The foundations of consulting posted on april 3 2011 april 3 2011 by the strategy and consulting club iim rohtak consulting simply put is offering advice to any individual or organization on a problem. Issue trees and mece. Another way to look at an issue tree is as a logical argument that can be tested with data.
The term issue tree comes from the way this framework looks when diagrammed on paper like a tree on its side. An issue tree lays out a set of logical conditions that if proven correct prove the hypothesis correct. Generally speaking an issue tree is a graphical breakdown of your key question.
Diagnostic trees what you call issue tree problem based and solution trees what you call hypothesis tree solution based. What you refer to in your question are two distict types. Issue trees are at the heart of the problem solving approach.
As soon as you are aligned on all underlying sub problems you force yourself to take a view and focus on the most important issues based on your hypotheses answer first style. An issue tree is the foundation of all consulting projects once a new project starts you draft an issue tree of the case problem right away as a team. Mastering them is a requirement if you want to get a job in a top consulting firm such as mckinsey bain and bcg.
Issue trees also known as logic trees and hypothesis trees are the most fundamental tool to structure and solve problems in a systematic way. In this post we cover issue tree examples and templates you can reuse in your own case interviews. Mece issue trees aka logic trees are used to break down complex questions into simpler sub questions.
Issue tree analysis is used by mckinsey and other consulting firms to solve client problems.