McKinsey is very famous now, but you know, McKinsey was not famous at the beginning, and it was not doing business consulting at the beginning. Many people regard entering an internship at McKinsey as a highlight of their resumes, including Feng Tang, who often uses McKinsey’s work as an endorsement. So, what did McKinsey do in the first place? Doing financial management, yes, is the most basic financial management. Personally speaking, you don’t have to care too much about whether you have the same experience as them. What’s more important is that you have to have the same way of thinking as them. Now let’s take a look at the seven representative steps of McKinsey’s working methods to solve problems efficiently.
Step 1: Define the Problem
I have to admit that many people don’t know what makes them successful. As Dong Yuhui said, he didn’t expect that he could be so popular at first, and he didn’t understand why he became so popular.
But not everyone is as honest as Dong Yuhui. After achieving some achievements, more people start to talk about how they worked hard to realize their dreams as if they have experienced it.
So, just like many people don’t know why they succeed/fail, many people don’t know what the real problem is.
Therefore, first, figure out what the problem is. This is the first key to solving the problem.
Problem background:
- Why do we need to solve this problem?
- Where did this problem come from?
- Why is it important to the company?
- Is it related to the company’s strategic layout?
- Who are the decision makers?
Step 2: Break Down the Problem
Decomposing a problem is to break down difficult things into relatively easy things. At the same time, find the main problem in the problem. It is clearly explained in one sentence, but in order to take care of everyone’s thinking level and cognitive level, it is divided into two steps.
Step 3: Break Down Priorities
That is to say, we will give these issues a “capital ranking discussion” according to their degree of importance. Knowing the importance of a problem does not necessarily mean solving it immediately. Everyone knows that a decision-maker is needed to make a big deal, but not all big orders are discussed directly with the decision-maker. Many people are just stuck in their thinking and do whatever comes to their mind. They do not understand that there is a process between theory and practice.
Step 4: Develop a Work Plan and Team Workflow
What is said here is very simple, even too simple, which is to hand over tasks (sub-problems) to team members. Tasks should be arranged according to the strengths and weaknesses of each employee. There are more explanations about the actual operation of task arrangement here. There is a difference between managers and managers. For people, more emotional intelligence is needed, for things, more IQ is needed.
Step 5: Analyze the Problem
The analysis questions here are of a different type than the original analysis questions. The previous analysis is about directional issues, and these analyses are about more detailed issues. The fishbone diagram analysis tool was mentioned, and it does have a certain effect.
Step 6: Analysis Tools
If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. The difference between humans and animals is that humans can use tools. The difference between smart people and mediocre people is also the use of tools. Some tools are visible and some are invisible.
Step 7: Comprehensive Analysis and Clarifying Opinions
Storytelling here means considering the issue from the other person’s perspective. It’s not just for the sake of telling stories, but telling stories is to help the other party become clearer and achieve the desired communication effect.
Conclusion
Finally, I would like to remind readers that the key point is to understand the underlying logic behind it. As for whether the division is 7 steps, 3 steps, or 10 steps, it is OK. Whatever suits you and works for you is your magic weapon. The division of steps is a formality, and the underlying logic is the core.