The McKinsey Way: Using the Techniques of the World's Top Strategic Consultants to Help You and Your Business

you think you have determined the issues, take a hard look at them. Is each one a separate and distinct issue? If so, then your issue list is mutually exclusive

MECE (pronounced “me-see”) stands for “mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive”

Why don’t you ride down in the elevator with me and tell me what you’ve found out?” The ride will take about 30 seconds. In that time, can you tell the CEO your solution?
Can you sell him your solution? That’s the elevator test

if the complexity of your problem doubles, the time it takes to solve it quadruples

three most important ones are X, Y, and Z

no business problem is immune to the power of fact-based analysis. Put together enough facts, combine them with some creative thinking, and you will come up with a solution

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

Business Process Redesign

The technique involves identifying the client’s suppliers, customers, competitors, and possible substitute products

The initial hypothesis (IH), the third pillar of the McKinsey problem-solving process