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Foundation · Getting in

The same acumen in other roles

Not aiming for consulting? The five moves are what strategy teams, product managers, investors, operators, founders and public servants are paid for. One lesson per role: what the interview or job looks like, how the moves apply, what is different, and a worked example with the maths.

99 min8 lessonsFacts checked against sources on
Start lesson 1: One method, many roles Skip to the practice: A doctor in a healthcare strategy interview: why are clinic waits growing?

Key takeaways

  • The five moves do not change from role to role. Three things do change.
  • A strategy team inside a company works for the whole group. Its main tool is deciding where the money goes: which businesses grow, which are fixed and which are sold.
  • A product manager owns a problem for a group of users, and a measure that shows whether it is solved.
  • An investor case ends with a yes or no and a price. You learn about the business, its market and its risks to answer one question.
  • A general manager or operations leader does not hand over a recommendation and leave.
By the end you will be able to
  • See how the same five moves apply in corporate strategy, product, investing, operations, startups and the public sector
  • Name the number at the top of the tree in each role, and what is different about the facts and the people
  • Work a role-specific example: capital allocation, a measure that fell, a buyout return, a P&L gap, runway, and cost per outcome
  • Turn a background in research, medicine, engineering, law or the military into an edge in the case

Lessons

1

One method, many roles

The five moves are the same whether you advise a company, run its product, invest in it, operate it, start it or serve the public. What changes is the number at the top, the facts you can get and who must agree. One problem seen through three roles.

11 min
2

Corporate and in-house strategy

Inside a company the question is rarely "is this a good idea?" More often it is "which of our good ideas gets the money?" This lesson covers capital allocation, internal politics and implementation. Its worked example splits a fixed budget.

12 min
3

Product management

A product manager decides what to build, for which users, and how to tell if it worked. This lesson covers users, measures, trade offs and product sense. Its worked example finds out why weekly orders fell.

13 min
4

Private equity and venture capital: investor style cases

An investor asks: would I put money in, at what price, and what must be true? This lesson covers returns maths, diligence and the value creation plan. Its worked buyout has a return you can check by hand.

14 min
5

Operations and general management

An operator owns a profit and loss (P&L) and leads the people who deliver it. This lesson covers P&L ownership, people and a weekly rhythm. Its worked example closes a warehouse profit gap.

12 min
6

Founders and startup operators

A founder makes the same decisions as a consultant, but with far less data and their own company's cash at risk. This lesson covers unit economics, runway and the order of steps. Its worked example asks whether to hire salespeople now.

12 min
7

Public sector, development and nonprofit

When there is no price and no profit, the question is what each unit of budget achieves for the people the organisation serves. This lesson covers mission measures, budgets and stakeholders. Its worked example chooses between two programmes.

13 min
8

Experienced hires and career switchers: your background as an edge

PhDs, doctors, engineers, lawyers and military officers each arrive strong in some of the five moves, and each has one typical trap. This lesson shows how to use the edge and avoid the trap. Its worked example follows a doctor moving into healthcare strategy.

12 min

Worked cases in this module

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Key terms

Start with lesson 1

8 lessons, about 99 minutes in all. Each one builds on the one before.

Start lesson 1: One method, many roles Skip to the practice: A doctor in a healthcare strategy interview: why are clinic waits growing?