Approach

Same course, every problem.

Good answers rarely come from brilliance alone — they come from a disciplined way of working. These are the four moves I make on every case, and the questions that keep me honest.

01 Frame

Before any data, I pin down the real question, who has to make the decision, and what a good answer has to show.

Questions I ask
~What decision will this answer change, and for whom?
~What does success look like — and by when?
~What's out of scope?
Tools: situation–complication–question, stakeholder map, success criteria
02 Structure

I break the question into a MECE issue tree, then write down the hypotheses I'd bet on — so the analysis has something to prove or kill.

Questions I ask
~Do these branches cover everything, without overlapping?
~Which branch, if wrong, kills the whole idea?
~What would I need to see to change my mind?
Tools: issue trees, profit trees, frameworks used as checklists — not scripts
03 Analyse

I size, model and stress-test — but only the numbers that move the decision. Every chart has to earn a “so what”.

Questions I ask
~Does a second method land near the same number?
~Which assumption, if off by 20%, flips the answer?
~What are customers and the front line telling me that the data isn't?
Tools: market sizing, unit economics, DCF, sensitivity analysis, interviews, Excel
04 Recommend

I lead with the answer, back it with the three strongest pieces of evidence, and say plainly what could go wrong and what to do next.

Questions I ask
~Could someone act on this tomorrow morning?
~What are the risks, and how would we know early?
~Is the first slide enough on its own?
Tools: pyramid principle, phased roadmaps, risk–mitigation maps, PowerPoint
Principles

Five rules I hold myself to.

  1. 01
    Answer first

    The reader should know my answer in one sentence, before the evidence.

  2. 02
    MECE, always

    No gaps, no overlaps — or the analysis will chase its own tail.

  3. 03
    80/20 the work

    Go deep only where the answer is sensitive.

  4. 04
    Every number needs a “so what”

    If a chart doesn't change the decision, it doesn't make the deck.

  5. 05
    Name the risks

    A recommendation without its risks is only half an answer.

See it in action Read a full worked case →

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