If you don’t take shortcuts, there is simply too much to do. Be selective. Find the key drivers. Focus on the core problem, then apply analysis. This helps avoid going down blind alleys and boiling the ocean. Tip 8: The Elevator Test When faced with an amorphous situation, apply structure to it.” – Kristin Asleson, New York office, 1990-93; now working in Silicon Valley

Don’t reinvent the wheel! Whatever you are doing, chances are that someone, somewhere has done something similar. Building upon someone’s work is the best way to save time and energy while achieving the highest standard. Chapter 2: Thinking About Thinking — This chapter discusses the importance of critical thinking and the ability to challenge assumptions. It provides several techniques for improving one’s thinking skills, such as using analogies, questioning assumptions, and brainstorming.

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Charles Conn: My favorite step is step two, which is to use logic trees to disaggregate the problem. Every problem we’re solving has some complexity and some uncertainty in it. The only way that we can really get our team working on the problem is to take the problem apart into logical pieces. Define the problem: Every consulting project revolves around a “problem”. But the “problem” is NOT always the problem! Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah. It’s not like “Can we grow in Japan?” That’s interesting, but it is “What, specifically, are we trying to uncover in the growth of a product in Japan? Or a segment in Japan? Or a channel in Japan?” When you spend an enormous amount of time, in the first meeting of the different stakeholders, debating this and having different people put forward what they think the problem definition is, you realize that people have completely different views of why they’re here. That, to me, is the most important step.

Charles Conn: For me, the most important thing is that we start with simple heuristics and explanatory statistics before we go off and use the big-gun tools. We need to understand the shape and scope of our problem before we start applying these massive and complex analytical approaches. Simon London: Here we’re talking about cognitive biases primarily, right? It’s not that I’m biased against you because of your accent or something. These are the cognitive biases that behavioral sciences have shown we all carry around, things like anchoring, overoptimism—these kinds of things. The book is interesting. Very beautifully gives layman a glimpse of consulting. Anyone thinking of a career in one of the big 3 or trying to learn the practices of the consulting world should definitely read this book. Include some questions you know the answer to. This gives insights into the interviewee’s style, knowledge, and honesty. Chapter 8: The Communication Process This chapter provides advice on how to communicate effectively with clients and colleagues. It emphasizes the importance of clear and concise communication, active listening, and the use of visual aids.

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Simon London: You do hear these ideas—that if you have a big enough data set and enough algorithms, they’re going to find things that you just wouldn’t have spotted, find solutions that maybe you wouldn’t have thought of. Does machine learning sort of revolutionize the problem-solving process? Or are these actually just other tools in the toolbox for structured problem solving?