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Implementation is crucial; it determines how the plan gets executed. This is often the most important aspect when examining scorecards. The goal is to present recommendations that can be realistically and effectively implemented. To achieve this, it's necessar...

June 14, 2024 In this article, I will discuss problem identification. First, it's crucial to ask specific questions to provide context that helps identify the problem in a case. Answering these questions helps you and the audience understand the problem and i...

August 15, 2024 In a recent discussion, my colleague asked her LinkedIn network for advice on teaching her students about professional communication standards. This made me think about the advice we should give to case solvers regarding their presentations. W...

August 9, 2024 As you prepare to conclude your presentation, the wrap-up phase is your final chance to persuade the judges that your team has the winning solution. I've renamed this critical phase the "Wrap-up" to emphasise its importance. This is the moment ...

August 1, 2024 In my experience, I've noticed some common mistakes when teams present their Risk and Mitigation slides. One issue is introducing new information late in the presentation, which can disrupt the flow of the storyline. My teams have adopted a str...

July 25, 2024 In my years of coaching case-solving teams, I consistently emphasise the crucial importance of creating a strongly supported recommendation as a fundamental part of the problem-solving process. Through my experience, I have found that successful...

July 18, 2024 Teams frequently miss the mark when utilising SWOT Analysis and fail to deliver significant value. The essential question is: how can we harness SWOT Analysis to enhance your case-solving analysis greatly? A major issue I've observed is that te...

July 11, 2024 In this episode, the focus is on establishing strong evidence and analysis to support your solution robustly. As a former coaching colleague always said, the team's job is to "support the hell out of your solution." There will be two back-to-bac...

June 28, 2024 Throughout my experience coaching over 300 case-solving teams, I've found that starting the case poses the most significant challenge for a team. After reading the case, teams often struggle with the next steps. Recently, during a podcast featur...

May 31, 2024 As a case-solving coach, I had the opportunity to attend the Global Circularity Challenge, where case-solving students from around the world tackled the issue of promoting circularity in the fashion industry. This competition provided students wi...

When I discuss risk and mitigation with teams, I emphasise the connection between risks, mitigation strategies, and the overall solution. Instead of simply presenting a risk and mitigation slide at some point during the presentation, I aim to incorporate this ...

It's important to remember that 10 to 15 minutes isn't a long time. When preparing your presentation, you should differentiate between the time you've invested in developing the technical solution and the time you dedicate to presenting it. You may have put a ...

I believe that technical solutions are always informed by past experiences. Therefore, trying to find similar problems can be incredibly helpful in generating ideas for a solution. Understanding previous challenges can also highlight potential pitfalls of a gi...

That’s a great question. Sometimes, you will encounter highly technical judges on the panel, and they tend to focus on their specific areas of expertise. It’s important to anticipate their questions, as their background can influence the relevance of their inq...

One really has to try to honour both sides, which is where the difficulty lies. If you focus too much on the technical aspects, you may neglect important business details such as financial feasibility and marketing strategies. The biggest challenge is getting ...

Any technical solution requires recognising that technology is constantly evolving, and it can be challenging to keep up with all the advancements. One of the key factors driving the rapid increase in technology usage is exploring non-traditional applications....

One of the most common questions I receive is about how to handle a Q&A session effectively. Many students find this part intimidating, and managing the Q&A is essential for success. Here are three key rules to remember, keeping in mind that judges are seeking...

To conclude your presentation, it's essential to focus on how to wrap things up effectively, ensuring high energy and engagement as you transition into a Q&A session during a case competition or as the project moves into real-life implementation. Here are a fe...

Another important component of your solution is discussing future considerations, which may also be referred to as the "out of the box" aspects of the solution. How you present these future considerations is crucial, as they can lead to confusion. So, what exa...

August 21, 2024 There are a variety of tools that can be utilised to construct an analysis for case-solving. In a previous newsletter, I addressed my insights on effectively employing the widely used SWOT tool and highlighted how many case-solving teams overl...