mckinsey business case presentation

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McKinsey Case Template

Walk through a McKinsey-style case at your own pace

Christy currently works as a senior associate for EdR Trust, a publicly traded multi-family  REIT . Prior to joining EdR Trust, Christy works for CBRE in investment property sales. Before completing her  MBA  and breaking into finance, Christy founded and education startup in which she actively pursued for seven years and works as an internal auditor for the U.S. Department of State and CIA.

Christy has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administrations from the University of London.

Elliot currently works as a Private Equity Associate at Greenridge Investment Partners, a middle market fund based in Austin, TX. He was previously an Analyst in  Piper Jaffray 's Leveraged Finance group, working across all industry verticals on  LBOs , acquisition financings, refinancings, and recapitalizations. Prior to Piper Jaffray, he spent 2 years at  Citi  in the Leveraged Finance Credit Portfolio group focused on origination and ongoing credit monitoring of outstanding loans and was also a member of the Columbia recruiting committee for the Investment Banking Division for incoming summer and full-time analysts.

Elliot has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Columbia University.

Download WSO's free McKinsey Case PowerPoint template below!

This template allows you to work through a McKinsey -style case on your own.

This  plug-and-play template allows you to  walk through the case at your own pace . The sample case also includes other slide pages for other elements of a case interview . According to the WSO Dictionary ,

"A case interview is a job interview in which the applicant is presented with a challenging business scenario that he/she must investigate and propose a solution to. Case interviews are designed to test the candidate's analytical skills and "soft" skills within a realistic business context."

A screenshot below gives you  a sneak peek of the template.

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More Resources:

We hope this template helps you excel at your job! Please check out the following additional resources to help you advance your career:

• BCG Case Template
• Company Drivers PowerPoint Template
• Company Overview PowerPoint Template
• Industry Analysis PowerPoint Template
• DCF  Output PowerPoint Template

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Database of 50+ Downloadable McKinsey Presentations

Table of contents.

It’s great to learn the techniques that strategy consulting firms like McKinsey & Co use to build compelling slide decks. But sometimes you just want to see McKinsey presentations to see how those techniques are applied in the real world.

In fact, we think that reviewing presentations from real-world strategy projects is one of the best ways to improve your own slide skills — along with joining a high-quality presentation course.

The problem is that it’s quite hard to find good-quality McKinsey presentations. Most of them are commercial in confidence and, even if they’re not, they’re scattered all over the web.

You can download the full set of McKinsey presentations (plus an additional 100+ presentations from BCG, Bain & Co, Kearney, Oliver Wyman, L.E.K, and more) using this form:

Download 120+ strategy consulting presentations for free

Looking for slide inspiration? Download 120+ consulting slide decks from top strategy consulting firms, such as McKinsey, BCG and Bain!

Or if you’d rather download the McKinsey presentations individually, you’ll find a list for you to download below:

McKinsey Presentations

• McKinsey – A Blueprint For Addressing The Global Affordable Housing Challenge (2015)
• McKinsey – Accelerating Hybrid Cloud Adoption In Banking And Securities (2020)
• McKinsey – Addressing The Global Affordable Housing Challenge (2016)
• McKinsey – Attracting Responsible Mining Investment In Fragile And Conflict Affected Settings (2014)
• McKinsey – Capturing The Data & Advanced Analytics Opportunity In Capital Markets (2017)
• McKinsey – Capturing The Full Electricity Efficiency Potential Of The U.K. (2012)
• McKinsey – Challenges In Mining: Scarcity Or Opportunity? (2015)
• McKinsey – Context For Global Growth And Development (2014)
• McKinsey – Covid-19 – Auto & Mobility Consumer Insights (2020)
• McKinsey – Current Perspectives On Medical Affairs In Japan (2018)
• McKinsey – Digital And Innovation Strategies For The Infrastructure Industry (2018)
• McKinsey – Digital Luxury Experience (2017)
• McKinsey – Digitally-Enabled Processes In The NHS (2014)
• McKinsey – European Banking Summit (2018)
• McKinsey – Fab Automation – Artificial Intelligence (Unknown)
• McKinsey – Fintech: How Financial Institutions In Europe (Should) Prepare For The Future (2017)
• McKinsey – Five Keys To Unlocking Growth In Marketing’s “New Golden Age” (2017)
• McKinsey – From Poverty To Empowerment: India’s Imperative For Jobs, Growth And Effective Basic Services (2014)
• McKinsey – Helping Global Health Partnerships To Increase Their Impact (2019)
• McKinsey – How Companies Can Capture The Veteran Opportunity (2012)
• McKinsey – How Unconventionals Are Changing Global Oil And Gas Markets (2013)
• McKinsey – How Will Internet Of Things, Mobile Internet, Data Analytics And Cloud Transform Public Services By 2030? (2015)
• McKinsey – Insurance Trends And Growth Opportunities For Poland (2015)
• McKinsey – Investment And Industrial Policy (2018)
• McKinsey – Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions (2017)
• McKinsey – Laying The Foundations For A Financially Sound Industry (2013)
• McKinsey – Lebanon Economic Vision – Full Report (2018)
• McKinsey – Manufacturing The Future: The Next Era Of Global Growth And Innovation (2013)
• McKinsey – Modelling The Potential Of Digitally-Enabled Processes, Transparency And Participation In The Nhs (2014)
• McKinsey – Moving Laggards To Early Adopters (2019)
• McKinsey – New Horizons In Transportation: Mobility, Innovation, Economic Development And Funding Implications (2020)
• McKinsey – Outperformers: High Growth Emerging Economies (2018)
• McKinsey – Overview Of M&A, 2016 (2016)
• McKinsey – Perspectives On Manufacturing, Disruptive Technologies, And Industry 4.0 (2014)
• McKinsey – Race In The Workplace: The Black Experience In The U.S. Private Sector (2021)
• McKinsey – Refueling The Innovation Engine In Vaccines (2016)
• McKinsey – Reinventing Construction: A Route To Higher Productivity (2017)
• McKinsey – Restoring Economic Health To The North Sea (2015)
• McKinsey – Technology’s Role In Mineral Criticality (2017)
• McKinsey – The Changed Agenda In The Global Sourcing Industry (2019)
• McKinsey – The Five Frames – A Guide To Transformational Change (Unknown)
• McKinsey – The Future Energy Landscape: Global Trends And A Closer Look At The Netherlands (2017)
• McKinsey – The Future Of The Finance Function –Experiences From The U.S. Public Sector (2019)
• McKinsey – The Internet Of Things And Big Data (2013)
• McKinsey – Us Productivity Growth: The Company And Sector Story (2015)
• McKinsey – Using Artificial Intelligence To Prevent Healthcare Errors From Occurring (2017)
• McKinsey – USPS Future Business Model (2010)
• McKinsey – What Makes Private Sector Partnerships Work (2011)
• McKinsey – Women In The Workplace (2022)

Other Presentations

If you’d like to download more consulting decks from BCG, Bain, L.E.K Consulting, Oliver Wyman, Kearney and more, then check out our free database of 221+ downloadable consulting presentations .

Connect with us

McKinsey-style business presentations

Grow a business.

• Flat Design
• Minimalist Design
• Colorful, Bright, and Bold Design
• Infographic-Style Slides in Presentations
• Bold Typography Design

Presentation skills are essential to success in any business. This article explains how to structure a McKinsey-style business presentation, step by step, from a single slide to a complete deck. We discuss how to prepare… ... read more Presentation skills are essential to success in any business. This article explains how to structure a McKinsey-style business presentation, step by step, from a single slide to a complete deck. We discuss how to prepare for a presentation, how to structure the material, and how to deliver the presentation. close

What can we learn about presentations from the most successful management consulting companies like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain?

Prezlab has had the privilege of working with some of the best management consulting firms in the region and has helped a slew of consultants and consulting companies with their presentations. We thought it would be a great idea to jot down what the most successful management consulting companies such as McKinsey, BCG, and Bain do in their presentations to make them such a success. Their presentations are elegant, articulate, well-organized, engaging, and pack a mighty punch.

Great consultants are problem-solvers. In our opinion, this is a must for consultants. When this ability is coupled with the ability to design a great presentation, that’s when the magic happens. Because with the power of effective communication and delivery, they can change minds and convince their audience that their solutions are the most effective. Unfortunately, a lot of management consultants lack this ability. This blog is meant to bring you a little closer to becoming an effective communicator of solutions via presentation design .

Think of a great presentation like a movie; storytelling is the most central aspect. The idea of your presentation as a management consultant is to present and unpack complex ideas in the most simplified and easy-to-understand manner. Apart from storytelling, the other aspects of your presentation would be data and analysis. All of these elements should work in unison and be coherent with each other to make one singular point, the solution. If you want to learn more about this aspect of a presentation then read our blog: Effective remedies to dull and boring presentations .

Before you start, ask yourself the following questions:

01 Who is my target audience and what is their level of understanding of the problems?

02 How long should your presentation be?

03 How much time would your audience like to spend on your presentation?

04 What do they care about?

05 What action would you like them to take after your presentation?

The typical elements of a management consulting presentation

1 – executive summary.

The executive summary is a situational summary of the problem at hand and the gist of your presentation. This is mostly written for top management who don’t have the time to go through the entire presentation and just want a powerful summary.

2 – Table of Content

A table of content helps spark interest and give your audience an idea of what is to come. This is usually shown right at the beginning before you begin presenting your material.

3 – Action Title

The action title is your single point or key idea that you will be proposing in the rest of the presentation. Every point you introduce should connect back to the action title.

4 – Chapters and Body of Slides

The chapters and body of slides are the slides that conform to the narrative. You can split the presentation into chapters to break it into more palatable sections. Use the slides to present your story backed by the data and analysis.

5 – Conclusion and recommendations

The conclusion reinforces and reiterates your final point or your solution. This section summarizes all your main ideas and condenses them into a central theme.

One aspect that makes sides from McKinsey and other top management consulting firms stand out is the use of engaging visuals that go side by side with the data being presented in the slides.

Another aspect of McKinsey slides is the constant and conscious attempt to keep the number of slides to as few as possible. This default instinct is to present as much data as possible. The false impression that most management consultants have is that if they say more, they have a better chance of winning their audience over.

Nothing can be further away from the truth. Once you start thinking this way you would be surprised how you can chop down 20 slides to 2 slides without losing any real impact. Presentation formats such as the PechaKucha or Guy Kawasaki methods limit their slides to a certain number and work within that specific parameter to tell a story.

McKinsey consultancy slides also do not use a lot of bullet points – it is a surefire way of losing your audience’s interest. Studies have shown that people are more likely to remember information presented as images and pictures rather than bullet points. Steve Jobs, one of the greatest presenters of all time, never used bullets in any of his presentations, and we wrote a blog on  5 Presentation Lessons You Can Learn from Steve Jobs  if you are interested in learning more .

Key features from McKinsey slides worth keeping in mind:

01 Choose a professional font like Arial or any other professional font

02 Keep colors to a minimum and keep the color scheme consistent across all the slides

03 Highlight the key points

04 Avoid clutter, give your slides enough breathing space

05 Ensure proper and correct alignment

06 Have a “source” section at the bottom of each slide

07 No fancy graphics or animations

And most importantly: make sure each side has an action title that encapsulates the key idea of that slide in a one-liner (maximum two sentences). The idea is that if someone reads just the action titles of each slide, they should get the gist of your presentation.

If you want to see some of McKinsey’s presentations in action then check out the links below:

Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation

Reinventing Construction

Laying the foundations for a financially sound industry

If you would like to get your McKinsey-style slides designed by Prezlab, get in touch with us .

Let us design your presentation!

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47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

One of the best ways to prepare for   case interviews  at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. 

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

• McKinsey examples
• BCG examples
• Bain examples
• Deloitte examples
• Other firms' examples
• Case books from consulting clubs
• Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

• Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
• Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
• Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
• GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
• National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
• Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
• Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
• Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
• McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

• Foods Inc and GenCo case samples  (BCG website)
• Chateau Boomerang written case interview  (BCG website)
• BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG live case interview with notes (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview with ex-BCG associate director - Public sector case (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview: Revenue problem case (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

• CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
• FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
• Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Written case interview tips (Bain website)
• Bain case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)
• Digital transformation case with ex-Bain consultant
• Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

• Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
• Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
• Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
• Retail Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Finance Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Footloose written case  (by Deloitte)
• Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

• Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
• Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

• Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
• Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

• Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

• Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
• Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
• AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

• Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
• Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough   (L.E.K. website)
• Market sizing case example video walkthrough  (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

• Transit oriented development case webinar part 1  (Roland Berger website)
• Transit oriented development case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• Roland Berger case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough  (Capital One website)
• Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

13. Consulting clubs case interview examples

• Berkeley case book (2006)
• Columbia case book (2006)
• Darden case book (2012)
• Darden case book (2018)
• Duke case book (2010)
• Duke case book (2014)
• ESADE case book (2011)
• Goizueta case book (2006)
• Illinois case book (2015)
• LBS case book (2006)
• MIT case book (2001)
• Notre Dame case book (2017)
• Ross case book (2010)
• Wharton case book (2010)

Practice with experts

Using case interview examples is a key part of your interview preparation, but it isn’t enough.

At some point you’ll want to practise with friends or family who can give some useful feedback. However, if you really want the best possible preparation for your case interview, you'll also want to work with ex-consultants who have experience running interviews at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.

If you know anyone who fits that description, fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

Here's the good news. We've already made the connections for you. We’ve created a coaching service where you can do mock case interviews 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from MBB firms . Start scheduling sessions today!

The IGotAnOffer team

3 Great Examples of Slide Structure from McKinsey, Bain, and BCG

By Paul Moss

Consulting firms all around the world consistently rely on the pyramid principle to build high-quality presentations with proper slide structure..

Consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG rely on proper slide structure to communicate insights to their clients. In this post, I’ll show you exactly how they use the Pyramid Principle to structure their slides, and why it makes such a big difference in the clarity of their presentations.  

If you’re new to this blog, make sure you check out our other  consulting slide breakdowns . And when you’re ready, take a look at our advanced PowerPoint and presentation building  courses  where you can learn to create presentations like a top-tier consultant. 

FREE Slide Design Course

Enroll in our free 5-day email course and learn how to design slides like a McKinsey consultant.

Complete hands-on exercises , review a realistic consulting case study , and get personalized feedback from your instructor!

Plus get a free copy of our Top 50 PowerPoint Shortcuts for Consultants cheat sheet.

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Table of Contents

What is the Pyramid Principle?

Put simply, the Pyramid Principle is just a structured way of communicating your ideas where you  start with your main point and then work your way through the supporting details of that main point.  It is represented pretty well with a pyramid because you start right at the top of the Pyramid and then move down to the bottom with more supporting details and data.

Let’s say I am trying to communicate the idea that LeBron James is my favorite player. I would first start with the main point, and then provide my three key arguments for why he is my favorite player. Then below that, I could provide supporting details for each key argument. 

In this visualization,  each idea is meant to summarize all the ideas below it.  For example, the idea that Lebron James scores a lot of points summarizes the two supporting details about his career average of 27 points per game, and him being the 3rd highest all-time scorer. 

This style of top-down communication works really well in a variety of settings, including email, face-to-face communication, and of course, PowerPoint presentations — which is what I’m going to focus on here. 

BCG Example

The first example on our list is BCG . The slide is an excellent example of the Pyramid Principle because it is well-structured and clear. The slide title says “Melbourne seen as a cultural and creative city”, which is the main point the slide creator is trying to communicate (which is why it sits at the top of the slide in bold green letters).

Then they’ve split the main point into two key arguments: “Melbourne perceived by Australians as the country’s leading cultural city” and, “International travelers also perceive Melbourne as a creative city”. Then below each subtitle, there are four supporting points that are meant to provide support. 

“Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination” BCG

In this example the Pyramid Principle is quite easy to see. The title of the slide is the main point, the subtitles of the slide represent the key arguments, and the bullet points below that make up the supporting details and data. Each aspect of the slide fits into one of these three layers, and  everything on the slide has a purpose.

By structuring the information in this way,  BCG makes it easy for the audience to process the contents of the slide quickly and easily.  There’s no question about what they’re trying to say, or why they’re trying to say it.

With data-heavy slides like this, it can be easy for the audience to get lost — especially if they’re trying to listen to a live speaker, read the words on the slide, and think critically about the slide’s message. Even for a smart person, this can be cognitive overload.  Organizing the slide into digestible bites significantly reduces the mental load on the audience. 

McKinsey Example 

The next slide from McKinsey is also reasonably straightforward. It’s from a deck about high-growth emerging economies, which they refer to as “outperforming economies”.

The title of the slide says “A pro growth agenda of productivity, income, and demand propelled the outperforming economies”, and the slide itself shows the three areas that have propelled the growth for these emerging economies: productivity, growth, and demand. 

“Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them” McKinsey, October 2018

There’s a few data points on the slide and a nice visual in the middle to break down the three main categories, making it pretty easy to spot the different layers in the Pyramid. So obviously, just like in our last slide, the main point will be represented by the title. That is what they want us to understand and take away from the slide first.

Then next the key argument level is also pretty clear with “higher productivity”, “boosting demand”, and “strong and inclusive growth” shown in bold text within each bracket (and also mentioned in the title). Then lastly, the bottom layer of the pyramid is represented by the various bullet points within each bracket (below the key arguments).

Altogether, it makes for  a well structured slide with a clear message and clear supporting points.  Despite not be organized visually in the same way as the BCG slide, the slide is very well structured and easy to understand. 

Bain Example

Then lastly, we have a slide from Bain , and this one is slightly more complicated than the first two. The title says “Greater than 60% of growth in 2011 continues to come from new customers. However, share from existing customers improved.” The slide is all about the luxury goods market in China, and more specifically, they’re trying to show where the growth in the market is coming from.

 “China Luxury Market Study” Bain & Company, December 2011

The BCG slide was organized neatly into the left and right sections of the slide, and in the McKinsey slide they were bolded with bullet points underneath. What’s tricky about this slide however, is that  the Pyramid Principle is not clearly visible at first glance. 

The title of the slide still represents the main point, and the key arguments are not emphasized visually, but logically they’re still present. The first key argument is that growth is coming from new customers, and the second key argument is that growth is coming from existing customers. Then if you look through the body of the slide,  you’ll notice that everything falls into one of these two categories. 

In the waterfall chart for example, notice how it is split into these two categories: new customers (as represented by the red columns), and then existing customers (as represented by the dark grey columns). Then on the right hand side of the slide, each of the bullet points can fit into one of the two categories. 

For example, the first bullet says “China market is still supply driven; new store openings create new demand.” This clearly fits into the key argument about growth coming (in part) from new customers. Combined with the key argument about growth coming from existing customers,  these two provide solid logical support for the main point. 

So despite not having an easy visual layout like the previous two examples, this slide is well organized logically, and provides a nice structure that helps the audience clearly understand the main message, as well as the support for that main message. 

You can watch a video version of this article on YouTube .

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12) 4 approaches to automate work using cognitive technologies

Sneak previews -- they do not just work for movies, but for PowerPoint presentations as well. This presentation uses a smart technique to give an educational solution it is their target audience.

13) Moving digital transformation forward: Findings from the 2016 digital business global executive study and research report

This consulting slide deck is another design and storytelling win. If you observe carefully, the content is presented to its audience as a journey from the start (slide 7) to the end (slide 21). The information is shown with an infographic, but focuses and explains each component, so that the reader can easily absorb the information.

PWC Consulting Presentations

14) putting digital technology and data to work for tech cmo's.

This gem is another brilliant presentation example. Not only does it provide a step-by-step actionable recommendation (slides 15-18), but it gives a real case study afterwards. Many presentations supply data and recommendations without showing how they apply. Remember, success stories and testimonies boost your credibility.

15) PwC Trends in the workforce

Something fresh is always great. This consulting slide deck made our list because of the layout it uses on the left-hand side. Having a consistent, simple visual element (like a table of contents) helps engage the audience.

16) World Economic Forum: The power of analytics for better and faster decisions by Dan DiFilippo

It is difficult to retain information from presentations. This consulting slide deck is a notable example because it gives the audience a summary (slide 19) to ensure that the important learning points are not forgotten.

17) Business Pulse - Dual perspectives on the top 10 risks and opportunities 2013 and beyond

Whether you are giving a sales presentation or simply sharing information, speak to your audience. This exceptional consulting deck asks questions of the audience that are creative and intelligently crafted. Check out slides 2, 3 and 7.

18) How fit is your capital allocation strategy?

You don’t have to include everything. You can provide high-value additional content at the end of your presentation. Help your audience know what’s next.

19) The evolving value chain in life sciences

This is a good PowerPoint presentation example because it uses the company’s template and has the logo on every slide. Although it sounds like a small detail, including your logo on every slide increases familiarity and brand affinity, especially if your company is new.

20) The new revenue recognition standard for life sciences companies

What we can learn from this consulting slide deck (slide 3) is to remember to introduce yourselves... especially if you are presenting to a new group of people! Providing your particulars also enable you to network easily afterwards and boost your professional connections.

21) Cultural Times - The first global map of cultural and creative industries

Literary techniques can go beyond poems or plays. Use acronyms, alliteration, similes, and metaphors when presenting. In this PowerPoint presentation example, the speaker used 4Ds to help its audience remember the key points. Brilliant.

Ernst & Young Consulting Presentations

22) ey human capital conference 2012.

This pitch deck by EY addresses the complexities of managing employee mobility, focusing on the various considerations that both employers and employees must navigate. It covers essential topics such as risk management, ensuring the quality and effectiveness of mobility programs, compliance with legal requirements and the need for effective coordination and communication.

23) EY Price Point: global oil and gas market outlook

This pitch deck from EY presents a global outlook on the oil and gas market as we enter 2021 with a sense of cautious optimism regarding global health, the economy, and energy markets. The early approval and rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the US and UK have injected hope, particularly highlighted by the swift development and reported efficacy exceeding 90%.

24) IBOR transition challenges and opportunities

This consulting slide deck outlines the agenda and provides an overview for a webinar focused on the IBOR transition within the asset management industry. The webinar aims to discuss various aspects of the transition, including its current progress, the implications for asset managers and their products, insights from European central banking working groups, and how different firms are handling the migration process.

25) Power transactions and trends Q2 2019 overview

This EY pitch deck provides an analysis of global power and utilities deal activity in the second quarter of 2019, highlighting a substantial 44% increase in deal value from the first quarter, totaling $26.8 billion. The Americas emerged as the region with the highest deal value, contributing $13.1 billion. Financial investors played a pivotal role, predominantly targeting integrated utility assets for their stability.

Achieve Pitch Perfection With Superside's Consulting PPT Deck Services

Here is the secret from professional consultant presentations: there is no secret. Presentations succeed because they use the same basic rules, whether for a consulting giant or a one-person start-up.

Use these tips to take your presentation to the next level:

• Keep your audience in mind.
• Be creative and unique–stand out with the help of Superside.
• Be thoughtful. Make information easy to digest.

Your next consulting presentation could be designed by experts in the field who have created pitch deck templates for consulting firms. Eager to discover more?

Book a free demo and a call with Superside today and see how our presentation design services can elevate your pitch to the next level.

What do McKinsey presentations look like?

by Consultant's Mind | 16 comments

What do McKinsey presentations looks like? 

Please find links to 30+ McKinsey presentations which are publicly available online.  Many of these are from conferences, or governmental / non-profit organizations clients who have chosen to make them available online. Yes, Google is useful.

I selected the ones which as less than 10 years old have more than 15 pages. Have more to say at the bottom of the post, but take a look at a few:

Challenges in Mining: Scarcity or Opportunity? (2015, 2.9Mb, 41pg) Addressing the global affordable housing challenge (2016, 3.9Mb, 29pg) How can companies capture veteran opportunities   (2012, 2.4Mb, 46pg)   The Internet of Things and Big Data: Opportunities for Value Creation   (2013, 600K, 17 pages) Context for Global Growth and Development   (2014, 900K, 11pg) Assessing the Impact of the Financial and Economic Crisis and Ideas to Enhance Americans’ Retirement Security (2009, 1.2Mb, 22pg) From poverty to empowerment MGI INDIA   (2014, 900K, 21pg) Big Data and Advanced Analytics (BDAA) for the Finance function (2014, 1.3Mb, 18pg) China Energy Demand Perspective (2014, 2.3Mb, 18pg) Insurance trends and growth opportunities for Poland (2015, 1.8Mb, 25pg) What makes private public partnerships work (2011, 1.1Mb, 12pg) Business plan preparation: Manual for Entrepreneurs   (2014, 900K, 76pg) USPS Future Business Model   (2010, 300K, 39pg) Healthcare.gov Red Team   (3.8Mb, 15 pg)   Laying the foundation for a sound industry – OECD   (2013, 400K, 17pg) Can the Financial Sector Promote Growth and Stability ?  (2015, 300K, 17pg) Enhancing the contribution of MSMEs to economic development: main barriers and possible interventions   (2011, 800K, 50pg)

A couple of thoughts:

• In true McKinsey style, there is a lot of analysis and data
• Titles are written in sentence-form with a “takeaway”
• Standardized color, font, layout, and kicker-boxes
• Frameworks to simplify the complex: timelines, value chain, bubble charts, histograms, maturity models, waterfall charts, and ROE analysis
• Diverse topics ranging from Big data in Mining to Polish insurance
• Use of experts, quotations, and inferences for more qualitative data
• Use of large surveys (n=20K+) to create voice of customer data

What is your major takeaway from viewing these presentations?

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16 Comments

You have provided a tremendous service here. Thank you! Looking at these decks made me wonder what the delivery of these presentations was like. The slides seem designed to stand alone and survive delivery by an unskilled speaker. This is the opposite of the Guy Kawasaki approach ( https://guykawasaki.com/the_102030_rule/ ), where it might be difficult to reconstruct the presentation from the slides alone.

My preference is to do the heavy intellectual lifting in a narrative report and then put together a presentation that serves as a verbal executive summary. When preparing the presentation, the logic comes first, and then the slides serve the logic.

Thanks for comment. I have done both – but prefer slides that stand alone. Slides always get passed around.

I completely agree with you.

Thanks for reading.

Great work. Thanks for putting this invaluable piece together.

Surely – thanks for reading and sharing.

These slides look really, really ugly. Honestly, I’d expect better from an MBB consultant in 2017.

For many of them, I would agree. Many of these are for conferences and the like – but yes, not very “put together”.

Nice share, I found this piece much informative and of value. Thank you for sharing

Great slides, very helpful. Thank for sharing.

This is very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading. If you find other ones online, let me know, will link.

Great slides and thank you for sharing indeed.

Very nice job. Thank you for sharing

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One of the best ways to prepare for   case leitfaden  at corporations like Mckenzie, BCG, or Bain, a by studying case question examples. 

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A blueprint for M&A success

Large mergers and acquisitions (M&A) tend to get the biggest headlines, but, as McKinsey research  indicates, executives should be paying attention to all the small deals, too. These smaller transactions, when pursued as part of a deliberate and systematic M&A program, tend to yield strong returns over the long run with comparatively low risk. And, based on our research, companies’ ability to successfully manage these deals can be a central factor in their ability to withstand economic shocks. 1 Martin Hirt, Sven Smit, Chris Bradley, Robert Uhlaner, Mihir Mysore, Yuval Atsmon, and Nicholas Northcote, “ Getting ahead of the next stage of the coronavirus ,” April 2020.

The execution of such a programmatic M&A strategy is not easy, however. Consider the situation at one global cosmetics company (a hypothetical case based on real-world experiences). Enthusiastic executives all had different ideas about which M&A opportunities the company should pursue (exhibit).

Undue influences

The hypothetical case of the global cosmetics company points to two common cognitive biases that can emerge when any company attempts to pursue programmatic M&A: the shiny-object syndrome and Maslow’s hammer.

The shiny-object syndrome —also known as extreme distraction. Companies that continually chase down the next new thing run the risk of pursuing initiatives in the wrong order, skipping foundational tasks, or duplicating efforts and investments.

The M&A team at the cosmetics company, for instance, was reactive. It was swayed by deals sourced by third parties, and it ended up inventing growth strategies around possible, exciting targets without a clear understanding of how they could generate value.

Maslow’s hammer. In his 1966 book The Psychology of Science (HarperCollins), psychologist Abraham Maslow stated, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” This is the approach the cosmetics company favored—establishing a well-organized M&A team but then using it to drive almost all growth rather than applying it only to those opportunities best suited to be bought, not built.

Without an M&A blueprint to provide an incontrovertible fact base and action plan, the cosmetics company’s efforts to implement programmatic deal making turned into a quixotic, time-wasting effort.

The CEO was pushing for a big bet on digital given the company’s superior financial position. Some senior leaders proposed expansion in greater China, the fastest-growing market for premium cosmetics. Other business-unit leaders saw poten­tial in the markets for organic products and men’s grooming. All had their own agendas (see sidebar, “Undue influences”).

Propelled by a healthy dose of FOMO (or fear of missing out) but lacking a clear set of priorities, the M&A team made multiple small bets on a range of businesses—even on some unexpected targets in adjacent markets (such as pet grooming). But the team did not have a clear plan for creating value from these targets nor for integrating them into the current business structure. The result? The organization ended up wasting time and resources on deals that were mostly unsuccessful, and its executives unintentionally created an unwieldy portfolio of businesses.

The M&A blueprint prompts business leaders to conduct a thorough self-assessment along with a comprehensive market assessment.

As this example illustrates, success in programmatic M&A requires much more than just executing on a long string of deals. Acquirers must articulate exactly why and where they need M&A to deliver on specific themes and objectives underlying their overarching corporate strategies. In addition, they must give careful thought as to how they plan to pursue programmatic M&A—including constructing a high-level business case and preliminary integration plans for each area in which they want to pursue M&A.

Taken together, these factors combine into what we call an M&A blueprint. In this article we discuss how it can be implemented to help organizations remain unrelentingly focused on their investment thesis throughout the deal process. Having a clear M&A blueprint is even more critical as com­panies begin to consider how to rebound from COVID-19. Without an M&A blueprint, it will be more difficult for companies to distinguish between through-cycle opportunities  that are consistent with their corporate strategy and “low hanging, distressed asset” deals that are not.

M&A blueprint: The building blocks

The M&A blueprint can help executives answer three main questions: Why and where should we use programmatic M&A to achieve our corporate strategy? And how should we use programmatic M&A to achieve our corporate strategy? Answering these questions will require asking still more clarifying questions about specific organizational strengths and capabilities, resources available, and other inputs to effective deal making.

Understanding ‘why’ and ‘where’

The M&A blueprint prompts business leaders to conduct a thorough self-assessment along with a comprehensive market assessment. The self-assessment helps establish the baseline from which to identify gaps in corporate ambitions as well as the opportunities for M&A to fill these gaps. It involves examining a company’s key sources of competitive advantage and testing their scalability to determine whether they would still play to the company’s advantage after a transaction. For its part, the market assessment acts as a “sense check” for business leaders, ensuring that the company’s M&A strategy capitalizes on the most recent and relevant trends, accounts for potential disruptions, and acknowledges competitors’ likely actions and reactions.

An M&A blueprint should also define any boundary conditions, or limits to the company’s use of M&A. These conditions, which are typically imposed by the CFO or the board investment committee, provide an important reality check: they define the con­straints on certain types or sizes of deals, thereby further narrowing the scope of potential targets. In setting these conditions, business leaders should account for preexisting financial hurdles—for instance, a rule that “deals must be accretive in the first year” likely would not apply to deals targeting growth and might therefore overly constrain M&A activity. Establishing these boundary conditions at the outset—with explicit agreement from the CFO and the board—can help put teeth into investment commitments and align everyone on negotiable and nonnegotiable terms.

Taken together, the self-assessment, market assessment, and review of boundary conditions can help executives understand the circumstances under which the pursuit of M&A makes the most sense, as well as the markets they are best positioned to enter. Indeed, the output of business leaders’ discussions about “why and where” will be a set of M&A themes that reflect the company’s best value-creation opportunities—those for which the company has the capabilities and resources to achieve intended strategic goals.

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What does a good M&A theme entail? For each theme, senior leaders should identify important deal criteria (categorizing potential targets by geog­raphy, sales channel, product type, and so on) as well as standard screening metrics like company size, number of employees, revenue growth, product port­folio, ownership, and so on. With this detailed information, organizations and M&A deal teams can continually cultivate potential targets within focused M&A themes while still being opportunistic about deals that present themselves.

Once these themes have been identified, business leaders should test them to ensure that they can execute against them—for instance, are there enough targets available, and do the right targets exist to fill gaps in the company’s capabilities? The M&A blueprint will be particularly critical in target-rich environments to help narrow down the list of potentials.

A “gold standard” M&A blueprint is detailed and focused on critical competitive information (value-creation levers, company capabilities, and so on). To understand whether their companies’ M&A themes are detailed enough, business leaders should consider whether they would be comfortable broadcasting those themes to competitors. The answer should be “no.” If the answer is “yes,” more work on the blueprint will be needed, as it and the related themes are likely not specific enough to be useful to M&A teams.

Understanding ‘how’

An M&A blueprint also prompts senior leaders to come up with a plan for “how” they will use M&A to further their overarching corporate strategies. Specifically, the M&A blueprint should delineate the high-level business case and preliminary integration plans associated with each M&A theme.

The business case should explain how the acqui­ring company plans to add value to the target or targets within a given M&A theme—for instance, the capital and operating expenditures needed (beyond the acquisition price) to integrate and scale the asset or assets. It should also outline the operational changes and capabilities that will be required to integrate the new assets—for instance, the creation of a new business unit or a set of new business processes to manage an acquired digital platform.

One large US healthcare company had committed to a strategy of building scale in its services businesses through M&A. First, it consolidated existing disparate service businesses under a new brand and organized them into three distinct units: pharmacy-care services, diversified health and wellness services, and data-analytics and tech­nology services. These became their three M&A themes. Then, over a ten-year period, this program­matic acquirer closed more than 60 deals, spending well over $20 billion, as it sought to fill out its portfolio along these three themes. The organization knew where it wanted to play and how.

Of course, the business case should include a preliminary integration plan for the acquired asset or assets that is consistent with the deal’s value-creation thesis—for instance, all shared services will be absorbed by the acquirer, and the target company’s product portfolio will be cross-sold to the acquirer’s existing customers.

Through their use of the M&A blueprint, business leaders can stay focused on those parts of the deal that can create the most value—especially impor­tant when companies are pursuing multiple deals within the same M&A theme. What’s more, they can prepare functional leaders, suppliers, and others well in advance for the actions they may need to take to integrate an asset or multiple assets.

How lots of small M&A deals add up to big value

M&a blueprint: putting it all together.

An M&A blueprint cannot and should not be developed based on “gut instinct” by a single execu­tive or defined post hoc to validate the theory behind an exciting deal. An executive or business-unit leader should lead its development but should be supported by corporate-strategy and corporate-development executives. The blueprint itself can take the form of a frequently updated and disseminated written report, or it can be a standing agenda item in every M&A and corporate-strategy meeting. Regardless of format, it can help decision makers assess critical factors relating to deal sourcing, due diligence, and integration planning before making any moves and taking steps to identify targets.

Looking back at the case of the cosmetics company, it becomes clear how an M&A blueprint could have helped the organization prioritize a bunch of scattershot ideas into a comprehensive programmatic M&A strategy.

With its market assessment, for instance, it might have seen that the market for digital cosmetics is projected to grow five times faster than the market for nondigital cosmetics. What’s more, market data might have revealed that customers want and expect to buy cosmetics through digital channels, and that there is no clear leader in the space. In its self-assessment, the M&A team might also have seen a gap in the company’s product portfolio com­pared with peers. And a look at boundary conditions might have revealed the time and latitude required to pay off initial acquisition investments, enabling the team to look beyond “base hit” deals with lower acquisition costs.

The M&A blueprint would have led the cosmetics company to a different outcome—perhaps a laser focus on acquiring the set of assets and capabilities needed to build a digital platform for selling cosmetics.

Spending time up front creating an M&A blueprint will pay off over the long term—particularly given the volume of deals associated with a programmatic M&A strategy. With M&A themes and criteria well defined and understood by all, companies can not only be more proactive but also more opportunistic. The top team will be aligned on strategy and focused on deal must-haves prior to reaching out to potential targets. Negotiations with potential targets can be grounded in the business case. Diligence processes can be accelerated and focused only on the most critical sources of value. Integration planning can begin early, with a focus on realizing the strategic intent of the deal rather than just stabilizing companies, people, and processes in the wake of change. Most important, the M&A blueprint can help executives tell a compelling story (inside and outside the company) about its deal-making strategy and its vision for the future.

Sophie Clarke is a consultant in McKinsey’s New Jersey office, where Liz Wol is an associate partner; Robert Uhlaner is a senior partner in the San Francisco office.

The authors wish to thank Anthony Chui, Jack Gordon, Steve Santulli, and Lexi Wang for their contributions to this article.

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How to write an effective executive summary like a mckinsey or bcg consultant.

Table of contents

Key components of an effective executive summary, an in-depth look at each component of the executive summary (with examples), some practical tips and tricks, the bottom line.

Management consultants at firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain are renowned for their ability to present complex ideas in a clear, concise manner that is easy to digest and understand. A key component of this process is the executive summary slide – often presented as the first part of a presentation deck on a given topic or problem. 

An executive summary aims to provide the audience with an overview of the subject at hand or a snapshot of the key points that will be discussed in greater depth. It should serve to quickly get the main messages and conclusions across and motivate audiences to dive deeper into the details.

In this post, we will outline the essential components of an effective executive summary using techniques from McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. We will also provide tips on how to craft a compelling executive summary in practice and give examples of best practices.

For a broader view on how to create consultant-style presentations take a look at our blog post 'How McKinsey Consultants Make PowerPoint Presentations' .

A good executive summary provides all the key information in one slide. The goal is to communicate as much information in as few words as possible.

To achieve this goal, you should focus on the following key components when crafting an executive summary slide: 

• [optional] Objective: Clearly state the purpose and objective of the presentation.
• Situation: Provide relevant background information to set the context for the problem or opportunity being addressed.
• Complication: Define the complication (problem or opportunity) the presentation addresses in simple, to-the-point sentences. This includes identifying the root cause of the problem or opportunity and its implications for the organization.
• Resolution: Present the recommended solution or solutions to the complication in a clear and concise manner. This should be based on data-driven insights and analysis.
• [optional] Benefits: Articulate the benefits of implementing the recommended solution. These benefits should be linked to the organization's strategic objectives.
• Call to Action: Provide a clear call to action outlining what the organization needs to do to implement the recommended solution. This should be actionable and linked to the organization's strategic objectives.

This structure is similar to the SCQA (situation-complication-question-answer) framework.

Craft effective executive summaries for your consulting presentations .

Let's take a closer look at each component of the executive summary and how it can be used to craft an effective executive summary deck using the McKinsey/BCG/Bain methodology.

1. Objective

The objective of the executive summary should succinctly define the purpose of the presentation and why it is important for the audience to understand the key points.

To craft an effective objective, you should consider the following: 

• Who is the target audience?
• What are the key points that the audience needs to understand?
• What is the purpose of the presentation?
• Why is it important for the audience to understand the key points?

An effective objective should be brief, clear, and focused on the needs of the audience. It should be written to clearly communicate what the presentation will cover and why it matters.

 Example: "This presentation will provide an overview of the current state of the industry and highlight key trends and opportunities for growth."

2. Situation

The background or situation section of the executive summary provides relevant context to the audience to help them better understand the problem or opportunity being addressed. 

This section should include:

• Relevant background information on the industry, market, or organization.
• Any key trends or developments that are important to the problem or opportunity being addressed.
• Any relevant historical information that helps to explain the current situation.

Some questions to ask when crafting the background section include:

• What is the context for the problem or opportunity being addressed?
• What are the key factors that have led to the current situation?
• What are the relevant historical or industry-specific factors that are important to understanding the problem or opportunity?

An effective background section should be concise and focused on the most important information. It should provide enough context for the audience to understand the problem or situation being addressed without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.

Here are some examples from McKinsey and BCG:

3. Complication

The complication section of the executive summary clearly and concisely defines the reason the situation requires action, either because there is a serious problem or there is a good opportunity. This includes identifying the root cause of the problem or opportunity and its implications for the organization.

• What is the problem or opportunity that the presentation is addressing?
• What are the root causes of the problem or opportunity?
• What are the implications of the problem or opportunity for the organization?

 An effective complication section should be short and to-the-point, focusing on the most important aspects of the problem or opportunity. The root cause of the complication should be clearly identified, along with the most relevant data or evidence that supports this analysis. In addition, the implications of the problem or opportunity for the organization should be clearly articulated, highlighting why it is important for the audience to understand the problem/opportunity and its impact and why it requires action.

Enhance your proposal writing with our Consulting Proposal template , or explore our collection of 10 Real Consulting Proposals .

4. Resolution

The resolution section of the executive summary presents the proposed solution or strategy for addressing the complication. This should include a brief overview of the approach and any relevant supporting information or evidence.

• What is the proposed approach for addressing the problem or opportunity?
• What are the key elements of the strategy?
• What are the expected benefits or outcomes of the approach?
• What evidence is there to support the proposed solution or strategy?

An effective resolution section should provide enough detail for the audience to understand what is being proposed and why without overwhelming them with unnecessary detail. The proposed approach and any relevant supporting information or evidence should be clearly outlined. In addition, the expected benefits or outcomes of the approach should be highlighted, as this helps to emphasize why it is important for the audience to understand and support the proposed solution.

5. Benefits

The benefits section of the executive summary presents a brief overview of any expected benefits or outcomes from implementing the proposed solution. This section is optional, and sometimes included as a bullet point under the resolution section.

• What are the primary benefits or outcomes of implementing the proposed solution?
• What are the secondary benefits or outcomes?
• How will these benefits impact the organization and its stakeholders?

An effective benefits section should provide a clear and concise overview of any expected benefits or outcomes from implementing the proposed solution. The primary benefits should be highlighted, as well as any secondary benefits that are relevant to the audience. Emphasis should be on quantifiable benefits.

In addition, the impact of these benefits on the organization and its stakeholders should be emphasized, highlighting why it is important for the audience to understand and support the proposed solution. 

Example: "The proposed approach will generate an incremental $10 million in revenue, reduce costs by 5%, and increase customer satisfaction by 10%. This will help to improve profitability, create new growth opportunities, and strengthen our competitive position in the sector."

6. Call to Action

The call to action section of the executive summary presents a brief overview of key proposed actions or decisions that need to be taken by the audience in order to implement the proposed solution. This section is also sometimes a bullet point under the resolution section.

• What are the proposed actions or decisions that need to be taken?
• Who needs to take these actions or make these decisions?
• What is the timeline for implementing the proposed solution?

An effective call to action/recommendation section should provide a clear and concise overview of any proposed actions or decisions that need to be taken by the audience. The proposed actions or decisions and who needs to take these actions or make these decisions should be clearly outlined. 

In addition, the timeline for implementing the proposed solution should be highlighted, ensuring that the audience understands when and how these actions or decisions need to be taken.

Apply these summary techniques in your Business Strategy template .

• Consultants typically communicate in a 'top down' or pyramid fashion, starting with the conclusion and then providing the supporting information.
• Write the most important takeaway of each section as the bolded text and follow with numbers and other supporting facts as bullet points.
• Read through the bolded text and see if the story makes sense.  
• Spend the majority of the executive summary focusing on the solution/recommendation, rather than the situation and supporting analysis.
• The executive summary is not a play-by-play summary of a project. Instead, it is a decision document for your audience to understand the proposed solutions they have to decide on, and just enough information to set the solution in context and grasp the expected outcomes.
• Read through your executive summary and remove anything that is not directly relevant to deciding/agreeing with your proposed solution.  
• Try to keep the executive summary as a single slide (sometimes two).
• Eliminate unnecessary words and sentences, and make sure that each sentence adds value to the overall message.

Creating executive summary slides like a McKinsey consultant can have a significant impact on the success of your communication and decision-making efforts. Although it seems simple and many people treat the executive summary like an after-thought, it should in fact be one of the slides you spend the most time on in any presentation.

A well-crafted executive summary helps you structure your entire presentation by making you focus on the solution you are proposing and only keeping in analyses and arguments that help explain the why, what, and how of that solution.

By following the essential components and strategies outlined above you can create a clear, concise, and compelling executive summary that effectively communicates complex ideas and drives action. 

Cheat sheet

What is an executive summary exactly?

A short summary of the key messages and conclusions in a longer presentation, focused on actionable solutions or recommendations. In McKinsey and BCG consulting presentations the executive summary is typically one or two slides, but sometimes executive summary can also refer to a short deck.

What does an executive summary include and how do I write one?

See our 'How to' guide in this post.

Does an executive summary come before or after the table of contents? 

Typically before the table of contents, as the first (or one of the first) slides after a title page.

Is there a good executive summary slide example?

Yes, you can download some examples from McKinsey and BCG here . You can also see full presentations from BCG and McKinsey here and here .

Or take a look at our full Business Strategy template or our Business Case template for real-life client examples.

Should I include visuals? 

Generally McKinsey and BCG executive summaries do not include visuals, except perhaps icons to make the summary more visually appealing.

Download our most popular templates

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This template, created by ex-McKinsey and BCG consultants, includes everything you need to create a complete strategy.

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