Methodology
How the simulator thinks
Every engagement follows a six-stage diagnostic methodology, and every score comes from an explicit, published rubric. Nothing is scored by an opaque algorithm.
The six-stage diagnostic methodology
- 1
Strategic Context
Understand the strategy, priorities, success measures and pressures before touching the request.
- 2
Stakeholder Discovery
Interview stakeholders. Question quality, coverage and the ability to challenge assumptions matter more than volume.
- 3
Problem Diagnosis
Identify the real performance problem using 5 Whys, Fishbone, gap analysis, systems thinking or the 7S lens.
- 4
Capability Assessment
Separate individual competency gaps from organisational barriers; assess current versus required capability.
- 5
Solution Architecture
Design an intervention portfolio justified by the diagnosis. Training is one option among many.
- 6
Impact Measurement
Build a measurement strategy that distinguishes learning effectiveness from organisational impact.
Diagnostic tools
5 Whys
Ask 'why' iteratively until you move from symptom to a cause you can act on.
Fishbone (Ishikawa)
Map candidate causes across people, process, technology, structure, governance and environment.
Performance Gap Analysis
Define the desired and actual performance, size the gap, then ask what is causing it.
Systems Thinking
Look for feedback loops, delays and incentives that make the system produce the outcome.
Process Analysis
Walk the actual workflow to find hand-offs, workarounds and failure points.
McKinsey 7S (optional lens)
Check alignment of strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills.
Scoring rubric
Each of the eight dimensions is scored 0–100 against named criteria defined in the scenario. The overall score is the weighted mean, and weights are always shown.
1Strategic Alignment
Reviewed the strategy before interviewing; tied the diagnosis to a stated priority; KPIs trace to a strategic objective.
2Stakeholder Engagement
Covered the critical stakeholder groups, including the frontline; maintained trust; reconciled conflicting views.
3Diagnostic Thinking
Share of high-quality questions among all questions asked; assumptions challenged with evidence; hypotheses logged and revised.
4Root Cause Identification
Precision and recall against the scenario's true root causes; plausible distractors avoided.
5Evidence-Based Decisions
Each selected cause is linked to supporting evidence; contradicting evidence is acknowledged.
6Capability Assessment
Gaps classified correctly as individual skill gaps or organisational barriers; future capability needs identified.
7Solution Appropriateness
Interventions fit the diagnosed causes; every true cause is addressed; harmful or irrelevant interventions avoided.
8Business Impact Orientation
KPI tree spans strategic, operational, behavioural and capability levels, each with baseline, target, timeline and owner.
What the scoring rewards and penalises
- Quality, not volume. Diagnostic thinking is a ratio of high-quality questions plus coverage of critical questions. Weak questions dilute your score and spend your budget.
- Premature training. If you recommend training and none of the causes is a skill gap, Solution Appropriateness is capped at 40. Proposing solutions during interviews also costs stakeholder trust.
- Unsupported claims. A root cause without linked evidence earns at most 30% of its value.
Facts, claims and assumptions
Everything in the simulator is labelled by where it came from, so you never confuse opinion with evidence.
- FactScenario-defined data or document.
- ClaimA stakeholder's view, which may be biased.
- AssumptionYour own hypothesis, not yet proven.
- SystemFeedback generated by the simulator.
The engagement budget
Real consultants work with limited time and access. Every document review and interview question costs consultant hours. Prioritising the right questions is part of the skill being assessed.