Dont reinvent the wheel every client is unique no cookie cutter solutions dont make the facts fit your solution make sure your solution fits your client sometimes let the solution come to you. Succeeding as a management consultant learn the skills used by the leading firms. The mckinsey way key takeaway from this book is, there should be structure in your thinking, analysis and communication for effective problem solving. Strategic analysis through the general electricmckinsey. Issue trees start with the problem statement and break it down into its component parts issues and subissues. Analyzing organizational structure based on 7s model of. We will go into both these components in detail and then relate this to the dynamics of an organization mindset. Jan 30, 20 mece stands for mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive and is one of the hallmarks of problem solving at mckinsey the mckinsey way by ethan m.
Simon carne, especially for his help with the section on mece. A common type of cases in which a mece issue tree is used is profitability. If you are categorizing data, the mece principle dictates that the categories should be mutually exclusive. Management consulting case prep to effectively prepare for mckinsey pst and case interviews with exclusive selfstudy guides. Many wellknown frameworks, such as costbenefit, 4cs, porters five forces are all designed with the mece principle in mind. Pdf the application of mckinsey matrix in determination of. Minto pyramid principle, a powerful communication tool. Jun 04, 2010 mece is widely used by management consultants.
It stands for mutually exclusive, comprehensively exhaustive. Minto pyramid principle, also referred to as the mckinseys pyramid principle, is a tool used to process and structure large amounts of information to convey a story, message or presentation without omitting important details. The concept of mece pronounced meesee and an acronym for mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive, is a basic tenet of the mckinsey thought process. The pyramid principle was created by barbara minto the first female postmba hire at mckinsey in the 1970s. You will learn what it is, how it is different from a regular job interview, who uses them, why they are used, the types of case interview formats and the. Cost based you actually check what are the costs and apply standard industry target markup. If you follow it, youll find yourself creating logically organized, independent buckets of analysis that cover the complete set of subanalyses and considerations.
Mckinsey used a method called the pyramid principal. Mece is a principle used by management consulting firms to describe a way of organizing information. Working at mckinsey or for a mckinsey boss often requires dealing with large amounts of information. I learned an enormous amount in that time, but scarcely enough for me to explain to the world the skills that mckinsey ites use to succeed. Understanding and implementing the problemsolving tools and management techniques of the. Mece thinking is popular with strategy consultancies see, for instance, davis paper, referenced below, for its use at mckinsey. I based this book on my own experience as a mckinsey associ ate from 1989 to 1992. Susan miller, director, english language and international programsuniversity of california extension, santa cruz. What is an example of mece in a management consulting problem.
Mckinsey itself provides a most lucid definition of the gemckinsey matrix. The book is over 200 pages long, but what you really need to know. Mckinsey pst 101 the perfect study plan to prepare for the problem solving test duration. Mece stands for mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive and is one of the hallmarks of problem solving at mckinsey the mckinsey way by ethan m. Mece is a sine qua non of the problemsolving process at mckinsey. Problemsolving and decisionmaking this report is solely for the use of client personnel. We should be able to form an initial hypothesis in first sight. I invented it, so i get to say how to pronounce it. How to build presentations for consulting the art of powerpoint communication. Mece problem solving frameworks are mutually exclusive no overlap and. Mece the mece framework helps you to break problems down into distinct categories, making it easier to assess both the problem and the proposed solutions. The ppt presentations of the big three consultancies all abide to the same principle the pyramid principle source. Mece, pronounced mee see, is a concept commonly used in top consulting firms such as mckinsey, bcg or bain.
The best eds can balance the competing demands of client and team to a nicety. The mckinsey engagement summary hypothesis nonverbal. The mckinsey matrix has also been considered in the study of determination of route attractiveness and resource allocation in kenya airways as a basis for resource allocation mokaya et al. The mece principle suggests that to understand and fix any large problem, you need to understand your options by sorting them into categories that are. Classic strategy tools mckinseys mece framework june 3, 2015 0 comments in classics, analysis methods by josh cole a few weeks ago the mece framework was mentioned very briefly in the really interesting discussion we had with matt mcdonald. Classic strategy tools mckinseys mece framework eloquens. Mece pronounced me see is principle often used by management consulting firms such as mckinsey to describe a way of organizing. When christie is not consulting, mentoring, speaking, or writing, you can find her reading business books. Here is a more conceptual example, though not focused on a consulting problem. Mece a guide to the mece principle with applied examples. As an organization, mckinsey is extremely good at figuring out how much a team can do over the length of a typical study. Mece stands for mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. Lets apply the mece principle to quora company as an example. Business consulting like that by groups like mckinsey is largely based on smart use of tools such as logic trees and mece.
I m writing from the mckinsey perspective, i use client to mean the organization. As we pointed out earlier, the mckinsey 7s framework is often used when organizational design and effectiveness are at question. This is a seminal concept in executive communication, and has spread like a virus from mckinsey to every other consulting firm worth its salt, including of course bain and bcg. The pyramid principle is an approach popularized by barbara minto and essential to the structured problem solving approach i learned at mckinsey. Case interview mece framework shapes how consultants in the mbb approach their clients problems and figure out an effective and comprehensive solution. The dynamic version suggests that the relationships among structure, conduct, and performance are not unidirectional. Jun 03, 2015 classic strategy tools mckinseys mece framework june 3, 2015 0 comments in classics, analysis methods by josh cole a few weeks ago the mece framework was mentioned very briefly in the really interesting discussion we had with matt mcdonald. Shared values are at the core of mckinsey 7s model. Mece framework mckinsey mece, pronounced me see, an acronym for mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, is a popular mantra at mckinsey. Oct 21, 2012 mece is a thought tool that has been systematically used in mckinsey. Her first manual, skillful writing through structured thinking, was soon coveted by.
This and archived issues of mckinsey on finance are available online. An analysis of mece by tim van gelder of the university of melbourne. The mckinsey way book where the method and its application at mckinsey is described in detail. New ceos face enormous challenges as they start assembling a management team and setting a strategic direction in todays volatile environment. Too many online resources present frameworks as the only way to go ahead. Mece stands for mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive and is the consulting way of representing complex information in an easy way. The principle of the mckinsey pyramid is to cut to the chase in written texts or presentations. Yes it is a peek into the minds of two mckinsey ites but what i loved about it was being able to pick up a couple of different tools and approaches that i could integrate. In this article, we introduce the ge mckinsey matrix and explain with an example how to make, plot and use it.
What are all the ways that quora could generate money. Cost base value based competitor based pricing strategy. The playbook of how to become a great worldclass business consultant, the mece muse is the 2018 winner of the international book award in business careers and 2017 winner of the uk wishing shelf independent book award. Sometimes similar problems have occurred and provide a good guideline for problem solving. Mece framework, analysis, synthesis and organization.
Mckinsey interviewers along with other firms will especially look whether you are able to structure information in a mece format. To provide some guidance for transitioning ceos, we looked at the experiences of exceptional ceos, those defined as the very top performers in our data. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Mckinsey consultants use mece frameworks all the time. The mckinsey 7s framework ensuring that all parts of your organization work in harmony how do you go about analyzing how well your organization is positioned to achieve its intended objective. Minto pyramid principle the basics of mckinsey problem. The mckinsey engagement summary free download as powerpoint presentation. They are the norms and standards that guide employee behavior and company actions and thus, are the foundation of every organization. Understanding and implementing the problem solving tools and management techniques of the. Mece is a simple, powerful problem structuring framework. Group the ideas in a mece structure, and order the ideas in each group logically. There is a strong preference for organizing that data in a manner that is mece. Mece and 8020 are explained in detail in this chapter, which outlines how a real mckinsey engagement team would go through the process of building their analyses framework on a consulting engagement. Mutually exclusive items can only fit into one category at a time and collectively exhaustive all items can fit into one of the categories.
If you manage to get a position at mckinsey, or at any other mbb for that matter, you are likely to have to handle huge amounts of data. Mckinsey center for us health system reform, mckinsey mpact model 1defined as the population eligible to purchase a qualified health plan qhp. This publication offers readers insights into valuecreating strategies and the translation of those strategies into company performance. After being hired at mckinsey, she noticed that people around her struggled to write clearly and simply. The mckinsey global institute mgi, the business and economics research arm of mckinsey company, was established in 1990 to develop a deeper. The mece principle, pronounced mesee, is a grouping principle for separating a set of items into subsets that are mutually exclusive me and collectively exhaustive ce. You can use the mece framework to help you think clearly about a business problem. Mckinsey consultants employ a range of standard methodologies and techniquessuch as the mece principle of organizing information into subsets that are mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive and the 8020 rule, which suggests that 80 percent of a companys sales will come from 20 percent of its clients. The mckinsey way a strong primer on problem solving. This is a question that has been asked for many years, and there are. Mece frameworks are clear, thorough, logical, and efficient things firms and clients. However, some trees are also created left to write, but the principle remains the same.
Your mckinsey boss might also ask you to be more mece in your problem solving approach. Understanding and implementing the problemsolving tools and management techniques of the worlds top strategic consulting firm. Mece, pronounced as mesee, stands for mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive it is the hallmark of problem solving used at mckinsey and company mece provides structure to logical thinking and aids in solving various business problems mece provides a framework to communicate the. A really great tool to use as an analytical framework for problem solving and decision making. Mece stands for mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive 1.
Candidates must realize that about 50% of all mckinsey cases cannot be solved using a framework. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the mece muse. Mintos book also gives us the mece rule and the publications contents have become ubiquitous in consulting and are often being repackaged for audiences in other areas. Great summary for anyone in need of business case study help. Ge mckinsey ninebox matrix is a strategy tool that offers a systematic approach for the multibusiness corporation to prioritize its investments among its business units. I found the mckinsey mind a much more grounded and practical book than i expected. Value based pricing can be done in 2 ways for existing products you compare the value proposition and features of your product vs.
Be mecemutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. Go ahead and watch kevin coyne, the exmckinsey strategy leader do cases in this format in season 2 of the consulting offer throwing frameworks at him just does not work. Mckinsey 7s the mckinsey 7s framework is a good tool to help you find and fix internal organizational problems. Jul 02, 2010 to do so, you must organize these answers in a way that is mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive sometimes written as mutually exclusive and completely exhaustiveor mece pronounced mee see. Also here is an early academic article on the topics.
In fact it seems to have acquired the status of holy writ. In todays post we will explain the steps to build hypotheses in a more effective, methodical and, for a lack of a better word, a more mece mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive way when we do cases with candidates, even our own clients, what always surprises us is how messy their hypotheses can be. Mckinsey has quite a reputation as a consultancy company, and i had hoped to be impressed by perhaps a great new insight or some extensive examples. The goal of this study is to describe this tool and present an application of it to the fashion industry so as to offer the marketing managers in. The ge mckinsey ninebox matrix is a strategy tool that offers a systematic approach for the multibusiness corporation. To do so, you must organize these answers in a way that is mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive sometimes written as mutually exclusive and completely exhaustiveor mece pronounced mee see.
In this short tutorial we teach you 3 simple secrets to make your own frameworks mece in case interviews. Having spent six years as a management consultant, i found myself. If you would like information about this content we will be happy to work with you. Understanding and implementing the problemsolving tools and management techniques of the worlds top strategic consulting firm ethan rasiel, paul n. I learned an enormous amount in that time, but scarcely enough for me to explain to the world the skills that mckinseyites use to succeed. Pyramid principle in consulting interviews myconsultingcoach. The pyramid principle is a famous book by barbara minto on the mckinsey method for effective communication. Jan 18, 2011 mece mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive is the way we should look at problems.
This ninebox matrix plots the business units on its nine cells that indicate whether the company should. If you are just starting out on your case interview journey this is the first thing you should read. If you are categorizing data, the meceprinciple dictates that the categories should be mutually exclusive. Thanks essay writing tips on the most burning problems. It is almost impossible to argue against any of this unless you are willing to commit accounting fraud. Meceis a sine qua non of the problemsolving process at mckinsey. The mckinsey way a strong primer on problem solving posted on may 29, 2012 by david shedd way back in 1999, ethan m. The expertise mckinsey gained over the years was put into optimal use through knowledge management km.
We strive to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to our website. For more information on mece, get a copy of the mckinsey mind by ethan m. The scp framework in the 1980s, mckinsey suggested an extension that added a dynamic element to a static framework. Managing knowledge effectively is of prime importance especially for consultancies like mckinsey, which depended heavily on knowledge for their existence and growth.
Mckinseys knowledge management practices the case centre. They are favored at mckinsey because they 1 break problems down into manageable parts, 2 enable solving the larger problem by solving the component parts, 3 align the team on the nature of the problem and how to solve it, and 4 provide insight into missing elements. Barbara mintos book the pyramid principle covering the subject. Using the techniques of the worlds top strategic consultants to help you and your business. What are the most appropriate frameworks for pricing cases. Mece gets pounded into every new associates head from the moment of entering the firm. Mckinseys approach to problemsolving the problem is not always the problem create structure through m. Very beautifully gives layman a glimpse of consulting.
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