DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL (PART 1) - The Mckinsey Way

Lucas Carnaúba de Oliveira

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL (PART 1)
Most business problems resemble each other more than they differ. This means that with a small number of problem-solving techniques, you can answer a broad range of questions.
These techniques may be somewhere in your organization, either written down or in the heads of your fellow employees.If not, use your experience to develop your own tool kit.

Lucas Carnaúba de Oliveira

. . . BUT EVERY CLIENT IS UNIQUE (NO COOKIE-CUTTER SOLUTIONS)
That there are many similarities between business problems does not mean that similar problems have similar solutions. You have to validate your initial hypothesis (or your gut) with fact-based analysis. This will put you in a much better position to get your ideas accepted.


Lucas Carnaúba de Oliveira

DON’T MAKE THE FACTS FIT YOUR SOLUTION
Avoid the temptation to view your initial hypothesis as the answer and the problem-solving process as an exercise in proving the IH. Keep an open and flexible mind. Don’t let a strong initial hypothesis become an excuse for men­tal inflexibility.

Lucas Carnaúba de Oliveira

MAKE SURE YOUR SOLUTION FITS YOUR CLIENT 

The most brilliant solution, backed up by libraries of data and promising billions in extra profits, is useless if your client or business can’t implement it. Know your client. Know the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities—what management can and cannot do. Tailor your solutions with these factors in mind.

Lucas Carnaúba de Oliveira

SOMETIMES YOU  HAVE TO  LET THE  SOLUTION COME TO YOU 

The McKinsey rules of problem solving, like all rules, have their exceptions. You will not be able to form an initial hypothesis every time. Sometimes, the client will not know what the problem is, just that there is a problem. Other times, the scope of your project will be so large—or so vague—that starting with an IH will be worthless. Still other times, you will be breaking new ground and nothing in your experience will point to a solution. Don’t panic! If you get your facts together and do your analyses, the solution will come to you.

Lucas Carnaúba de Oliveira