MECE Framework for Structural Thinking

1. MECE FRAMEWORK for STRUCTURED THINKINGCRACK Scenario-based & Case Interview Questions CodeGround Online Testing Platform is an online assessment and evaluation system that helps Recruiters conduct online screening tests to filter candidates before the interview process. CodeGround Recruitment Tests can be used during Campus Recruitment or screening walk-in candidates. CodeGround supports Aptitude Tests, English Communication Skills Assessments and Online Coding Contests in C, C++, Java, PHP, Ruby, Python and JavaScript. CodeGround also supports asynchronous automated interviews.

2. What is the MECE Framework? The optimal solution path Problem Statement MECE stands for “Mutually Exclusive – Collectively Exhaustive” It is a problem-solving approach that forces you to list down all possible options without double counting. • The Problem Statement is written down first. You must choose your words carefully while writing this down to ensure that there is no ambiguity in understanding the problem. • The Options to solve the problem are then listed down in a tree-like fashion. The options must not overlap (Mutually exclusive) and no option must be missed out (Collectively exhaustive) • Once the tree is built, the pros and cons of each path in the tree is discussed until the optimal solution path is decided. MECE is popular among business consultants to solve problems and communicate their solutions. Option 3 Option 2 Option 1 Option 3-A Option 1-B Option 1-A Option 3-C Option 3-B

3. MECE Illustration 1: A business case study Problem Statement: My restaurant is not profitable Reduce costs Increase Revenue Increase menu prices Increase # of orders Reduce salary expenses Reduce rental costs Reduce raw material expenses Fire redundant workers Shift to a less pricey neighborhood Better storage facilities to avoid wastage Change the vendor Change cuisine/ theme Marketing promotions Shift to a mall to get more foot traffic Once a MECE Tree like this is built, each option can be analyzed for feasibility. The optimal solution can then be chosen.

4. MECE Illustration 2: Situational Interview Question Situational Interview Question: One of your team members is not delivering their work on time and you are worried that as a result the project will not be completed before the deadline. If the issue is very drastic, raise it with Mgmt. Solve it internally. Chat with the teammate to understand what’s wrong Ignore the issue. It will probably be fixed on its own. Increase your teammate’s productivity Increase productivity of the concerned employee Increase productivity of others in team to compensate Personnel change Realign delivery expectations Offer help with personal/ professional problems Offer tutoring on problem areas Rebalance the workload to align with your teammate’s strengths Get everyone to chip in and do a bit more while your teammate is going through a tough period Feedback sessions/ Disciplinary warnings if needed Recommend Training Programs Personal leave as necessary to get personal issues sorted out Change this person to some other project that he/ she is more interested in. Bring in someone else for this project. Drop low priority features from the project Postpone the deadline

5. MECE Illustration 3: Software Project Mgmt Software Project Mgmt Interview Question: You have identified that the customer requirements cannot be delivered on time. What do you do? Increase productivity of the team Add more resources Risk: See the Man Hour Myth. New employees take 2-3 months to ramp up Realign delivery expectations Take shortcuts during the development cycle to save time Risk: Quality will suffer. Not Recommended Change development methodology to increase productivity Training & Mentoring Downside: Training takes a few months to have impact Push people to work harder with incentives (team outing). Risk: Burn out Drop low priority items from backlog but ensure delivered items are high quality and tested end-to-end. Extend time for delivery Risk: Customers may not be happy Both agile and test driven development together is also possible. Switch to agile. Continuous delivery with testing can increase productivity by keeping QA always engaged (In waterfall, QA gets engaged only towards the end). Feedback is also incorporated early to avoid time wasted on corrections. Use Test Driven development. Define interfaces clearly based on requirements and have QA develop test cases against those interfaces, while developers write code to satisfy interfaces.

6. Using MECE Framework in a job interview • The MECE Framework is a structured approach to problem solving that is useful in answering many types of job interview questions. • Before staring on the solution, focus on defining the Problem Statement using a clear, unambiguous sentence. • DON’T just use the MECE Framework within your mind. Use it to communicate that your thought processes are actually structured. Draw the MECE Tree on paper or on whiteboard during the interview. • Once you have drawn the MECE Tree, engage the interviewer on different solutions that are the leaf nodes in the MECE Tree. • Ask questions to get more context to see if this solution is applicable. • Discuss pros and cons of each solution with the Interviewer. • Always think out aloud to ensure that you and the Interviewer are on the same page. • If the Interviewer offers any hints, always take those hints and make corrections to the MECE structure as necessary. • After you have arrived at the final solution, conclude with a quick summary. The summary should restate the problem statement, describe the pros and cons of various alternatives considered and finally state the solution that you would recommend.

7. Was this Content Useful? Comment Share Like CodeGround Online Testing Platform is an online assessment and evaluation system that helps Recruiters conduct online screening tests to filter candidates before the interview process. CodeGround Recruitment Tests can be used during Campus Recruitment or screening walk-in candidates. CodeGround supports Aptitude Tests, English Communication Skills Assessments and Online Coding Contests in C, C++, Java, PHP, Ruby, Python and JavaScript. CodeGround also supports asynchronous automated interviews.