Question:

Really enjoying your materials. 2 questions:

1) Related to [my post on How to Structure a Case Interview ]. On the answer in your website you try to come up with frameworks that are MECE. I am having trouble understanding why the “old/new products and old/new customers” segmentation is MECE but the “old/new products & old/new customers & old/new distribution channels” is not. Doesn’t the first framework miss part of the solution (which is distribution channels)?

2) I bought your book. I’ve also been watching your videos. In what ways would your book usefully complement what I am first seeing in the videos? I ask because I don’t want to keep rereading the same stuff.

Thanks!

My Reply:

1) For the less MECE example, if you were to attempt to grow revenues, which of the 3 categories would one categorize introducing a new product? It could logically be included in the product, customer or channel categories. This occurs because the categorization structure is overlapping, this is not mutually exclusive. In the former example, if you are in one cell, you can’t be in another cell.

2) The book is more current. I’d recommend reading it through as it’s good review for areas you’re already familiar.

If you’re in a rush, the key differences are on issue trees, hypotheses, and non interviewer-led case formats which aren’t covered in the videos.