the next step in the 7-step problem-solving process is to disaggregate the problem into smaller, more manageable parts. Disaggregation helps break down the problem into smaller pieces that can be analyzed individually. This step is crucial in understanding the root cause of the problem and identifying the most effective solutions.
Disaggregation helps in breaking down complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts. It helps understand the relationships between different factors contributing to the problem and identify the most critical factors that must be addressed. By disaggregating the problem, decision-makers can focus on the most vital areas, leading to more effective solutions.
Once the issues have been prioritized, developing a plan of action to address them is essential. This involves identifying the resources required, setting timelines, and assigning responsibilities.
The work plan should include a list of tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities for each team member involved in the problem-solving process. Assigning tasks based on each team member's strengths and expertise ensures the work is completed efficiently and effectively.
Developing a work plan is a critical step in the problem-solving process. It provides a clear roadmap for solving the problem and ensures everyone involved is aligned and working towards the same goal.
Pareto analysis is another method that can be used during the analysis phase. This method involves identifying the 20% of causes responsible for 80% of the problems. By focusing on these critical causes, organizations can make significant improvements.
Once the analysis phase is complete, it is time to synthesize the information gathered to arrive at a solution. During this step, the focus is on identifying the most viable solution that addresses the problem. This involves examining and combining the analysis results for a clear and concise conclusion.
During the synthesis phase, it is vital to remain open-minded and consider all potential solutions. Involving all stakeholders in the decision-making process is essential to ensure everyone's perspectives are considered.
In addition to the report, a presentation explaining the findings is essential. The presentation should be tailored to the audience and highlight the report's key points. Visual aids such as tables, graphs, and charts can make the presentation more engaging.
The 7-step problem-solving process is a powerful tool for helping individuals and organizations make better decisions. By following these steps, individuals can identify the root cause of a problem, prioritize potential solutions, and develop a clear plan of action. This process can be applied to various scenarios, from personal challenges to complex business problems.
By mastering the 7-step problem-solving process, individuals can become more effective decision-makers and problem-solvers. This process can help individuals and organizations save time and resources while improving outcomes. With practice, individuals can develop the skills to apply this process to a wide range of scenarios and make better decisions in all areas of life.
Free powerpoint and pdf template, executive summary: the 7-step problem-solving process.
Mastering this process can improve decision-making and problem-solving capabilities, save time and resources, and improve outcomes in personal and professional contexts.
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A problem well defined is a problem half-solved — charles kettering.
Product Managers excel in problem-solving by employing a strategic mix of analytical thinking, creative ideation, and data-driven insights. They keenly identify and comprehend customer needs, analyze market trends, and craft innovative solutions that enhance products' value and propel business growth. By addressing challenges, optimizing development processes, and aligning products with company objectives, they ensure customer demands are met efficiently and deliver successful outcomes.
Today's businesses want employees who can adapt to new situations rapidly and effectively.
The ideal employee is a master of basic skills such as reading, writing, and numeracy.
The ideal employee is also a master of learning, communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving.
The ideal employee can respond to a problem quickly, correctly, and with little or no supervision.
If you can solve problems, you can write your own ticket for whatever job you want.
Problems can be classified into puzzle problems, well-structured problems, and ill-structured problems.
Simple Problems Many games contain puzzle problems and are not "serious" in nature, nor is there any real-life consequence for failing to solve them.
Well-structured Problems Some problems which are simple and well-defined are called well-structured problems and include a set number of possible solutions - solutions are either 100% right or 100% wrong. An example of a well-structured problem is a typical mathematical (2 + 2 = 4) question. This question has a definitive correct answer.
Ill-structured Problems In contrast to well-structured problems are ill-structured problems. In these cases, problems may have many possible answers because they are complex and poorly defined. The "best" solutions to ill-defined problems depend on the priorities underlying the situation. What is "best" today may not be "best" tomorrow. Ill-structured problems, because they are more difficult to "solve," require the development of higher-order thinking skills and the ability to construct a convincing argument for a particular solution as opposed to all other possible solutions.
They are complex and poorly defined.
They have many possible answers.
They do not have one best answer.
The population of your community is growing. Your water supply will not support many new people.
What do you do?
This is a complex problem. It affects the people, the environment, and the quality of life itself. To arrive at a good solution, you need to use math, science, political science, psychology, and probably more!
This problem actually occurs frequently in areas with a growing population. In one community facing this problem, more than 20 possible solutions were presented to the public. A solution was then chosen upon which the majority of the public agreed. It wasn't the "right" solution because all of the 20 possible solutions had strengths and weaknesses.
The lesson here is that ill-structured problems usually have several workable solutions. Each solution has advantages and disadvantages that depend on who is affected by the solution. The solution chosen is often the one that has the best argument for it.
He realized there are three essential prerequisites for good solutions:
The product must be defined to allow for the development of useful solutions. The potential solution must fit the defined problem space and product scope. The product team must have understood the problem.
Understanding the problem Whether the problem comes from your users or another set of stakeholders, you need to properly understand the problem. The only way to do that is through a combination of research, and empathy. This means gathering both qualitative and quantitative data. Find out how the user/stakeholder feels about the problem, as well as how they behave in response to it.
Communicate “The Why” As a product manager, your most important why is the customer problem that your product is trying to solve. Include your team and other stakeholders in understanding the customer problem and selecting the right goal metric to grow. This way, everyone can contribute, feel ownership, and stay motivated to solve the problem even if the product changes.
First , it helps everyone internalize “the why” so they can make decisions with the same goal in mind.
Second , if people are not aligned on “the why”, they’re more likely to bring up objections if you talk about it constantly.
Keep It Simple When communicating with others, the most critical question that you need to answer is, “Do people understand?” If people don’t understand the why, they won’t be able to execute.
Keep your communication simple, short, and specific. Check to see if people understand your message by asking them to explain it back to you
Make a risk vs reward assessment Once you know what the problem is, you need to lay the groundwork for your plan on how to proceed with solving it. Analyze the potential risks and rewards of the project. So if a stakeholder is asking that a new feature be implemented, work out how much of your team’s work hours, budget, and resources will be needed to complete the project and solve the problem.
Balance this out by seeing how the best-case scenario (eg, you completely solve the problem) will benefit your product in terms of OKRs, and the bottom line.
Define Success Defining the success of a project really boils down to the final part of your risk vs reward assessment. What does the best-case scenario look like?
If the answer isn’t obvious, think about your company’s North Star metrics, or your team’s KPIs. If the project is worthwhile, its goals should align with either, if not both, or these.
I learned to approach every problem from multiple angles. It was the combination of both qualitative and quantitative insights that led us to our proposed solution. Also, a variety of perspectives are critical.
Learning to Ask the Right Questions: Define the Problem Statement
McKinsey’s benchmark is the problem-solving process as practiced by McKinsey. At the most abstract level, McKinsey develops solutions to clients’ strategic problems and, possibly, aids in the implementation of those solutions
Business Need You can’t have problem-solving without a problem or, more broadly, a need on the part of the client. In business, those needs come in several forms: competitive, organizational, financial, and operational.
Analyzing Once your organization has identified the problem, it can begin to seek a solution, whether on its own or with the help of McKinsey (or any other outside agent). McKinsey’s fact-based, hypothesis-driven problem-solving process begins with framing the problem: defining the boundaries of the problem and breaking it down into its component elements to allow the problem-solving team to come up with an initial hypothesis as to the solution. The next step is designing the analysis, determining the analyses that must be done to prove the hypothesis, followed by gathering the data needed for the analyses. Finally comes interpreting the results of those analyses to see whether they prove or disprove the hypothesis and to develop a course of action for the client.
Presenting You may have found a solution, but it has no value until it has been communicated to and accepted by the client. For that to happen, you must structure your presentation so that it communicates your ideas clearly and concisely and generates buy-in for your solution for each individual audience to which you present.
Managing The success of the problem-solving process requires good management at several levels. The problem-solving team must be properly assembled, motivated, and developed. The client must be kept informed, involved, and inspired by both the problem-solving process and the solution. The individual team members (that’s you) must strike a balance between life and career that allows them to meet the expectations of the client and the team while not “burning out.”
Implementation Your organization may have accepted your solution, but it must still implement it. This requires the dedication of sufficient resources within the organization, the timely reaction of the organization to any stumbling blocks that may arise during implementation, and the focus of the organization on completion of the tasks necessary for full implementation. In addition, the organization must institute a process of iteration that leads to continual improvement. That process requires reassessing implementation and rededicating the organization to make additional changes identified during reassessment.
Leadership At the nexus of solution and implementation comes leadership. Those at the helm of your organization must conceive a strategic vision for the organization. They must also provide inspiration for those in the organization who will do the hands-on work of implementation. Finally, they must make the right judgments regarding the delegation of authority in overseeing implementation throughout the organization.
There is one other piece of the model: the tension between intuition and data. Problem-solving doesn’t take place in a vacuum. Even McKinsey has only so many resources to throw at a problem and a limited time in which to solve it. While we are advocates for McKinsey-style fact-based problem solving, we recognize that it’s practically impossible to have all the relevant facts before reaching a decision. Therefore, most executives make business decisions based partly on facts and partly on intuition—gut instinct tempered by experience. We will discuss the pros and cons of each element later in the book. For now, we will simply say that we think a sound decision requires a balance of both.
Solve at the first meeting with a hypothesis, intuition is as important as facts, do your research but don’t reinvent the wheel, tell the story behind the data, start with the conclusion, hit singles, respect your time.
The McKinsey problem-solving process begins with the use of structured frameworks to generate fact-based hypotheses followed by data gathering and analysis to prove or disprove the hypotheses.
Gut feeling at this stage is extremely important because we don’t have many facts yet. However, structure strengthens your thinking and ensures that your ideas will stand up. Typically, the problem-solving process would involve defining the boundaries of the problem and then breaking it down into its component elements.
The concept of MECE (pronounced “mee-see” and an acronym for Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive), is a basic tenet of the McKinsey thought process. Being MECE in the context of problem-solving means separating your problem into distinct, non-overlapping issues while making sure that no issues relevant to your problem have been overlooked. This allows to simplify the problem and plan the work because in most cases, a complex problem can be reduced to a group of smaller, simpler problems that can be solved individually.
The most common tool McKinsey people use to break problems apart is the logic tree .
Having reduced the problem to its essential components, you are ready to embark on the next step which is framing it: forming a hypothesis as to its likely solution. By already knowing where your solution is, you eliminate a lot of paths that lead to dead ends.
Using an initial hypothesis to guide your research and analysis will increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of your decision-making because it provides you and your team with a problem-solving roadmap that will lead you to ask the right questions and perform the correct analysis to get to your answer. A good hypothesis will also save you time by pointing out potential blind alleys much more quickly and allowing you to get back to the main issues if you do go down the wrong path.
Since you should form your hypothesis at the start of the problem-solving process, you have to rely less on facts (you won’t have done most of your fact gathering yet) and more on instinct or intuition. Take what you know about the problem at hand, combine it with your gut feelings on the issue, and think about what the most likely answers are.
Executives make major strategic decisions based as much on gut instinct as on fact-based analysis.
Intuition and data complement each other. You need at least some of each to have a solid basis for your decisions. The key to striking the balance is quality over quantity.
When you form an initial hypothesis, you are “solving the problem at the first meeting.” Unfortunately, although you may think you have the answer, you have to prove it through fact-based analysis.
Your next step is to figure out which analyses you have to perform and which questions you have to ask in order to prove or disprove your hypothesis.
When your time and resources are limited, you don’t have the luxury of being able to examine every single factor in detail. Instead, when planning your analyses, figure out which factors most affect the problem and focus on those. Drill down to the core of the problem instead of picking apart each and every piece. In most situations, achieving a scientific level of exactitude for your management decisions is counterproductive.
That’s why also as one of your first steps in designing your analysis, you should figure out what not to do.
As your next step, you should decide which analyses are quick wins — easy to complete and likely to make a major contribution to proving or refuting the initial hypothesis (80/20 rule).
When doing your research, you don’t want to get as much information as possible, you want to get the most important information as quickly as possible.
With a plan of action for what to research, make sure you don’t reinvent the wheel as you start gathering your data. Whatever problem you’re facing, chances are that someone somewhere has worked on something similar. So your next step here is to look through all possible internal documents and then look externally.
Once you have your analysis finished, you need to interpret it because numbers or data don’t say anything. You have to figure out the story behind it and the message that you want to communicate.
At this stage, first comes the process of understanding the data: piecing together (in your own mind or within your team) the story the data is telling you and the steps you should take based on that story. The second comes assembling your findings into an externally directed end product: a key message that includes a course of action for your organization, ream, or client.
Your interpretation of the data leads to a story, that is, what you think the data means. You select those portions of the story that you believe your audience needs to know in order to understand your conclusion, along with the supporting evidence, and you put them together into your end product as in your presentation.
To succeed here you need to see through your client’s, executive’s or audience’s lenses and speak their language.
The key to successful presentations and getting buy-in (in order for your audience to accept your recommendations) is prewiring.
The reason behind this is because to get the buy-in you need to bridge the information and trust gaps between you and your audience. The information gap exists because you know more about your findings than your audience does. Depending on the relationship between you and your audience, the trust gap (if it exists) could take any of several forms. Your audience may think that you are too inexperienced to comment on their business, or they may mistrust you because you are an outsider, are overeducated, or not educated enough.
In its essence, prewiring means taking your audience through your findings before you give your presentation. This allows for people to trust you, ask questions you may not have thought about to avoid surprises, and then during the presentation say yes and support you among others who may be more skeptical.
Prewire everything. A good business presentation should contain no shocking revelations for the audience. Walk the relevant decision-makers in your organization through your findings before you gather them together for a dog and pony show. At a minimum, you should send out your recommendations via email to request comments from key decision-makers before the presentation if you can’t meet with those people face-to-face.
The earlier you can start the prewiring process, the better. By identifying and getting input from the relevant players early on, you allow them to put their own mark on your solution, which will make them more comfortable with it and give them a stake in the outcome.
When you begin your presentation in front of your desired audience, make sure you start with the conclusion.
Having your conclusions or recommendations upfront is sometimes known as inductive reasoning. Simply put, inductive reasoning takes the form, “We believe X because of reasons A, B, and C.” This contrasts with deductive reasoning, which can run along the lines of, “A is true, B is true, and C is true; therefore, we believe X.” Even in this simplest and most abstract example, it is obvious that inductive reasoning gets to the point a lot more quickly, takes less time to read, and packs a lot more punch.
As an additional advantage, starting with your conclusions allows you to control how far you go into detail in your presentation.
You need to explain this clearly within just 30 seconds. Almost like an elevator pitch. If you can pass this “elevator test,” then you understand what you’re doing well enough to sell your solution.
A successful presentation bridges the gap between you — the presenter — and your audience. It lets them know what you know.
It also keeps it simple for them which is why it’s important to stick to a key rule if you are using a deck: one message per slide or chart. No more. The more complex a chart/slide becomes, the less effective it is at conveying information. The meaning should be immediately obvious to the reader, so use whatever tools you need to bring it out.
If you broke out your initial hypothesis into a MECE set of issues and sub-issues (and suitably modified them according to the results of your analysis), then you have a ready-made outline for your presentation that will support your conclusion.
Remember that you have two ears and only one mouth. It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. Overcommunication is better than under-communication which is why prewiring as mentioned above is so important.
Finally, if you are proposing a certain solution in which you will be involved in the execution, make sure you don’t overpromise because you’re bound to under-deliver. Instead, balance the demands for the solution with your capabilities and those of your team. If more work is necessary, you can always start a second project once the first is done.
When you begin executing on the solution, aim to hit singles.
This is a metaphor from baseball. You can’t do everything, so don’t try. Just do what you’re supposed to do, and get it right. It’s impossible to do everything yourself all the time. If you do manage that feat once, you raise unrealistic expectations from those around you. Then, when you fail to meet those expectations, you’ll have difficulty regaining your credibility.
Getting on base consistently is much better than trying to hit a home run and striking out nine times out of ten.
Do few things well rather than a ton with mediocre execution or results. Stick to targeted focus rather than perfection and drilling into every little piece.
Quality over quantity. And when there’s a lot of work to be done, delegate around your limitations. Know them for what they are and respect them.
Don’t forget that work is like a gas: it expands to fill the time available.
As in the previous point, share the load by delegating and also perform sanity checks on the way to allow you to take a step back and look at the big picture.
You will also have to get others to respect your time. The better you are at your job or the higher up you go in your organization, the more everyone wants a piece of you. There’s an old saying, “Stress is the feeling you get when your gut says, ‘No,’ and your mouth says, ‘Yes, I’d be glad to.’” You have to train your mouth to say, “No.”
Once you make a commitment — “I won’t work on weekends” or “I’ll cook dinner three nights a week” — stick to it, barring life-and-death emergencies. If you seem to be having life-and-death emergencies every week (and you’re not dealing with matters of real life and death, as in a trauma ward), take a hard look at your priorities.
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The McKinsey Way is a book by Ethan M. Rasiel , published in 1999, about what McKinsey&Company does, how McKinsey organizes and what working at McKinsey is like.
20 years after publication, the book still holds significant value, offering timeless insights into the world’s most prestigious management consulting firm: McKinsey&Company. In this article, we’ll provide a detailed summary of all the lessons and insights from The McKinsey way . We’ll re-organize the content and occasionally insert supporting insights to make it more friendly to the reader.
The McKinsey Way has 5 Parts (Sections) with 180 pages:
Part 3: insights into the actual works of consultants, part 4: how to excel as a junior consultant, part 5: exit opportunities and life after mckinsey.
Table of Contents
The McKinsey problem-solving process can be summarized in the 5 steps: define the problems, find the root cause, use “hypothesis-driven” process, analyze with “issue tree” and propose solutions.
1. Define the problem: Every consulting project revolves around a “problem”. But the “problem” is NOT always the problem!
One symptom may have different causes and we as doctors should never rely on the patient to diagnose.
So, always dig deeper. Get facts. Asks questions. Poke around. Challenge the client… until you find the real problem.
2. Find the root cause: Don’t jump straight to the solution, because you might just be fixing the symptoms. The problem will come back if the root cause is not properly dealt with.
3. Use “hypothesis-driven” process: Make educated guesses of possible root-cause A B C and test with data (a.k.a: facts). We’ll sometimes call this a fact-based process.
4. Break down and structure the analysis with the “ issue tree ” framework: A “hypothesis-driven” process may take forever as there are millions of possible root-causes. We need to test hypotheses from the top to the bottom of the issue tree – a top-down fashion. These issue trees need to be MECE.
5. Propose solutions: When the root causes are identified, consultants propose solutions targeting them directly.
No.1: Don’t force the facts to say what you want.
When you propose or work extensively with a running hypothesis , it’s easy to get emotionally attached and turn the problem-solving process into a proving exercise. So keep an open mind and listen to what the data have to say.
No.2: Let the hypothesis come to you naturally.
You will not be able to form an initial hypothesis every time. The clients may not even know their problems. The scope of the project is often large and vague. So, dive in, gather facts, conduct analyses, and the hypotheses will show themselves.
No.3: Don’t reinvent the wheel.
Business problems often resemble each other more than they differ. With suitable techniques, you can apply what you and the firm learned from other projects. After all, one of the values consulting firms bring is to provide the “best practice” – what the top players in the game are doing
No.4: Make sure your solution fits your client.
The most brilliant solution is useless without proper implementation. So know your client’s weaknesses, strengths, and capabilities and tailor your solutions accordingly.
No.5: Be mindful of politics.
There are always politics in projects. Many times, McKinsey gets involved in fights between corporate factions. This creates friction that prevents you from doing your job (late data; rejected interviews, etc.).
So think about how your solutions affect the players in an organization and always build a consensus along the way. If consensus requires you to change your solution, try to compromise. It’s no good devising the ideal solution if the client refuses to accept it.
It’s highly recommended that you refer to the following video for a general view on how McKinsey organizes and a better understanding of the insights from this part.
There is a whole system behind how McKinsey solve a business problem. In this part of The McKinsey Way, Ethan Rasiel describes how the company sells their projects, builds a team and manages its hierarchy.
McKinsey typically does not sell. The firm does marketing through a constant stream of books, articles, and scholarly journals like the McKinsey Quarterly, etc. The Firm also invites organize press releases and generates quite some coverage by journalists.
These publications help McKinsey Partners build and nurture a vast network of informal contacts with potential clients. And when a problem arises, the client knows who to contact.
Almost all projects need a full-time team of consultants. Typically, the process goes like this:
It’s solely the EM’s responsibility to keep the team happy and functional. McKinsey projects have a few common practices to do so:
The chain of command in McKinsey is very clear and strict. So is the responsibility funnel. In the ED’s eyes, the EM is responsible for everything in the project. In the EM eyes, the BA is responsible for everything within the assigned workstream. Even when a BA messes things up, to the ED, it’s not the BA’s fault, but the EM.
To provide the best solution for the clients, consultants need tons of skills in preparing presentations; conducting researchs and interviews; presenting the final products in a simple structure; communicating with clients; and brainstorming.
Most consultants spend a big portion of their time making presentations (often in PowerPoint). Utilize the support team! Keep it structured, from top to bottom, from end to end.
Note that there are diminishing marginal returns to your effort, meaning that the last miles toward perfection are always much harder than the beginning. So, resist the temptation to tweak your presentation at the last minute. Try to assess its gains vs those of a good night’s sleep for you and the supporting cast.
We subconsciously admire the people who talk in sophisticated language, so we make complex charts. However, simple and easy-to-follow charts go a long way in consulting. Charts are just a means of getting your messages across, not a Ph.D. project.
Also, don’t forget to:
This is a big one as the true hierarchy at McKinsey is “Client -> Firm -> and then You”. The client is your biggest boss.
There are many tips on client management, but the general principle is to bring the client to your side. You never win by opposing the client. Remind them about mutual benefits. Do it everyday!
Some of the client members can be “liabilities”. There are 2 types of them:
With both types, the number 1 option is to subtly trade them out of your realm. When that is not possible, the next best option is to play ignorant. Leak out information only with the right “secret audience”.
No matter what, engage the client members in the process. The more they feel everybody is on the same boat, the more they would support you.
You should also get buy-ins throughout the organization along the process. Every important party has to agree with you. Ideally, the final document has already been discussed many times through many rounds with the client before the official presentation.
Don’t reinvent the wheel! Whatever you are doing, chances are that someone, somewhere has done something similar. Building upon someone’s work is the best way to save time and energy while achieving the highest standard.
Besides, here are some research tips:
This is one of the most effective ways to gather qualitative facts during a project. You will find yourself interviewing multiple industry and function experts as well as key client leaders.
Here are a few tips:
In McKinsey, we often use the word “Problem-Solving” interchangeably with brainstorming sessions. It’s a very topic-focus meeting within the McKinsey team, consisting of the consultant in-charge, the EM, and sometimes even the ED and experts.
Before the session, prepare in advance as much supporting data as possible. It will come handy in the process.Inside the White room: Start with tabula rasa — a clean slate. When you get your team into the room, leave your preconceptions at the door. Bring in only the facts, and find new ways of looking at them.
Management consulting is an interesting yet challenging job. To survive and thrive at McKinsey, here are some advices for you:
At McKinsey, every consultant is officially assigned a mentor, who may not be in the same office. How much you benefit from the official mentor is pretty much a matter of luck. If you want great guidance, you have to go out and get your own. Get a few too, don’t stick to just one.
Business travel can be exhausting and difficult, here are some note you can take to deal with it:
Here is the list:
Having a good assistant is a lifeline. Treat them well. Be clear about what you want. Give them room to grow. Take time to train them well. Answering their questions and showing them the ropes.
Since you have a large amount of work to cover as a consultant, there is almost no work-life balance. However, if you want a life, lay down some rules. For example:
80% of the wealth is owned by just 20% of the population. 80% of the output can be produced by 20% of the effort. 20% of the problems can cause 80% of the trouble.
So if you wanna save time and effort. Always try to find those 20% and act upon them!
If you don’t take shortcuts, there is simply too much to do. Be selective. Find the key drivers. Focus on the core problem, then apply analysis. This helps avoid going down blind alleys and boiling the ocean.
Concise communication is crucial in consulting. Anytime the EM asks you for your workstream status, you have to be able to give him a 30 seconds summary. Short yet insightful. This skill takes practice. Try doing it every day in various contexts!
Solving only part of the problem can still mean increased profits. Those little wins help you and your customers. Try to see such opportunities and grab them first.
Get your job and only your job done, don’t try to do the work of the whole team.
It’s impossible to do everything yourself all the time. Even if you manage to pull it off once, you raise unrealistic expectations and once you fail, it is difficult to get back credibility.
When you are feeling swamped, take a step back, figure out what you are trying to achieve, and then look at what you are doing. “Does this really matter?”
Probably not! All of these troubles will go away!
The firm pounds the concept of professional integrity: Honesty. If you don’t know something, just say “I DON’T KNOW” in an empowering fashion. Admitting that is a lot less costly than bluffing.
“Leaving McKinsey is never a question of whether—it’s a question of when”
There are not many people who stay with McKinsey for their whole career life. In the last part of The McKinsey Way , Ethan Rasiel and other ex-McKinsey consultants share their valuable lessons and memories from working at the company.
Among MBB firms, people tend to say McKinsey is slightly better than the other two in three factors: prestige, people, practices, and offices
At McKinsey, the salary for entry-level consultants ranges from $90,000 to $110,000/year, while the figure for experienced Associates can go up to $233,000
McKinsey hiring process including 3 phases: resume screening, PST test, and case interview. Each candidate will have to undergo 4-6 interviews during 4-8 weeks
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A modified robust homotopic method for the low-thrust fuel-optimal orbital control problem.
2. statement of the problem with quadratic penalty smoothing technique and normalization technique, 3. optimal energy problem, 4. maximum thrust to initial mass ratio c t m, 5. iteration strategy in homotopic procedure, 5.1. iteration step size d ε, 5.2. distinction of sub-optimal solutions, 5.3. threshold θ f u e l for the fuel-optimal problem, 6. settings of programming algorithms, 6.1. integrator for orbital propagation, 6.2. settings of the shooting function solver, 7. numerical example and discussion, 8. conclusions, author contributions, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.
Click here to enlarge figure
PSO | |||||||||
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20 | 1000 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.001 |
1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | |
0.1 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.001 | 0.0005 | |
Parameter | Value |
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Parameter | Value | Units |
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Initial date | 7 October 2005 0:0:0 | Coordinate time |
Flight time | 1000.0 | Day |
Initial position | AU | |
Initial velocity | AU/TU | |
Final position | AU | |
Final velocity | AU/TU | |
3800 | s | |
0.22 | N/kg |
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Huang, Y.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, X. A Modified Robust Homotopic Method for the Low-Thrust Fuel-Optimal Orbital Control Problem. Aerospace 2024 , 11 , 766. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090766
Huang Y, Zhang L, Zhang X. A Modified Robust Homotopic Method for the Low-Thrust Fuel-Optimal Orbital Control Problem. Aerospace . 2024; 11(9):766. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090766
Huang, Yuyang, Lifei Zhang, and Xianjian Zhang. 2024. "A Modified Robust Homotopic Method for the Low-Thrust Fuel-Optimal Orbital Control Problem" Aerospace 11, no. 9: 766. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090766
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This study focuses on improving the application of the quadratic penalty smoothing technique for solving the fuel-optimal problem of low-thrust trajectory. Some practical techniques, including the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO), the co-state normalization technique, and the single shooting method, are employed. These approaches can enhance convergence to the globally optimal solution.
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