How to Use This Manual

How to Use This Manual

Business case-solving competitions are not won by knowing the most frameworks.

They are won by knowing knowing:

which questions to ask, which problems to solve, which tools to use, which ideas to pursue, and how to turn all of that thinking into a clear recommendation that a judge can believe.

This manualfirst isDiscover designedYour Mad Skills Masterclass Manual introduces the complete case-solving process—from deciphering the case and conducting analysis to helpdeveloping youalternatives, buildmaking thosea skills.recommendation, building an implementation plan, managing risk, and communicating the solution.

TheThink goalof isit notas toyour memorise a formula for case-solving every case. No such formula exists.roadmap.

Instead,Throughout the manual, you will learnwork through a repeatable process for:process:

DECIPHER → ANALYZE → DEVELOP → DECIDE → RECOMMEND → IMPLEMENT → COMMUNICATE

TheThis process provides structure without taking away the judgment, creativity, and critical thinking that make case competitions valuable. It is not a rigid formula, and you should not expect every case to require the same analysis, frameworks, or presentation structure.

BeforeInstead, youstart decideby whichdeciphering framework to use, you need to understand what kind of case you are facing. Thethe characteristics of the case. shouldAsk what decision needs to be made, what problems actually matter, what questions need to be answered, and what evidence you need before choosing your tools.

As you work through each chapter, continually ask:

• What question are we trying to answer?

• What insight do we need?

• How will this influence yourour questions,decision?

• How does it strengthen our recommendation?

Use this manual first to understand the overall architecture of case solving, and then use it as a reference during practice. After each case, return to the relevant chapters to identify where your analysis,team's yourthinking alternatives,was strong and ultimatelywhere yourthe recommendation.process broke down.

The later Discover Your Mad Skills manuals build on this foundation with deeper dives into analytical frameworks, financial analysis, presentation skills, and special topics.

The goal is not to memorize the process. The goal is to practise it until you know when to follow it, when to adapt it, and how to use it to make better youdecisions becomeunder at deciphering cases, the less you will rely on frameworks as recipes and the more you will use them as strategic tools.pressure.

Note: This manual is designed to work alongside the instructional Masterclass videos available on the Mad Skills Masterclass YouTube channel. For those in regions where YouTube is unavailable, the videos are also available through Innovatank TV. This first Masterclass Manual includesalso references to severalselected videos from Masterclass 2, which are incorporated2 to reinforce key concepts and provide additional instruction. The complete series of Deciphering Cases posts is also available through Discover Your Mad Skills on Patreon, providing additional examples, insights, examples, and perspectives to help you developsupport your case-solvingdevelopment skills.as a case solver.