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Consulting Methodologies Flashcards

7 cards from real CMC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which consulting framework is best suited for analyzing the competitive dynamics of an industry before entering a new market?

    Answer: Porter's Five Forces

    Porter's Five Forces evaluates competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitutes, and threat of new entrants to assess industry attractiveness.

  2. In hypothesis-driven consulting, what is the primary purpose of building an 'issue tree'?

    Answer: To decompose a problem into mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive sub-issues

    An issue tree (logic tree) breaks a central problem into MECE branches so every driver can be investigated without overlap or gaps.

  3. A consultant uses a 'pyramid principle' when structuring a client deliverable. What does this mean?

    Answer: Begin with the key message and support it with grouped arguments and evidence

    The pyramid principle (Barbara Minto) places the main recommendation first, followed by supporting arguments and data, matching executive communication preferences.

  4. When conducting a gap analysis, what are consultants comparing?

    Answer: Current state versus desired future state to identify differences

    Gap analysis identifies the difference between where an organization is today and where it wants to be, guiding the development of improvement initiatives.

  5. Which phase of the classic consulting engagement lifecycle involves validating hypotheses with data collection and analysis?

    Answer: Diagnostic/analysis phase

    The diagnostic phase is where consultants gather and analyze data to test their initial hypotheses and refine their understanding of the problem.

  6. A client asks a consultant to perform a 'benchmarking study.' What type of analysis does this primarily involve?

    Answer: Comparing the client's performance metrics against best-in-class peers

    Benchmarking compares a client's KPIs and processes to industry leaders or best practices to identify performance gaps and improvement opportunities.

  7. In Lean consulting methodology, what does 'value stream mapping' help identify?

    Answer: All steps in a process flow and the distinction between value-added and non-value-added activities

    Value stream mapping visualizes every step in a process to highlight waste (non-value-added steps) and opportunities for efficiency improvement.