Operation Managment

Order Description
Case Guidelines

1. Restate the case in your own words

a. In 1-2 paragraphs high light the key points (This helps to ensure that you are getting the important points)

2. Problem statement

a. In 1-2 sentences, state what the problem is and what the solution should focus on.

3. Analysis (Quantitative)

a. You will have a minimum of two parts to the quantitative analysis. These cases are numbers based, therefore you need to show the current state (prove the current problem with numbers). This establishes the baseline which you will use to show that your next section, actually fixes the problem. These solutions calculations are the evidence that you have solved the case. If you cannot get to this phase, this is a cue that you need to ask questions (see case discussion).

b. You can include Excel output for calculations

i. You do not need to include calculations in the body of the paper; place them in an Excel appendix. However, …

ii. Make them easy to read with adequate documentation. Note, this does not mean that you only have your analysis and numbers in the Appendix/Excel. You need to provide adequate detail in the body of the report.

iii. You need to include the supporting numbers in the body of the text.

4. Analysis (Qualitative), recommendations, and conclusions

a. Provide a recommended solution to the situation.

i. Give both pros and cons to the solution

ii. State implementation issue(s)

5. Overall note: The primary objective is to answer for the manager. If you can’t hand your analysis to the manager in the case and have them apply your recommendations, it is not a good case write-up. See note below about the memo format.

There is no specific template for the case write-up because there are many ways to do it.
One potential format for the case is to write it as a memo to the manager in the case. This has been successfully used as it keeps your focus on explaining the what, why, and how to the person that would be utilizing your analysis. The above guidelines still apply.
Every case must have some form of conclusion. Merely answering the questions and not deciding what your recommended course of action is not a complete case. Many times there is no one right answer, so the defense of your answer will determine the suitability of the conclusion, i.e., defend your answer.