Structuring
Driver tree
An issue tree built from the numbers that drive an outcome.
Facts checked against sources onWhat does Driver tree mean?
A driver tree is an issue tree where each branch is a number that feeds the one above it. It shows exactly which number to change to move the result.
Example
For example, revenue is number of customers times average spend, and number of customers is the market size (in customers) times our share.
Where does it come up in case interview prep?
- Crack any case in five movesLesson in What a case interview is, and how to prepare
- Using this in a caseLesson in Sourcing, trade and supply risk
- Using this in a case: growth and new product casesLesson in Customers and growth: the economics of marketing
- Using this in a case: operations and cost casesLesson in Making operations better, and planning for what can go wrong
- Issue trees and driver treesLesson in How to structure any problem
- Revenue growth and growth strategyLesson
Related terms
- Issue treeA branching diagram that breaks a problem into smaller parts.
- MECEBuckets that do not overlap and together cover everything.
- HypothesisYour best early guess at the answer, which you then test.
- Sensitivity analysisChanging one assumption at a time to see which matters most.
- Pareto principle (80/20)A small share of causes often drives a large share of results.
Learn it in context
See Driver tree at work in a lesson from What a case interview is, and how to prepare, with checks as you go.
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