Episode 4: Building the Analysis to Support a Solution

Cam Welsh is an emeritus professor at the Haskayne School of Business, bringing over two decades of coaching experience. His expertise in mentoring successful case-solving teams has made a significant impact at the University of Calgary. Passionate about nurturing the next generation of professionals, he actively advises and empowers aspiring talent at Innovatank - The World Case Committee, Talent Discovery, How to Change the World, and various initiatives at Haskayne. Additionally, he is the co-founder and chief content creator of the Discover Your Mad Skills Toolkit, dedicated to helping individuals unlock their potential and thrive in their careers.

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-back episodes, with this one concentrating on the analysis process and the second on SWOT analysis, a commonly used but frequently mishandled tool.

Once the problem is identified and articulated, the next step is to review and vigorously defend the solution we discussed in the first steps of your resolution, as discussed in Episode 3. What does the analysis look like in general? First, it ideally progresses from the macroenvironment to the microenvironment. Second, it presents the evidence from the case and any research to uphold the solution and undermine other solutions suggested by your competitors.

A comprehensive analysis should incorporate both quantitative and qualitative elements. It needs to harmonise and align with the culture, vision, mission, and objectives of the organisation in question. Moreover, it should resonate with the perspective of the judging panel. This requires presenting a compelling narrative supported by evidence that convinces the judges of the superiority of the proposed solution.

How is this done? This is where a variety of tools comes into play. These tools allow the team to investigate the ecosystem. The results of the investigation must demonstrate the team's knowledge of the organisation and the situation to the judges and use this knowledge to defend the solution. When I talk about tools, I refer to things like SWOT, Stakeholder Analysis, and Competitive Landscape Mapping, to name just a few. Details of these tools and more can be found on my YouTube Channel at Discover Your Mad Skills Toolkit.

Mastering the art of deriving valuable insights from the tools we use is essential. Simply presenting the facts doesn't cut it - it's the insights gained from the analysis that truly add value. Providing context and insights leading to the proposed solution is crucial, especially in case competitions where role-playing is the name of the game. In top-level competitions, both competitors and judges are expected to be fully immersed in their roles, with judges embodying senior management or senior managers of the organisation in a live-case scenario.

In the next episode, which will appear next week, I'll showcase the power of the SWOT analysis tool. You'll witness how it transforms from merely presenting facts to constructing a framework for revealing valuable insights.