CBS$Case$Club$Toolbox for$Case$Solving

Special(edition(for(CBS(Case(Competition(OPEN

Created'in'collaboration'with'
Table$of$contents$

03 CBS$Case$Club
04$ CBS$Case$Competition$OPEN
05 How$to$set$your$team$and$manage$your$time
16 Problem$Solving$Methodology
11 Structured$and$Effective$Communication
14 Fundamentals$of$Slide$Production
16 Presentation$Techniques
17 A$few$tips$on$productive$team$work
18 Seven$guiding$principles$on$how$to$win$a$case$competition

The(case(competition(environment(at(CBS(

There are plenty of opportunities to compete in case competitions at CBS. However, there are few
opportunities to learn how to actually become good at case competitions. This is one of the reasons
why CBS Case Club was founded. In this toolbox, we give you a taste of what we have to offer.

Case(Competition(training( Case(Competitions

CBS(

Student(organizations
+$2S3$competitions

Companies
+$30$competitions

2
CBS$Case$Club

The(official(CBS(Case(Club

The purpose of the club is to educate and train students at Copenhagen Business School in case
solving with the overarching goal of elevating the general case solving level at CBS. CBS Case Club
offers a place for students to meet and learn from like minded case solvers as well as share knowledge
and find peers to form teams for case competitions.

The club facilitates an Academy training program each semester, where students learn about all the
essential parts of case solving together with the leading management consulting company, BCG.

CBS Case Club is run by current and previous CBS students with case solving experience CBS
International Case Teams.

Official Case Academy partner

Apply(for(our(Academy(training(program

The Case Academy is a training program within the various disciplines of case solving, which is offered
to a selected number of motivated and ambitious students over the course of a semester. Executed
through a series of workshops, the program is tailored to provide students – having no or minor
experience – with the basic tools to excel in case competitions. The workshops, entailing both
theoretical content and practical exercises, will be conducted in cooperation with BCG – and will
elevate your case solving and presentation skills to the next level.

1 3 5 7
Q&A(&(Case(
Structured( Midway(Case( PowerPoint(
Competition(
Problem(Solving Competition skills
at(BCG
22th$ of$February 15th of$March 29 of$March
th
19S20th of$April

February March April

2 4 6
Finding(the( Structured( Presentation(
Right(Solution Communication Techniques
08th of$March 22th of$March 5th of$April

Read(more(and(apply(at:(cbscaseclub.dk/academy
Deadline:(15th of(February
3
CBS$Case$Competition$OPEN
Input'from'CBS'Case'
Competition'OPEN

What(is(CBS(Case(Competition(OPEN?

CBS Case Competition OPEN is a chance to explore your potential by competing against teams of 4
students from universities across Europe, with the first evaluation based upon powerSpoint solutions of
15 slides to a realSlife company case that are uploaded remotely. After all the teams are assessed, a
select few are chosen to take part in semiSfinals on the Friday of week 9 with the potential final
occurring later in the day!

Timeline(for(CBS(Case(Competition(OPEN

How(does(the(toolbox(relate(to(CBS(Case(Competition(OPEN?

The toolbox may seem like a lot at first but don’t panic! CBS Case Competition OPEN is only 15 slides
long compared to the 30S50 slides that this toolbox is designed for. What’s really important to note is
that the principles included throughout the toolbox are exactly the same for CBS Case Competition
OPEN and any traditional case competition.

The main basic tips in producing the slide content for CBS Case Competition OPEN are the following:
• In the first round, you won’t get to present your slides, so it’s very important to make sure that your
points are detailed enough and clear to the evaluators
• Increase the information per slide
• Prioritize your content and leave out any unnecessary information
• Research previous handSins found below

Get inspiration for PowerPoints, caseScracking and presentation techniques on the CBS Case
Competition website:

OPEN$ PowerPoint$ CCC$Case

Presentations Examples Library
https://www.youtube.com/ casecompetition.com/cas casecompetition.com/cas
watch?v=DZVZM0Oqhms eSlibrary/winnerSslides eSlibrary

4
How$to$set$your$team$and$
manage$your$time

Setting(your(team
It helps the productivity of the team to give each team member an area of responsibility. We have
outlined the roles that a team typically has below. In addition to these, it is advisable to have a
slidemaster and a time manager. The slidemaster is responsible for the team’s PowerPoint template and
for fixing and aligning the slide deck in the final hours of case cracking. This is typically the person most
comfortable with slide building and PowerPoint. The time manager has an overview of what everybody is
doing and makes sure that the team in on track with its schedule at all times.

Solution Marketing
• Focus$on$solution$slides,$ • Focus$on$the$marketing$
especially$the$strategy$ aspect$of$the$solution
umbrella$that$outlines$the$
solution

Insights Financials(
• Focus$area$is$find$key$ • Responsible$for$finding$
insights$ financial$impact$of$solution
• Usually$conducts$ • Usually$also$takes$key$risks$
quantitative$analyses$ and$implementation

Managing(your(time
In this case competition, you have 24 hours S make sure that every hour counts. While a rigid and
inflexible plan is not recommended, it is however recommended that broad lines for the 24 hours are
established. Based on our experience, we consider the following setup as a comprehensive framework
for managing the time using the backward case cracking approach*, but you should employ the approach
that you find the most optimal. The concepts described below will be elaborated throughout the toolbox.

Read$the$case
Build$your$slide$deck.$This$is$the$core$of$the$process,$
and$it$is$important$that$delegation$of$work$is$
Brainstorm$ Create$the$ Create$the$
combined$with$regular$checkSins$to$ensure$that$
solutions** DotSDash storyboard
everyone$are$aligned.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Do$the$SCQ$first$ Narrow$down$ Rehearse,$proofS

individually$and$ and$settle$on$ read/align$slides$and$
then$as$a$team solution** build$backSup$slides

*$Concept$is$introduced$on$page$10.
**$Note$that$the$“Disney$Dreamer”$method$on$p.$9$covers$these$two$stages 5
Problem$Solving$Methodology

SCQA

The SCQA is frequently used tool for case competitions. It works well both as a tool to understand the
context, challenges and key question of the case, but also as a communication tool to make a good
executive summary. We recommend that the team does the SCQA right after reading the case. A good
tip is to first do it individually and then as a group to ensure independent thinking and maximize
chances of getting it right. Make sure that you have a short and crisp SCQ that you are completely
aligned on before moving on the finding the right answer.

Situation)– Set'the'scene
1
Must'be'indisputable'&'relevant'to'create'buyBin'among'judges

Complication)– Describe'the'problem
2
Must'be'biggest'tension'in'your'storyline

Question – Make'it'clear'what'you'solve
3
Must'arise'logically'from'complication'&'be'SMART*

Answer – Present'your'recommendation'
4
Must'release'tension'from'complication'and'arise'logically'from'question

The importance of the SCQA cannot be overstated: having the right understanding of the company and
solving the right problem is a must in order to win a case competition.

Example(of(SCQA
• We$possess$a$number$strongholds$today$which$have$been$the$backbone$of$our$
performance,$namely Situation
–…
• However,$lately$performance$has$been$declining$…$due$to
Complication
–…
– …,$having$resulted$in$unsatisfactory$sales$and$profit$performance,$as$well$as$…

• Therefore,$the$key question we have$to$answer is…$ Question

Focus(on(XYZ(will(be(essential(to(our(future(success
• Several$possible$directions$have$been$considered$and$matched$with$current$
business$strengths
Recommen
–…
dation
• Given$our$current$business$strengths,$our$future$goal$should$be
–…
• We$will,$therefore,$build$up$our$business$model$around$…

*$See$SMART$$explanation$on$page$15

6
Problem$Solving$Methodology
How'Consultants'
work
Hypothesis_driven(problem(solving(
The most fundamental skill of any problem solver is hypothesisSbased thinking. Structuring analyses in
this way ensures efficiency and focus because only relevant data is being analyzed. A crucial part of
the hypothesisSbased methodology is to ensure that the formed hypothesis is falsifiable. When a
falsifiable hypothesis is formed, one should construct a framework that enables testing of the
hypothesis and collect the data required to do so.

Data$required$$
to$test$the$
hypothesis

Confirm Conclusion

Case$ Initial$
Analysis
question hypothesis

New$
Falsify
hypothesis

Relevant$
framework$to$test$
the$hypothesis

Example:
Confirm(/( New(
Question( Hypothesis( Analysis( falsify( hypothesis(

How$can$the$ Increasing$ Scale$ Hypothesis$ New$

client$cut$ scale$by$1%$ benchmark$ falsified.$ hypothesis:$
procurement$ will$reduce$ of$main$ Regression$ Sourcing$in$
expenses$by$ price$per$ competitors.$ shows$that$ emerging$
10%? item$bought$ Required$ scale$does$ markets$will$
by$1.5% data:$Price$ not$affect$ reduce$
per$bought$ price$per$ procurement$
item$and$ item expenses
volume$for$all$
competitors

7
Problem$Solving$Methodology
How'Consultants'
work
The(MECE(issue(tree(
Issue trees are used to break down complex problems into more manageable subSissues. While the
previous section explained the process of hypothesis testing, the MECE framework helps identify the
relevant hypotheses. MECE is an acronym for "Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive" and is a
way of organizing information – often in the context of issue trees. If the issue tree is done in a "MECE"
way, all subSissues collectively exhaust the solution space (all possible solutions) and the subSissues
are mutually exclusive (no subSissues are overlapping). A MECE issue tree ensures that no possible
solution is missing and that work streams can be distributed among the case team members without
any duplication of the work.

Example:
Selected(
Question( MECE(issue(tree( hypotheses(

By$putting$pressure$
on$government$in$
How$to$reduce$supply$in$
growing$countries,$
growing$countries?
drug$problems$can$
be$reduced
How$to$reduce$$ How$to$stop$drugs$in$
supply$for$drugs transit?
By$increasing$the$
How$to$ punishment$for$
How$to$stop$distribution$in$
reduce$ distributing$drugs,$
user$countries?
the$ problems$can$be$
quantity$ reduced
of$drug$ How$to$help$users$
use? recognize$the$real$costs?
By$increasing$the$
How$to$reduce$
How$to$punish$users$ punishment$for$using$
demand$for$
more? drugs,$problems$can$
drugs?
be$reduced
How$to$reduce$perceived$
How$can$drug$ benefits$of$users?
problems$be$
reduced?
How$to$improve$antiS
How$to$help$ addiction$treatments?
users$recover$
By$handing$out$clean$
from$drugs? How$to$improve$ needles,$drug$
rehabilitation$? problems$can$be$
reduced
How$to$ How$to$make$drugs$
reduce$ healthier$and$safer?
the$ How$to$reduce$
By$developing$a$
impact$ the$dangers?
How$to$encourage$switch$ new,$healthier$drug,$
of$drug$
to$less$harmful$drugs? drug$problems$can$
use?
be$reduced

How$to$make$
How$to$reduce$ precautionary$actions?
sideSeffect$(e.g.$
gangs,$crime)? How$to$help$drugSusers$
back$from$sideSeffects? 8
Problem$Solving$Methodology

Idea(generation
We have experienced that most teams are having issues with switching into a highly creative mode to
come up with a good idea when they under time pressure. We have identified three common pitfalls
when teams try to brainstorm: 1) You try to think of the good idea directly 2) You hold back ideas that
could inspire your colleagues 3) You shut down your colleagues creativity by being realistic and critical
to early in the process. Shortly, we will present you with a simple method that allows you to avoid these
issues. Furthermore, we have also seen that a lot of teams struggle with deciding on a solution and
therefore spends an too much time in the brainstorming phase. The way to overcome this is to have a
process that the group has jointly decided on and which it trusts to give a “good enough” idea. Here it is
important to remember that there is no perfect solution. In the end, the winner will the team that
presents the most wellSargued and compelling solution to the judges. Thus, the idea is just one
parameter of your solution and it is only as strong as your argumentation and story.

The method that we recommend to incorporate in your process is called ”The Disney Dreamer”. It
consists of three phases that your team go through. First we have the dreamer phase where you write
up all your ideas up a blackboard – everything is good enough, so not criticism. The trick here is to
think quantity over quality because you want expansive thinking and not restricted thinking. By being
inspired by each others crazy ideas, you will develop creative out of the box ideas you would otherwise
never have thought of. The next phase, the realist, is really all about thinking how can we make these
crazy ideas work. How can we adjust and combine them so that they actually become feasible. Force
yourself to find ways of making the impossible possible. The last phase, the spoiler, is finally the time to
be critical of your ideas. Bring out the devil’s advocate and narrow down your best solution/combined
solution. When you have completed the process you will feel good about your solution because you
know it was the outcome of a comprehensive process.

The(Dreamer The(Realist The(Spoiler

• Bring$out$all$ideas! • ReSexamine$ideas • Be$critical$and$find$

• No$criticism$is$ • ReSwork$them$into$ holes$in$your$
allowed something$practical solutions
• Think$totally$out$of$ • Try$to$make$the$ideas$ • Narrow$down$the$
the$box possible$– Think$“how” best$solutions

• ~20S25$minutes • ~15S20$minutes • ~15$minutes

9
Problem$Solving$Methodology
An'Approach'to'
Case'Cracking
Backward(case(cracking(approach

A highly effective approach to case cracking is to push your team to select a solution very early in the
process. This allows for the the majority of the time being spent on building a solid argumentation and
obtaining depth in the solution. The team starts by doing the SCQ to narrow down the context and case
question. Directly thereafter, the team initiate a thorough brainstorm on recommendations to get all
ideas on the table. After this, the team narrows down the solution primarily based on business logic,
only making strictly necessary analysis and check ups with data outside of the case. Using this
approach a team can settle on a solution within the first 4S6 hours. This makes the majority of the time
available to build the argumentation for the chosen solution, limiting time spent on other options that
won’t be presented anyway.

Based$on$business$
logic$and$limited$data

Case$ Brainstorm$ Select$

Build$Argumentation
question Solutions Solution

Comparison(of(the(two(problem(solving(approaches(

Keep in mind that there is no “correct” solution in case competitions, just as in real world consulting.
Therefore, in a case competition an extra hour spent analyzing your way to the optimal solution might
sometimes be better spent on building your argumentation. The upside here is clear: The extra time
allows you to obtain more depth in your solution and strengthen your arguments. However, selecting
your solution based on less data points and analysis implies the risk of uncovering contradicting data
points at a later stage. Here you face the choice of “making it fit” or changing your solution and losing
time. The approach is often useful in case competitions, since the strict time pressure does not allow
for a full analysis of all relevant alternative solutions.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Hypothesis$Driven$Problem$Solving

Backward$case$Cracking$Approach

Time$spent$deciding$on$solution Time$spent$building$argumentation Illustrative

10
Structured$and$Effective$
Communication

Storylining
When building slides, action titles are the foundation of your communication. Action titles summarize
the key message of the slide in as short a manner as possible. An action title differs from a regular
headline, as it provides a complete, sensible argument that would work outside the context of the given
slide. The idea of “storylining” is that a list of the action titles should work as a script that stands on its
own and summarizes your story. You can think of the action titles as collectively forming an “elevator
speech” of the case solution. It is a way to structure key messages and ensure consistent
communication.

1 2 3 4 5
Front$page By$focusing$on$ Changing$competitive$ To$successfully$ Simplicity$has$defined$
simplicity,$flexibility$ landscape$and$ compete,$the$client$ other$industries$for$years$
and$transparency,$the$ unsatisfied$customers$ must$develop$a$simple$ and$the$client$must$
client$can$reduce$ put$the$client$under$ platform$that$provides$ leverage$the$same$
churn$rates$and$grow$ pressure$across$all$ flexibility$and$enhances$ simplicity$platform$in$their$
revenue$from$2018 product$categories transparency value$proposition

6 7 8 9 10
Flexibility$to$tailor$ Transparency$in$pricing$ Employing$a$risk$ Simplicity,$flexibility$and$ We$recommend$to$
individual$services$will$ solves$a$central$ mitigating$strategy$will$ transparency$improve$ reconnect$with$
enable$the$client$to$ challenge$for$the$client$ maximize$revenue$ customer$satisfaction$ customers$by$building$a$
provide$customers$ and$facilitates$an$ potential$while$reducing$ and$decrease$churn,$ simple$platform$that$
exactly$what$they$want,$ improving$customer$ risk resulting$in$strong$top$ allows$for$service$
thereby$decreasing$churn satisfaction line$growth$by$2018 flexibility$and$price$
transparency

NB:'Illustrative'example''only

Dot(_ Dash
The DotSDash is a helpful tool to structure your presentation that incorporates storylining. The idea is to
write out the key messages with supporting arguments for each slide. A bullet point (dot) represents the
headline of a slide and a hyphen (dash) represents a supporting argument/data point. We recommend
that you make a DotSDash after you have settled on a solution. By using the DotSDash you will structure
all of your key messages into a coherent story right from the start in a way that easily allows for
delegation of work.

Example(of(a(Dot_Dash

• We$possess$a$number$strongholds$today$which$have$been$the$backbone$of$our$performance,$namely
– High$customer$loyalty$(customer$survey$with$churn$rates)
– Low$production$cost$(graph$for$comparative$variable$cost$across$competitors)
– High$brand$awareness$(customer$survey$with$brand$awareness)
See)SCQA)example)on)page)6)for)more

11
Structured$and$Effective$
Communication

Storyboarding
The storyboard is a translation of the DotSDash into slides and a tool for putting a presentation together
in an efficient way. You draw up the slides on a white board with action titles (dots) and then visualize
the supporting arguments (dashes). Visualizing ideas and arguments on slides requires a lot of practice
and therefore it makes sense do to this together as a team to help each other out. Typically, some team
members are better than others at slide production, and storyboarding can help leverage the strengths
of different team members.

Example(of(a(storyboarding

Situation$points (Supporting$situation$ Complication$points (Supporting$

slides) complication$slides)
•… •…
•… •…
•… •…

Recommendation… 1.$… 1.a.$… 1.b.$…

100
1. … a. … 80
60
2. … b. … 40
20
3. … c. … 0
1.(kvt.2.(kvt.3.(kvt.4.(kvt.

1.c.$..... Resolution$main$ 2.$… 2.a.$…

… points
… a. …
1. …
… b. …
… 2. …
… c. …
… 3. …

Tell(what(you(want(to(tell(them,(then(tell(them,(
and(then(tell(them(what(you(just(told(them(
To win a case competition, you have to communicate your findings
effectively. Generally, it is a good idea to repeat you main findings
three times to make sure the judges remember them. We
recommended that you start with an executive summary, then you
present the actual solution, and lastly, you synthesis the main findings
of the solution.

12
 Structured$and$effective$
communication

The(Pyramid(Structure
The pyramid structure is a principle of how to structure communication and thinking. The idea is to first
summarize the conclusion and then present the supporting arguments. Optimally, this should be done
following the MECE principle. Breaking thoughts down in this way has proved to be the most logical
way and makes it easier to understand for the receiver. Primarily, there are two ways of presenting
arguments, namely, the inductive reasoning structure and the deductive reasoning structure. Generally,
inductive is preferred as it is easier to follower, but deductive is very useful when making a
controversial point.

A The(Pyramid(Structure B Two(main(ways(of(presenting(arguments

• Give$answer$upfront
S
• Easier$to$group$thoughts
C • Easier$overview$for$the$
Q receiver
A
Top Inductive$
reasoning$structure
Down

• If$receiver$might$
disagree$upfront
• If$receiver$needs$basic$
understanding$before$
• Summarizes$first conclusion$/$
• Easier$for$the$receiver$to$digest$– does$not$ recommendation
Deductive$
have$to$look$for$the$pattern
reasoning$structure
• Structures$in$the$most$logical$order

Example(of(deductive(structure((– argument

You$must$change

Statement Cause/why? How?

Here$is$what Here$is$what Thus,$here$is$what$
is$going$wrong is$causing$it you$should$do

Example(of(inductive(structure(– grouping

You$must$change

Why?
How? Do$A Do$B Do$C

13
Fundamentals$of$Slide$Production

The(major(elements(of(a(case(presentation
There is no formal "right" way of structuring a case presentation. However, most presentation include
an executive summary, analysis providing key insights, elaboration of proposed recommendations,
financial impact, risk assessment, implementation plan of the solution and a summary. Below you will
find one example of how to structure a slide deck

•Set$the$stage$and$tell$them$what$challenge$you$are$solving
"Executive$
•Tell$the$recommendation$and$its$impact$up$front
summary"
•Tool:$SCQA$– 1S2$Slides

•Identify$the$subSproblem$and$what$is$causing$it
”Key$insights" •This$part$should$drive$towards$your$recommendation
•2S4$slides

•Detailed$description$of$each$of$your$recommendations
”Solution" •Body$of$the$case$deck$– clear$communication$is$key
•2S5$slides

•What$is$the$implementation$strategy$and$what$are$the$risks?
"Impact,$risk$and$ •What$is$the$impact?$Show$that$you$solve$the$problem!
implementation" •3S4$slides

•Synthesize$solution$with$context$created$in$the$executive$
"Summary" •A$catchy$ending$with$a$call$to$action
•Less$than$1$minute$– 1$slide$only

14
 Fundamentals$of$Slide$Production

Building(blocks(of(a(case(competition(slide(
Every slide should serve one of the following three purposes: 1) Communicate a set of key implications
or facts. 2) Guide the audience through different analyses or create a logical transition. 3) Drive
towards recommendation. Below we give an example of how to structure a slide.

Transparency in$pricing solves a$fundamental$problem$for$the$ Client Logo

Always$
Action$title$ client and$facilitates an$improving customer satisfaction include$the$
conveys$ logo$of$the$
the$key$ case$
In(the(telco industry(60%(of(customer( This(is(a(central(problem(for(the(client,(but(is( company
message$
inquires(concerns(billing(issues( solved(with(transparent(pricing
of$the$slide
Customer Recommendation Billing$easy to$understand
complaints score S18
Transparent$pricing
100% 8% 100% 100 Highlight$
Key$ 13% 76 73 75 70 important$
60% 66
takeaway$ 55 aspects$of$
of$graph$is$ 50% 50 the$data
told$in$the$
header
0% 0
Billing$ Installation$ Other Total$ TDC Telia Telenor
Use$of$ issues problems inquires
graphics$to$ Especially for(the(client,(price transparency is(a(
Customers in(the(telco industry face severe weak spot
enhance$ difficulty in(understanding their bills • Transparency reamins an$obvious lever$for$
communiS • Why are some calls free when others are not? customer satisfaction Tracker$to$
cation • Why am$I$charged extra for$this particular • Quick wins are realizable even if help$
service? performance$is$only increased to$peer$levels guiding$the$
audience$

Executive Insights Solution Impact Summary

Slide(writing(
commandments(

•Synthesis:$Synthesize$many$analyses$into$one'story$
•Accuracy:$Use$precise,$clear$communication$with$no$ambiguity
•Transparency:$Transparent$logic$and$connection$between$data$and$conclusion
•Impact:$Highlight$key$implications$and$explain$the$insights
Design(principles( •Context.$Tell$the$story$that$addresses$your$audience's$concerns,$not$your'story

•Show$it,$don't$tell$it$– a$figure$is$worth$a$thousand$bullets
•Less$is$more$– design$your$slides$for$quick$reading
•Keep$focus$on$what$is$important$S avoid$excessive$use$of$colors
•Focus$on$one$key$message$per$slide
Text(or(graphs?(

•Qualitative$information$! Text$slide$with$supporting$visuals
•Quantitative$information$or$relationship$! Graph
•When$details$are$demanded$!Table$or$matrices
•Clear$graphics$to$support$conclusion,$explicit$text$to$explain$insight

15
Presentation$Techniques

Presenting(your(solution

When communicating your findings it is essential that you capture your audience and convince them
through a compelling story. Our experience tells us that a great story and an okay idea is more likely to
win than a great idea and an okay story. One way to engage in storytelling is to start out with a short 30
second story that is highly related to the main point of your solution, then present the solution, and
finish off by synthesizing the conclusion back into the story to wrap up.

In terms of presenting your solution, what you verbally communicate and what is on the slides should
be able to stand alone. You need to have prepared your presentation enough for you to be able to tell
your story while looking the judges in the eyes – only looking at the presentation if strictly needed.
Furthermore, your team should agree on how you want to stand and in which order. Practice how you
will switch from person to person and how you will stand so you look professional both during the
presentation and the Q&A. You should always aim to practice your complete presentation as a team
three times. Great the judges when entering and exciting the stage.

In terms of your body language, try to come across as a professional, but friendly & open, consultant.
You are there to give you recommendations on an issue, and you should step into this roleSplaying
scenario. When practicing, help each other become aware of highly distracting habits so that they don’t
take attention away from the message you a trying to deliver.

The(Q&A(session

When you have finished building your main deck, you send it off to your slide master who will spend an
hour aligning the layout and fixing slides. This gives the team an opportunity to identify question that
will most likely be asked – the main holes in your solution – and therefore you should prepare answers
for these. This is where backSup slides come in. Remember to make an overview of your solution and
an appendix that will allow you to jump directly to a slide in the Q&A session (make shortScut in your
logo to bring you to the overview slide). Align on who will navigate the slides on the computer in the
Q&A session. Notice how you can strategically plan for the Q&A session by for example incorporating
something into your presentation where you invite the judges to ask about it in the Q&A, or leave out
something in your presentation that you are sure they will ask about. This way you can partly control
the uncertainty of the Q&A session. Make sure to align on how you split the Q&A questions.

The following is a list of tips we have created for the Q&A session:
How$to$answer Things$not$to$do
• Make$sure$to$answer$the$question$being$asked • Never$interrupt$or$add$to$your$teammates$
• Have$a$very$polite$attitude answers$unless$they$are$completely$wrong
• Adjust$your$language$style$to$the$audience:$ • Don’t$end$every$answer$with,$“I$hope$that$
etc.$SME$versus$large$corporation answers$your$question”
• If$you$have$no$idea$what$to$answer,$then$tell$ • Never$say$“I”$when$presenting$– there$is$no$“I”$
them$that$you$don’t$know$in$a$confident$way in$a$solution$– you$are$a$team
• Never$become$offensive$towards$the$judges

16
A$few$tips$on$productive$teamwork

Everybody(should(be(aligned(at(all(times
A key criteria for having a productive team is that everybody knows what to do at all times. Wasting time
on doing the wrong task or simply not knowing what to do about a certain slide or analysis is detrimental
to the whole team and should therefore be avoided. By doing the DotSDash and storyboard you will
already be a long way towards avoiding waste. The tools create a clear structure and provide everything
needed for slide production. However, something unexpected might come up after deeper analysis which
changes the plan you have made. In this case, the individual team member should notify the others so
that the team can find a solution together and change the DotSDash and storyboard accordingly. If
individual team members start making changes without involving the others, you cannot ensure that the
slides fit together in a coherent storyline in the end.

Establish(rules(for(conflicts(beforehand
Avoiding conflicts is of course preferable, but due to the extreme time pressure and high stakes, conflicts
often take place while case cracking. Therefore, it is important that you mitigate the negative impact it
can have by setting up rules for handling such situations beforehand. For example, it is common that
team members have different views on which solution to go with. If three team members want solution A,
but the last team member firmly believe solution B is the the right way, then a rule could be to give the
person 5 minutes to present her arguments. If the team member is not able to convince at least one of
the other team members, then the solution is voted out and must not be brought up again. Such simple
rules can avoid conflicts and save time during the case cracking.

Practice,(practice,(practice
No team will learn how to work productively without practicing together a few times. While practicing,
your team’s weak spots will clearly show and this will give you the chance to fix it before the real
competition. We recommended that you make a practice run where you go through the whole process so
that everybody is familiar with it.

Have(fun!(
It is an advantage also to have fun while doing the case cracking. It makes the process more enjoyable,
but it is also important to allow for creative brainstorming, which is critical for your final product. A really
good idea can get you a long way towards winning a competition, therefore this should not be
overlooked. We recommend that you do some social activities before you start case cracking if you do
not know each other well beforehand. This will improve your team dynamics.

17
Seven$guiding$principles$on$how$
to$win$a$case$competition

1 Don't(boil(the(ocean(
When solving a case, it is easy to identify an
insurmountable number of analyses, which
could be relevant. A guiding principle that
enables teams to develop insightful analyses,
while balancing time and effort is the concept of
the 80/20 rule S also known as the Pareto rule. It
states that 80% of the answer lies in 20% of the
data. In other words, if you need a cup of boiled
water, you can either boil the ocean, or you can
take a cup of water and then boil it.

2 Don't(be(afraid(to(make(assumptions(
Don't be afraid to make assumptions: Remember that the teams have 24 hours to solve the case,
make the slide decks and write the executive summary. It is important to avoid being caught up in the
details that exactly makes your financial impact estimate reach that last decimal point. However, while
it is highly recommended to make assumptions, it is just as important to explicitly state the
assumptions, be able to defend them, and to explain how you reach your conclusions.

3 Make(a(compelling(story(
The biggest difficulty of a solid case solution is to convert the analysis, recommendations and impact
into a compelling story. There are different ways to make a compelling story where the teams take the
audience on a journey, so creativity is an important factor. Generally, a good story has three
characteristics. First, it is logical, meaning that the structure and sequence of slides should be united
by a logical thread. Second, it is compelling, meaning that it explores a topic rather than walks the
audience through a set of analyses. Third, it should be audience appropriate, meaning that its length,
level of detail and content should be tailored to the audience.

4 Remember(your(audience

Keep in mind throughout the whole process that the judges will consist of representatives from the
case company as well as the other partner companies. It is valuable to consider what they will be
looking for in the winning solution. While this can be hard to predict, it can give some insights. For
example, it is unlikely that the case company is looking for business as usual. Often they see a case
competition as a source of inspiration and is looking for new good ideas. Also, remember that the
judges are regular people. It matters whether they find your presenting style trustful and convincing.
Furthermore, if you know which company they are representing, you can tailor your Q&A answers
towards their expertise. 18
Seven$guiding$principles$on$how$
to$win$a$case$competition

5 Have(the(winning(criteria(in(mind(
With only 24 hours to solve the case, you want to ensure that you always
have the winning criteria in mind. Overall you are evaluated both on the
content of your solution and the presentation of it. On the content side,
things such as creativity, realism, applicability, strategic fit, risks, and return
on investment counts. On the presentation side, focus is on both the design
and structure of the slides and on the oral presentation where evaluation
criteria contains e.g. body language, voice, eye contact and appearance.

6 Set(SMART(goals(and(ask(SMART(questions
When solving a case, you will almost always need to set goals and define problem statements. These
all need to put focus towards the company’s needs, reflect the main challenges and point towards the
necessary analyses. A way to ensure this is by using the criteria of the SMART framework: Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and TimeSbound. If a goal or problem statement does not live up to
these criteria, it probably suffers from irrelevance or ambiguity. The SMART framework is often used
in a business or management setting, but applies to problem solving in general.

Not)SMART)Problem)Statement/goal SMART)Problem)Statement/goal
Business)
setting

How'can'Pandora'increase'revenues'in'
What'should'Pandora'do'in'Latin' Latin'America by'15%'annually'between'
America? 2016'and'2018,'while'retaining'current'
profit'margins?
Everyday)
setting

Complete'the'BRM'exam'before'January'
Do'well'in'school.
2019'and'receive'at'least'a'7'grade.

7 Stand(out(from(the(crowd(
When competing in case competitions against some of the brightest minds you will find, you have to
stand out from the crowd. You can do this in one of four ways. First, you can help your audience
believe in your story, which can be achieved through the use of such things as inspirational quotes.
Second, you want the audience to remember you, which can be achieved through e.g. the use of
humor, catchy punch lines or a sticky metaphor. Thirdly, you want to interact with your audience which
can be done though rhetorical or provocative questions. Fourth and finally, you want to move your
audience, which is most easily done through e.g. the use of personal anecdotes or feelings.

19
 Authored(by
Ricco$Hansen

Created$in$collaboration$with$

Building'on'previous'work'by'Christoffer Breum Nielsen'&'Jakob'Lyngsø Jørgensen

Thanks'to'Sophus'Rosendahl'for'feedback'and'editing''