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Case structure builder

Start from the decision metric. Add branches you can size. Five templates. Not a leaked framework packet.

How to structure it

  1. Decision metric. Profit, NPV, go/no-go. The tree hangs off that, not off a framework name.
  2. Two levels. Each leaf must be sizeable — a number could sit on it. Grade MECE flags thin trees and “and” buckets.
  3. First branch. Say which leaf you will test and why. That is the hypothesis.
BrightTrail, out loud
“Profit is revenue minus cost. Revenue I’ll split price, volume, mix — trade spend sits in price. Cost is variable versus opex. I’d start on realized price, because the founder already named trade spend.”

Usual miss. Reciting the 3Cs. If a number cannot hang on the branch, it is not a branch yet.

Say it as a decision: metric, time horizon, constraint. Then the tree hangs off that sentence.

Restore operating profit in 12 months. First branch to size: Revenue (price × volume × mix)

Compare your tree to a worked one in the issue tree examples, then run a timed structure drill.

FAQ

Is this an official MBB framework?

No. Five common trees: profitability, growth, market entry, M&A, operations. Interviewers grade whether the branches hang off the decision, not the template name.

What does Grade MECE actually check?

Thin trees, “and” buckets, and leftover words like etc. It does not replace a human. Circle the first branch you can put a number on.

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