Group Case Assignment Workbook and FAQ

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London’s Traffic Problem Group Case Assignment

Workbook and FAQ
© Copyright 2023 McKinsey & Company

This material is developed by McKinsey & Company. No part of this workbook may be circulated or
reproduced for distribution outside the Forward program without prior written approval from McKinsey &
Company.
Content  Introduction to the case
 Preparing for your group meetings
 Group Assignment Templates
 Group Assignment submission
 Useful resources
McKinsey & Company 2

Welcome to your Group Case
Assignment
Excited to start your group work? Before diving into
the materials, please review the information on this
page. Good luck!
The objective of the exercise Tasks
In this exercise you will have the chance to As a starting point, you will receive
work as a group and apply what you have an email to introduce you to your
learned in the Problem-solving Digital group members. Each member of
course to help the Mayor of London to solve the group will have a pre-assigned
London’s traffic problem. role and you will be working with
Group Case Assignment is a crucial component 7-8 other participants.
of the Advanced Level as it provides the
opportunity to develop and practice essential Each group is expected to
skills that are needed in any workplace: complete the following by the
 Structured thinking/problem-solving deadline:
 Communication and presence  Hold at least 1 x 1,5 hour
 Prioritizing effectively meeting together (groups can
 Having effective meetings choose to meet more or work
 Using email effectively offline)
 Closing the loop  Upload all the assignment as per
 Giving and receiving feedback the instructions provided
 Time management
Coaching &
Feedback
You will be invited to attend an
The purpose of the Group Case Assignment optional Problem Solving coaching
is to provide you with an opportunity to webinar (before submission) and a
collaborate with a cross-functional team Case Walkthrough webinar (after
from various locations to tackle unfamiliar submission).
problems – something that is very common You will be invited to register for
in our professional lives. the webinars via email.

Group Case Assignment
Your project is in!
Gmail
Dear Advisory Team,

London needs your support in a pressing issue.
As London has been growing both in terms of population (4%
yearly) and as a business center, we are observing heightened
traffic due to the increased number of registered cars (5.6% yearly),
directly impacting commuting times. We observe a shift towards
personal cars, away from public transportation, mainly because of
health concerns. Currently, during rush hours commute takes
around 60 minutes and creates frustration among our inhabitants.
We want to ensure that the city of London can compete with the
global commute time of 28 minutes.
To achieve this desired commute time we are looking to create
several initiatives and put them into action in the following 5-7 years.
We would like to get your recommendations on potential initiatives
to take while staying in our municipality’s budget of £10.3 billion.
Although the vaccination rate is high, hygiene and public health are
still a priority.
As the issue is growing each day, we do not have time to waste.
Would appreciate your support for this project in the upcoming 4
weeks. Please come up with 1 recommended action to take.
To get things started on your side, you can find focus group results
that we have conducted earlier along with distribution of passangers
among public transportation.
Best regards,
Mayor of London

Your work plan
Prior to your 1. Work on the individual success worksheet (page 10)

first meeting 2. Familiarize yourself with the case and go through the role
cards (pages 13-17)
3. Schedule a meeting to get together with your group
4. Complete the Problem Solving lessons on the online learning
platform
During your 1. Start the meeting(s) with a check-in (page 18)

meeting(s) 2. Create your team worksheet and start to discuss the
highlights of the case (page 19)
3. Work on completing the problem statement worksheet, build
your issue tree, fill-out the prioritization matrix and synthesize
your recommendation (use provided templates)
4. Align on next steps, tasks and responsibilities
In between 1. Work on any additional tasks (if there are any)

the meetings 2. Prepare questions for and attend the Problem Solving
coaching webinar (optional)
Upon case Only one group member should submit the Group Case
completion Assignment through the submission link that can be found in the
“Submission Instructions” section in the online learning platform,
under the London’s Traffic Problem Group Case Assignment. The
link to the form will also be sent to you by email.
After case Attend the post-submission Case Walkthrough webinar (optional)

completion

Your deliverable as a team consists of 4 items
Problem Statement
1 Worksheet 2 Issue Tree
3 Prioritization Matrix 4 Recommendation

Here are your roles in the team
Before the After the
meeting During the meeting meeting
Planner Facilitator Reporter Builder Messenger

Set time for your Introduce the Document the Monitor the Send memo and
team meeting meeting agenda to discussion by filling interaction to make thank you note to the
the group at the out the provided sure everybody’s team, summarizing
Make sure you invite
beginning templates through voice is heard and the meeting, tasks
the right people
Guide process synthesizing team people build on each and commitments
Define the meeting intervene when ideas other’s ideas agreed by the team
agenda and share it necessary if the constructively members
Make sure every
prior to the meeting discussion is not team member is Ask for final Review the final
Identify the meeting moving forward aligned on what is feedback and deliverables and
outcome and make Guide members to written on the whether there is submit them to the
sure you share it with reflect on problem templates anything that a team online learning
your team members solving framework member wishes to platform or use this
in advance covered in the digital amend link sent by email
courses
During the meeting, Align on the next
Push thinking within
ensure that the steps and
the group members
session is run responsibilities
to complete:
according to the
— Problem Get commitment for
agenda in a timely
statement the necessary follow-
manner
(page 34), up actions (if any)
— Issue tree
(pages 35-36)
— Prioritization
matrix (page
37)
— Recommenda-
tions (page 38)
Review the
discussion and
summarize it back to
team members
• What was
discussed?
• What was
agreed?
For individual role cards please refer to pages 13-17


Group work planner
A B C D
Complete your Individually Go through the Identify “Team
own individual review the case role cards to Norms”
preferences and details and the understand your Fill-out page 18
constraints templates before role and others’ during your first
worksheet your meeting(s) Review pages 13- meeting as
Fill-out page 10 Review pages 11- 17 a group
before your first 12 & pages 22-26 E. Optional: start
meeting your meeting with a
check-in, page 18
F. Optional:
conduct feedback
sessions with your
team members (at
the end of the
group work), page
20

A. Individual success worksheet
Each group member is recommended to fill-out the worksheet
and share with their group members
Name Working Personal Lifestyle Fun facts

style development preferences What do I want
preferences Which of my and my team to
What do I need strengths can constraints know about
to do to be my team me?
What would be
most leverage in this the best time to
productive? assignment? hold meetings?
(e.g., individual What do I want How much time
work vs. to achieve from can I dedicate
working in this to the group
a team, assignment? work?
communication What are my
style (online vs. areas of
offline) development?

B. There have been changes in transportation
in London between 2019 to 2021
Hypothetical
Buses Santander cycles Personal vehicles (cars/motorbikes)

Underground Overground rail
Docklands Light Railway Taxi
% share of trips
100 3% 1%
95 7%
8%
90 18%
7%
85 8%
6%
80
7%
75 16% 10%
70
13%
65
60 10%
23%
55
8% 19%
50
45
40 17%
35
30
25 9%
46%
20 42%
15
10 22%
5
0
2019 2020 2021
Source: Data from London Mayoralty proprietary database, 2021

B. Public Transportation available in London
Hypothetical
Undergro Docklands Over-

und:The Light Santander ground
Buses Tube Railway Cycles rail Taxi
Descrip- Double- Underground Overground Bicycles for Overground City taxis

tion decker metro tram hire for short long-distance ordered via
buses city trips trains app or side
from docking of the street
stations
Network Full city Central city Partial Full city Outside city Full city
coverage coverage coverage coverage center coverage
Hours of 24/7 Mon- Sat: 05:00-00:00 24/7 24/7 24/7

operation 5:00-00:00
Sun:
Reduced hrs
Average Per trip: Per trip: Per trip: Unlimited Per trip: 16-30 min
cost per £1.55 £7.40 £7.40 30min trips £7.40 trip:
for 24 hrs: £2 Avg. £25
journey
Customer Cheapest Very reliable Can be used Very easy to Very Very
feedback type of However, only outside use, but accessible expensive!
transport- trains get of the city can’t be However,
tation very used on there are a
However, it’s crowded, rainy days lot of stops,
complicated especially takes longer
to find the during rush to arrive at
right stops hours destination

C. Case group assignment: role cards
Planner
Tips for being a successful planner
Decide What is the ideal outcome of the meeting
Participants needed to make the required
decisions
What material to cover
How to run the meeting
Upcoming Tasks
Set time for your team
meeting(s)
Prepare Any necessary material e.g., presentation,
Make sure you invite the right handouts
people
Detailed agenda (what, who, where, when,
Define the meeting agenda and how) with clear timeline
and share it prior
to the meeting
Identify the meeting outcome

and make sure you share it Organize Invite participants well in advance
with your team members in
Make sure everyone can attend
advance
Send an invite through a virtual meeting
During the meeting, ensure platform (e.g., Zoom, Teams, Skype)
the session is run according
to the agenda in a timely
manner Familiarize yourself with below materials
How to save the world Seven Steps to Running

(or at least yourself) the Most Effective
from bad meetings Meeting Possible
Facilitator
Tips for being a successful facilitator
It is important to set the scene at the beginning of
the meeting:
Purpose
The reason for the meeting
Upcoming Tasks
Decide
Introduce the meeting
agenda to the group at the What the audience will gain
beginning
Guide process and intervene
when necessary Prepare
Guide members to apply The major points you will cover
learnings from problem
solving digital course
Push thinking within the Organize
group members to complete:
How you would like to run the session
 Problem statement (page
22)
 Issue tree (pages 23-24) Best practices to keep in mind for facilitating
the discussion
 Prioritization matrix (page
25) 1 Tie content to a clear set of meeting objectives
 Recommendations (page 2 Make realistic calls regarding time needed (e.g., if we

26) want everyone to have at least 5 min of voice time and there
are 6 people in the group, we need 30 min, not 10)
Review the discussion and
3 Seek a balance of the facilitator speaking 20% of the
summarize it back to team
time and the audience 80%
members
4 Manage time for the group and never end late
 What was discussed? (+/- 10 min) without permission
 What was agreed? 5 Watch for and act on signs of unease, latent
disagreement or conflict (“I wonder how everyone feels
about that...”, “I see a confused look on a few people's
faces, etc...”)
6 If issues seem to surface or people are not digging
deeper on a key issue, say to them 'tell me more’
Reporter
Tips for being a successful reporter
Sort the It is critical to take a step back and pick out
information important information from interesting ones
after spending time with details
Upcoming Tasks Capture the People with strong problem solving skills strive
essence to capture the essence of the story for the
Document the discussion by
action-oriented recommendation
filling out the provided
templates through
synthesizing team ideas
Make sure every team

member is aligned on what is Even though synthesis may seem to be the
Synthesize
written on the templates last step before the end of the process, it has
to be carried out throughout the process. This
reminds the team of the question that needs to
be answered, helps with prioritization, points
out the logical connections for the solution
and provides the «story» that you can present
throughout the process
Familiarize yourself with below materials
Presenting your Ideas Seven Steps to Running

with IMPACT the Most Effective
Meeting Possible

Builder
Tips for being a successful builder
Guide the process
Enforce ground rules and process agreements

Monitor pace and timekeeping
Monitor airtime
Upcoming Tasks
Monitor the interaction to Push the thinking
make sure everyone’s voice
is heard and people build on Probe for clarity and logic
each other’s ideas Intervene when team is stuck
constructively Make reality checks
Ask for final feedback and
whether there is anything
that a team member wishes
to amend Monitor the interaction
Align on the next steps and
Promote harmony
responsibilities
Address conflict
Get commitment for the Test for consensus
necessary follow-up actions
(if there any)
Familiarize yourself with below materials
Dare to disagree In praise of conflict

Messenger
Tips for being a successful messenger
A good email is ….
Structured
Use top-down structuring to focus
on your key message.
Make sure your reader
understands what you want.
Upcoming Tasks
Send memo and thank you Scannable Succinct
note to the team, Put the key message and Aim for a single-screen
summarizing the meeting, essential content in the first few message whenever
tasks and commitments sentences. Structure detail with possible. That’s 80 words on
agreed by the team members numbers or other formatting. a phone, 300 on a PC.
Submit the final Group Case 10 Golden rules of effective emails

Assignment 1 Clear. Use the subject line to state your purpose: not
“Meeting notes,” but “FYI: March 3 meeting notes” or
“Action needed: March 3 meeting next steps”
2 Structured. Put your key message in the first sentence
or two
3 Scannable. Use subheadings, bullets, or other formatting
to indicate sub-points
4 Succinct. Aim for a single-screen message
5 Sparing. Only use email when it is the correct medium.
Sometimes, the phone or in-person is the better form of
communication
6 Attentive. Be aware of how you are coming across in email
(e.g., tone, style)
7 Careful. Never write anything that might embarrass you or
the organization if forwarded
8 Professional. Proofread your emails. NEVER USE ALL
CAPS. Think twice about humor
9 Lean. Compress and zip large attachments. Use links to
collaboration spaces. Keep the email concise and add
additional detail at the end
10 Respectful. Set working norms with your colleagues
around receiving and sending emails

D. Team worksheet
Once you get together with your group members, collate
takeaways from individual worksheets to create the team norms
Team cadence Interactions Development

 Discuss the best Align on Align on what you
team schedule communication each individually
 Designate time to preferences and would like to get
get individual technology (e.g., out of this project
work done Zoom, Whatsapp, and how the team
Skype, etc.) can help you
 Create
transparency
around
unavailable time
due to WFH
constraints (e.g.,
childcare)

E. Team check-in
At the beginning of each meeting, conduct a check-in to align on
expectations and the best way to conduct the working session
OPTIONAL
Time: 10 minutes
Right now, I’m feeling…
What might stand in the way of me being fully

present in this session …
My intention for this session is…

F. Feedback
Each group member is recommended to organize feedback
sessions with one or several group members.
OPTIONAL
Why feedback is important?

Feedback is a gift and a right; it:
• Helps align expectations and priorities
• Lets people know where to take corrective action
• Alleviates fear of the unknown
How to conduct a feedback session?

You can use a four step methodology to give feedback effectively
Receive
Give feedback feedback
Observation “I have noticed Describe concrete Listen without
1 that you were not

engaged in the problem
solving session”
observations interrupting
Impact “I feel like that could Explain how Avoid discussions
2 affect our deliverable as

we don’t have your
inputs and insights”
they affect others or defensive
attitudes
Listen “What do you think?” Stop and listen Verify
3 comprehension
Suggestions “I recommend that you Offer concrete Recognize the other
4 start small, e.g., you can

take the lead on a topic
you are comfortable with
suggestions persons perspective
Thank them
even if it’s just 1min at Evaluate whether the
the beginning of the PS ” received feedback is
applicable and how


Template: Problem Statement Worksheet
Completing this problem statement workshops will be your first step to
working on the case.
Basic question to be resolved
Constraints within
Context solution space Criteria for success
Stakeholders Scope of solution space Key sources of insight
* A PPT version of this page can be downloaded from the ‘London’s Traffic Problem
Group Case Assignment’ in your Learning Platform under “Template Documents”.

Your second deliverable is the Issue Tree. It comes in all shapes
and sizes. Here, a few examples.
X
X
* A PPT version of this page can be downloaded from the ‘London’s Traffic Problem Group Case
Assignment’ in your Learning Platform under “Template Documents”.
Your second deliverable is the Issue Tree. It comes in all shapes
and sizes. Here, a few examples.
X
X
* A PPT version of this page can be downloaded from the ‘London’s Traffic Problem Group Case
Assignment’ in your Learning Platform under “Template Documents”.
Template: Issue Tree
Please create an issue tree for «London’s Traffic Problem»
Use examples provided on the previous page to create your own issue
tree! Feel free to add/remove as many boxes as you need. Note: only one
issue tree needs to be submitted
Template: Prioritization Matrix
Your third deliverable is a prioritization matrix of all the solutions you came
up with for «London’s Traffic Problem».
High Impact
Impact
Low Impact
Difficult to Implement Easier to Implement
Ease of Implementation

Template: Recommendation
Your fourth and final deliverable is to synthesize your recommendation for
«London’s Traffic Problem» very briefly.
Reasoning behind your

Your recommendation recommendation (Why)


How to submit your assignment
Who should Only one group member should submit the Group Case Assignment on
submit the final behalf of the team. We recommend that the Group Messenger
completes this step. You may decide as a group to assign this task to
Group Case
another group member.
Assignment?
What format is 1. Once you’ve completed the assignment, convert and save your file
required? in PDF format. All the deliverables should be on a single pdf.
Refer to page 6 for a reminder of the 4 deliverables your group
must submit.
2. Save your file with the following name:
Group####_submission.pdf
For example: Group0045_submission.pdf
Where should we 1. Submit the assignment through the submission form under
upload the found in the Submission Instructions section in the online
assignment? learning platform under the London’s Traffic Problem Group
Case Assignment. The link to the form will also be sent to you by
email.
2. When completing the group case submission form, please
provide all information required
1. Full name (e.g., Jane Doe)
2. Username, i.e., email you use to log into your learning

platform (e.g., jane.doe@example.com)
3. Unique Unique ID (E.g., 12345)
4. Group number (e.g., Group0045): please refer to email

sent by the Forward team if you don’t know your group
number
3. Make sure you are uploading and submitting the correct

and final completed assignment. Once you submit, you will
not be able to delete, change, or edit your submission. Refer to
page 6 for a reminder of the 4 deliverables your group must
submit.
What happens The assignment will be marked as complete on the online learning
after submission? platform for all group members within 5 days of submission.


Have a question?
Refer to the resources below to find answers to
your questions
Watch “Group Case

Assignment Tips and
Tricks video” to get
helpful from McKinsey
Expert Faculty on how
to use the problem-
solving tools to
complete your Group
Case Assignment.
Find the answers to the

FAQs in our Solution
Hub or ask your question
in the Other option on the
Solution Hub.

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London’s Traffic Problem Group Case Assignment

© Copyright 2023 McKinsey & Company

 Preparing for your group meetings

 Group Assignment Templates

 Group Assignment submission

McKinsey & Company 2

The objective of the exercise Tasks

McKinsey & Company 3

Dear Advisory Team,

McKinsey & Company 4

Prior to your 1. Work on the individual success worksheet (page 10)

During your 1. Start the meeting(s) with a check-in (page 18)

In between 1. Work on any additional tasks (if there are any)

After case Attend the post-submission Case Walkthrough webinar (optional)

McKinsey & Company 5

3 Prioritization Matrix 4 Recommendation

McKinsey & Company 6

Planner Facilitator Reporter Builder Messenger

For individual role cards please refer to pages 13-17

McKinsey & Company 7

 Preparing for your group meetings

 Group Assignment Templates

 Group Assignment submission

McKinsey & Company 8

McKinsey & Company 9

Name Working Personal Lifestyle Fun facts

McKinsey & Company 10

Buses Santander cycles Personal vehicles (cars/motorbikes)

Source: Data from London Mayoralty proprietary database, 2021

Undergro Docklands Over-

Descrip- Double- Underground Overground Bicycles for Overground City taxis

Hours of 24/7 Mon- Sat: 05:00-00:00 24/7 24/7 24/7

McKinsey & Company 12

Identify the meeting outcome

How to save the world Seven Steps to Running

 Recommendations (page 2 Make realistic calls regarding time needed (e.g., if we

Make sure every team

Familiarize yourself with below materials

Presenting your Ideas Seven Steps to Running

McKinsey & Company 15

Enforce ground rules and process agreements

Familiarize yourself with below materials

Dare to disagree In praise of conflict

McKinsey & Company 16

Submit the final Group Case 10 Golden rules of effective emails

McKinsey & Company 17

Team cadence Interactions Development

McKinsey & Company 18

Right now, I’m feeling…

What might stand in the way of me being fully

My intention for this session is…

McKinsey & Company 19

Why feedback is important?

How to conduct a feedback session?

Observation “I have noticed Describe concrete Listen without

1 that you were not

Impact “I feel like that could Explain how Avoid discussions

2 affect our deliverable as

Listen “What do you think?” Stop and listen Verify

Suggestions “I recommend that you Offer concrete Recognize the other

4 start small, e.g., you can

McKinsey & Company 20

 Preparing for your group meetings