Episode 56: Don't Boil the Ocean: The #1 Advice That Separates Winning Teams from the Rest

Over the years of coaching teams for case-solving competitions, if you asked any of my team members what the number one piece of advice I gave them, it would likely be this: "Don't boil the ocean."

Too often, ambitious and talented teams try to do everything. They attempt to solve every aspect of a problem, address every stakeholder, and tackle every possible angle. In the high-pressure environment of most case-solving competitions, where time is strictly limited, this approach is not just difficult. It's a recipe for shallow analysis and underdeveloped solutions.

Let me share a recent example from a mentoring session I participated in at the end of March. I mentored several teams working on sustainability challenges in a specific city. Their problem statements were expansive: they tried to cover multiple interconnected issues, such as snow removal across the whole city for numerous target groups, or homelessness for the entire homeless population, all in one go. With less than 24 hours remaining before the deadline, the scope was too large to build a rigorous, feasible, and impactful solution.

The result when teams try to boil the ocean? Teams end up with broad recommendations that touch on everything but lack depth, data backing, or clear implementation steps. Judges see the lack of focus, and the presentations feel overwhelming rather than insightful. What I saw in the showcase for the teams I mentored was positive. Each group focused their problem statements and built more rigorous, feasible and potentially impactful solutions than they had 24 hours prior.

Why "boiling the ocean" happens so often

• Excitement and passion for the topic, especially with complex, real-world issues like sustainability
• Fear of missing a key angle that judges might ask about
• The natural tendency to equate "thorough" with "comprehensive"
• Underestimating how quickly time disappears when you're juggling research, analysis, slides, and practice

What "Don't Boil the Ocean" really means in practice

It doesn't mean ignoring complexity or taking the easy way out. It means being deliberate about scope so you can deliver excellence where it matters.

Here are 5 practical tips to apply this advice next time you're in a case-solving competition or any high-stakes problem-solving scenario:

1. Define a razor-sharp problem statement early. Ask: What is the single most important issue we need to solve, given the time and resources? Force yourselves to prioritise one primary challenge or at most two linked ones instead of a laundry list.
2. Use a simple scoping framework. What is in scope? What is explicitly out of scope and why? What does success look like in the available time? Write this down and revisit it every few hours to stay on track.
3. Prioritise depth over breadth. A deep dive into one well-chosen aspect, with strong data, stakeholder insights, creative but feasible solutions, and clear metrics, almost always beats a superficial overview of many issues.
4. Build in "scope checkpoints." Set timers during your work session. Every 2-3 hours, ask: Are we drifting? Do we need to cut something to strengthen what matters?
5. Remember the judges' perspective. They value clarity, feasibility, and insight. A focused, polished solution that demonstrates rigorous thinking on a meaningful problem stands out more than an ambitious, scattered one.

The bigger lesson beyond competitions

This principle applies far beyond student case-solving contests. In consulting, startups, corporate projects, government and sustainability initiatives, teams that try to solve everything at once often deliver nothing transformative. The winners focus on the highest-leverage opportunities. They boil a pot of water, not the ocean. They use that success to build momentum for a larger impact later.

If you're preparing for a case-solving competition, mentoring a team, or tackling a complex business challenge right now, I'd love to hear from you. What's the biggest scoping challenge you've faced? Have you ever caught yourself (or your team) trying to boil the ocean? Drop a comment below.

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What do you think, ready to narrow your focus and win bigger?