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Problem-Solving in Business: CASE STUDIES

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A Model for Case Analysis and Problem Solving

ABOUT THIS CONTENT

Table of Contents

Why the Case Approach

The most effective way for learning to take place is to actually be in real situations, make decisions, deal with the consequences of those decisions, and learn from our real mistakes. Nothing will ever replace learning from experience. Cases (which involve real situations although names may be changed) allow us to "simulate" real life situations when we don’t have the luxury of having years of experience. Cases allow us (to some degree) to live with real situations, make decisions, and feel the consequences. Like scientists in a laboratory, students of management use case problems and experiential exercises as "laboratory" opportunities to experiment with real organizations in the classroom setting.

Cases attempt to reflect the various pressures and considerations managers confront in everyday organizational life. By using complex real world problems as a focus, cases are designed to challenge you to develop and practice skills that will be appropriate to the practical problems you will face in your career.

The case method is based on the learning principle that learning occurs most when people teach themselves, through their own struggles. You will gain greater understanding and improved skills in judgment when you work through a problem than if you listened passively to a lecture. Similarly, there will be greater learning if you "use" a theory than if you just heard about it. Therefore cases have two basic uses:

• Helping us learn how to apply theories to real situations
• Helping us learn how to solve real problems

Like real situations cases center around an array of partially-ordered, ambiguous, seemingly contradictory and reasonably unstructured facts, opinions, inferences and bits of information, data, and incidents out of which you must provide order by selectively choosing which bits to use and which to ignore. In real life others won’t do this for us. As in real life situations, it is unlikely that any two people would assemble the data or make inferences identically. You will have to work within the limitations inherent in evidence and arrive at internally consistent interpretations. Experiencing the process of learning this way may be frustrating and confusing, but it is also practical and realistic.

Cases, as in real management situations, require you to work with the "as is" of reality, not the "should be" of theory. Like managers you will have to exercise judgment which can be improved by discussion and consultation with others. However, note that like the manager, you will seldom be sure before your decision is made and often after it is made, that you have made the right or "best" decision. Like any manager, you will approach cases under time pressure, on the basis of limited facts, and in the face of many unknowns. You will approach cases along with other people who like you have idiosyncrasies and limitations, and different opinions.

In summary, cases have a number of benefits:

• They allow us to develop skill in thinking clearly about ambiguous, unstructured situations using incomplete information;
• They help us to develop skills at recognizing what information is important and what is missing
• They help us to develop concise, reasonable, and consistent action plans;
• Help you to identify implicit models and assumptions, values and goals you use every day
• They provide an opportunity to develop skills in presenting (written and oral) our ideas to people and to groups; to influence and persuade others
• Improve your ability to predict behavioral outcomes-yours and others

Your Responsibilities

Little can be learned from a case without preparing it carefully and discussing it with others. Cases are not designed to present you with a right answer which you can memorize in the hopes that you will remember it if you ever encounter a similar situation. Similarly you won’t gain much from listening to what others think is the right answer. The learning comes from actively participating in the search for solutions. Cases are the raw materials that permit simulation in the classroom of actual discussions carried on informally among managers.

Preparation : Cases require more preparation and active participation than most class activities. How much you get out of a case discussion depends heavily on how much effort you put into preparing it before class. Many students confronting cases for the first time are overwhelmed; they see so many factors that come into play. Facts are confusing and ambiguous and often incomplete. This guide is intended to help you walk through the critical steps.

Informal Discussion Groups: After preparing a case by yourself, it can really help to meet with a group of other students to talk about a case before class. This will give you a chance to test your ideas on others and learn about other perspectives about the case.

Participating in Class Discussions: The purpose of the class discussion is to test others ideas so that together students can reach a richer and deeper understanding of the case. The role of the discussion is to moderate and create an environment in which contributions of individual students build on one another to understand the problem more fully. The instructor’s role is not to answer. The instructor may highlight, synthesize the issues and help shape the discussion.

The quality of the class discussion depends on the quality of the students’ preparation and participation in class. The class should be considered a team of colleagues that has been asked to work together to solve a challenging problem. This requires good team members to push ideas and support them. Good class also requires an emphasis on listening; others will raise ideas you hadn’t thought of and you should be prepared to change your mind and incorporate new ideas when you find them persuasive.

Try to have your ideas build on the comments of others. Don’t be afraid to be challenged or to be wrong. Sometimes students leave a class discussion discouraged because many issues and arguments that were raised that they had not considered before class. Remember that no case would be worth discussing if it were simple and straightforward enough for you to have figured it out on your own.

The classroom should be a place where you can test ideas and learn from each other. Finally enjoy yourself. There should be a lot of satisfaction in struggling with a complex problem and through your efforts, coming to a better understanding of it.

Preparing a Case: Six Steps for Problem Analysis

The checklist is presented as a framework for diagnosis, problem-solving, and managerial action taking. Note that few if any situations that you will experience will require that you consider every element listed here. Management is a dynamic, ongoing process that never takes place as sequentially or rationally as this list would imply. In most real-world situations, as opposed to case discussions in class, you already know a great deal about the people and prior experiences that are relevant. In addition, events never turn out exactly as you anticipate them.

Step 1: Comprehend the Case Situation: Data Collection, Identify Relevant Facts

Most cases require at least two readings, sometimes more; the first time through should involve familiarizing yourself with the basic situation; you may be given some guide questions to help you and you also might think about why the case was assigned now. There are some standard questions that you might keep in mind as you read the case:

• What are the key issues in the case; who is the decision maker in the case; is there a critical decision?
• What is the environment in which the key people operate; what are the constraints on their actions; what demands are imposed by the situation?
• Are solutions called for?
• If you had the chance to talk to critical people in the company, what would you want to know?
• What are the actual outcomes of the current situation-productivity, satisfaction, etc; how stable are present conditions?
• What are the "ideal" outcomes; what is an ideal "future" condition?
• What information is lacking; what are the sources of the available information?

Managers and students rarely have complete information and must rely on inferences. Be prepared to make creative assumptions; good analysis goes beyond identifying the relevant facts in the case. If some facts aren’t given, figure out what you can assume they are.

Rereading: After the first reading, try to formulate several plausible courses of action and explanation for the data in the case. Imagine yourself as various key people in the case and figure out why you (as the person in the case) might have acted as he/she did, or what you would do. Think about the consequences if you are wrong.

Using evidence and numbers: One of the most difficult problems in preparing a case is sorting through the mass of information and evidence. Often cases involve considerable background information of varying relevance to the decision at hand. Often cases involve conflict with different actors providing selective information and courses of action to support their claims. As in real life, you must decide what information is important and what isn’t and evaluate apparently conflicting evidence.

As in real life, you will be faced with a lot of information but perhaps not exactly the information you need. It is not uncommon to feel paralyzed by all the available information; it is difficult to identify the key information after the first reading. You should be slightly skeptical about the information presented or the interpretation placed on it by various actors in the case. You won’t have time to question all evidence in the case but if the evidence is critical, you might ask yourself what it really implies and whether it is as compelling as it seems.

As you read the case keep in mind:

• remember that all behavior is caused, motivated, and goal-directed; behavior may see strange, or "irrational" but you can assume it makes sense to the actor
• separate fact from opinion; distinguish between what people say vs. do
• it might be possible to get more information about the case (eg. the industry) but for the most part you will be asked to do your best with the information available
• separate symptoms from underlying causes
• avoid judgments; avoid premature solutions

Step 2: Defining the Problem

What is the critical issue or problems to be solved? This is probably the most crucial part of the analysis and sometimes the hardest thing to do in the whole analysis. Perhaps the most common problem in case analysis (and in real life management) is that we fail to identify the real problem and hence solve the wrong problem. What we at first think is the real problem often isn’t the real problem .

To help in this stage here are some questions to ask in trying to identify the real problem:

• where is the problem (individual, group, situation) why is it a problem; is there a "gap" between actual performance and desired performance; for whom is it a problem and why
• explicitly state the problem; are you sure it is a problem; is it important; what would happen if the "problem" were left alone"; could doing something about the "problem" have unintended consequences?
• what standard is violated; where is the deviation from standard
• what are the actual outcomes in terms of productivity and job satisfaction; what are the ideal outcomes
• how do key people feel about the problem and current outcomes
• what type of problem is it ?(individual, relationships, group, intergroup, leadership/motivation/power, total system)
• how urgent is the problem? How important is the problem relative to other problems?
• assess the present conditions:
• What are the consequences; how high are the stakes; what factors must and can change?
• for the organization (costs and profits; meeting obligations; productivity)
• for the people (personal and financial rewards; careers; satisfaction and growth)
• How stable are present conditions?
• What information is lacking?
• What are the sources of the available information?

Traps in this stage :

• suggesting a solution prematurely-stating a problem while implying a solution
• stating problems in behavioral (personal) terms, not situational terms
• not explicitly stating the problem-assuming "your" problem is "the" problem
• blindly applying stereotypes to problems; accepting all information at face value; making premature judgments; multiple causality
• most crucial at this step is to avoid suggesting a solution
• confusing symptoms with causes; differentiating fact from opinion; prematurely judging people and actions
• stating the problem as a disguised solution (eg. Hardesty’s failure is due to his not visiting purchasing agents)

Step 3: Causes

Once you have identified the key problem(s), try to find the causes here. Most critical here is avoiding solutions, and avoiding blaming or judging people. Also

• don’t quit at the most obvious answer-try playing devil’s advocate; put yourself in the other person’s shoes
• accept the multiple causality of events
• there may be a number of viable ways to fit the data together; explore as many as you can; go past the obvious
• there is a great tendency to evaluate behavior as good or bad; I care about why it occurred; judgments leads to a poor analysis focusing on justification for the evaluation
• the concern is not whether behavior is good or bad but why it occurred and its consequences
• be careful about hindsight; actors in the case usually don’t have access to outcomes when they act so avoid "Monday Morning Quarterbacking"-consider what actors in the case are reasonably likely to know or do
• as before, avoid premature solutions and premature judgments

Step 4: Generating Alternative Solutions (not all assignments will call for this)

In thinking about a context for generating alternatives, think about:

• what are the decision-maker’s sources of power in the situation? (legitimate, reward, punishment, expert, referent)
• what are possible leverage points (changing technology such as machines, processes, product designs; changing organizational structure; changing reward systems, job descriptions education, changing personnel, changing culture)
• can individual behavior be changed (education, training, reward systems, job description, etc.)
• what are the constraints on the solution? (time, money, organizational traditions, prior commitments, external realities, legal etc)
• what are the available resources (time, money, people, existing relationships, power)
• should others be involved (in problem definition, data collection, generating alternatives, implementing solutions, monitoring and assessing realities)
• In this stage it is important to avoid reaching for a solution too quickly; be creative here and put yourself in the case. Try living with various alternatives that you are thinking about; what would be the impact on you and on others. Be sure to think about the costs and benefits of each alternative.

Step 5: Decision (note that not all assignments will call for a solution)

In considering the alternatives generated above you need to be clear on the criteria you will use to evaluate them. Some possible criteria include:

• does the alternative address the critical aspect of the problem? What are your objective? Be specific.
• what are the intended consequences; what are some unintended possible consequences; how will your decision improve the situation
• what is the probability of success; what are the risks; what happens if the plan fails
• what does the plan depend on? What are the costs? What power and control is needed?
• who would be the "change agent" Does he/she have the power, skills, knowledge to be successful
• is the "solution" consistent with organizational realities

Remember that there is no one "elegant" solution; all solutions have costs and benefits ; identify pros and cons of each alternative; evaluate relative to goals; look at main and side effects you may have to make inferences and judgments; do this as long as you have good reasons for your inferences Choose alternative which best meets the criteria. The decision might not be accepted by those involved so you may have to choose a more acceptable one. You might want to rank order your alternatives according to how well they meet the criteria used. as you think about action, put yourself into the case; try to project living with the consequences

Step 6: Taking Action and Following Up

In thinking about implementation you want to think about these areas:

• what are leverage points for change-technology, reward systems, work relationships, reporting relationships, personnel changes
• what are the decision maker’s sources of power: legitimate, reward, expert, referent, etc?
• what are the constraints on a solution: time, money, organizational policies, traditions, prior commitments, external realities
• does culture have to change; what historical relationships must be respected
• implementation-will people resist change; is change being reinforced; is a new stability developing
• monitoring changes-are further changes necessary; are costs and benefits of changes as expected
• make sure you have thought about the ramifications of implementing the plan; how will you address them

Action Plans : provide options for meeting specific objectives should include: a brief description of the plan, costs, benefits, drawbacks

Some simple models are helpful in thinking about implementation. One involves thinking about implementation as involving three stages:

• Unfreezing: Making sure those affected feel the need for change
• Change: introducing the change
• Refreezing: Reinforcing the new behaviors

General Reminders/Check List

• remember you will never have enough information!
• the most critical aspect of case analysis may be "identifying the problem"
• you will never be sure you have identified the real problem
• there is rarely one "right" answer-different answers may be somewhat right

Accept that cases and managerial situations involve:

• ambiguous situations multiple causality inadequate information
• no elegant solution
• acknowledge that personal values play a role in case analysis
• no one (including the instructors) can "solve" the case
• try to imagine "living" with the problem and your recommendations

Try to avoid:

• blindly applying stereotypes to problems accepting information at face value
• confusing symptoms with problems making premature evaluations
• judging behavior-we assume no one is "good" or "bad"; labelling people as such is an easy way to dispense with problems of trying to figure out why someone does what he does
• don’t assume you are so much smarter or better informed than managers you observe or read about that you can readily solve problems they have been dealing with for years
• managers involved may understand their problems better than you do and act the way they do for reasons that are sound to themselves

Writing Tips

• while it is critical to follow the above advice on case analysis, much of this analysis may not appear in your paper. The analysis is required to generate material for your memo but may not necessarily appear in it
• think carefully in your writing who your audience is
• assume your reader is a little dense; write in a form that is easy to digest-good introduction, subheadings, manageable paragraphs, clear topic sentences, clear transitions
• provide a strong introduction; give your reader a reason to read the analysis; give the reader the "benefits"
• in a memo, you can only convey one or two main points; make sure the reader knows what they are; make sure your introduction provides a clear "road map" for where you are going; reinforce this in the conclusion
• use models/theories in your analysis, but you may not necessarily "leave" these "tools" in your document.

Final Comments

Case teaching is a lab experience. It is low risk and participative. It does not provide "how to" or surefire techniques. Students sometimes express dissatisfaction with cases. "Information is ambiguous, redundant, irrelevant; the issue isn’t stated clearly; the instructor isn’t directive enough; we never know the "right" answer; the instructor should lecture more."

These comments are legitimate. But for the most part the difficulties associated with case teaching stem from real situations themselves. These are the same dilemmas you will face as managers.

More Related Posts

• Case Hints – Case Analysis Evaluation
• Case Hints – Why We Use the Case Method
• Case Hints – The Case Method
• Case Analysis Template
• 5 Forces Framework

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The HBS Case Method

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How the HBS Case Method Works

How the Case Method Works

• Read and analyze the case. Each case is a 10-20 page document written from the viewpoint of a real person leading a real organization. In addition to background information on the situation, each case ends in a key decision to be made. Your job is to sift through the information, incomplete by design, and decide what you would do.
• Discuss the case. Each morning, you’ll bring your ideas to a small team of classmates from diverse professional backgrounds, your discussion group, to share your findings and listen to theirs. Together, you begin to see the case from different perspectives, better preparing you for class.
• Engage in class. Be prepared to change the way you think as you debate with classmates the best path forward for this organization. The highly engaged conversation is facilitated by the faculty member, but it’s driven by your classmates’ comments and experiences. HBS brings together amazingly talented people from diverse backgrounds and puts that experience front and center. Students do the majority of the talking (and lots of active listening), and your job is to better understand the decision at hand, what you would do in the case protagonist’s shoes, and why. You will not leave a class thinking about the case the same way you thought about it coming in! In addition to learning more about many businesses, in the case method you will develop communication, listening, analysis, and leadership skills. It is a truly dynamic and immersive learning environment.
• Reflect. The case method prepares you to be in leadership positions where you will face time-sensitive decisions with limited information. Reflecting on each class discussion will prepare you to face these situations in your future roles.

Student Perspectives

“I’ve been so touched by how dedicated other people have been to my learning and my success.”

Faculty Perspectives

“The world desperately needs better leadership. It’s actually one of the great gifts of teaching here, you can do something about it.”

Alumni Perspectives

“You walk into work every morning and it's like a fire hose of decisions that need to be made, often without enough information. Just like an HBS case.”

Celebrating the Inaugural HBS Case

“How do you go into an ambiguous situation and get to the bottom of it? That skill – the skill of figuring out a course of inquiry, to choose a course of action – that skill is as relevant today as it was in 1921.”

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Mastering the Six Step Problem Solving Model – A Comprehensive Guide for Effective Solutions

Introduction.

Problem-solving skills are essential in both personal and professional lives. Whether you are facing a small issue or a complex challenge, having a structured approach can help you navigate through the problem, analyze it thoroughly, and find effective solutions. One popular and widely-used problem-solving model is the Six Step Problem Solving Model. In this blog post, we will explore the six steps of this model in detail, discussing how each step contributes to solving problems successfully.

Understanding the Six Step Problem Solving Model

The Six Step Problem Solving Model provides a systematic framework for approaching problems. Each step plays a crucial role in understanding, analyzing, and resolving the problem at hand. Let’s delve into each step:

Step 1: Define the problem

The first step is to clearly define the problem. This involves identifying the issue you are facing and understanding its importance. You must have a clear understanding of what needs to be solved before you can move forward. A well-defined problem statement sets the foundation for effective problem-solving.

Step 2: Analyze the problem

Once the problem is defined, it’s time to analyze it. This step involves gathering relevant information and identifying the root causes of the problem. By thoroughly understanding the underlying factors contributing to the problem, you can develop targeted strategies to address them.

Step 3: Generate potential solutions

After analyzing the problem, it’s time to brainstorm potential solutions. This step encourages creative thinking and exploration of different possibilities. Utilizing various brainstorming techniques can help generate a wide range of ideas. Once potential solutions are identified, it’s crucial to evaluate them based on their feasibility and potential impact.

Step 4: Choose the best solution

With a list of potential solutions in hand, it’s important to choose the best one. This step involves utilizing decision-making tools to evaluate each solution’s strengths and weaknesses. Factors such as feasibility, cost, and potential impact should be considered during the decision-making process. By selecting the most effective solution, you increase the likelihood of achieving a successful outcome.

Step 5: Implement the solution

Once a solution has been chosen, it’s time to put it into action. This step requires developing a detailed action plan that outlines the necessary steps to implement the solution effectively. Additionally, assigning responsibilities ensures that everyone involved understands their role in the implementation process. By having a well-structured plan, you can streamline the implementation process and minimize potential setbacks.

Step 6: Evaluate and follow-up

The final step of the problem-solving model is to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution implementation and make necessary adjustments if needed. This step involves assessing whether the solution has produced the desired outcome or if further modifications are required. Regular follow-ups are essential to ensure continuous improvement and address any new challenges that arise.

Applying the Six Step Problem Solving Model in Real-life Scenarios

The Six Step Problem Solving Model can be applied to various real-life situations, both personal and professional. Let’s explore some examples:

Personal problem-solving

When faced with a personal problem, such as managing time effectively or improving relationships, the Six Step Problem Solving Model can be a valuable tool. By defining the problem, analyzing its causes, generating potential solutions, choosing the best one, implementing it, and evaluating the results, individuals can overcome personal challenges and improve their well-being.

Professional problem-solving

In a professional setting, problem-solving skills are vital for success. From addressing customer complaints to optimizing business processes, the Six Step Problem Solving Model provides a structured approach. Applying the model allows for a thorough understanding of the problem, consideration of multiple solutions, informed decision-making, effective implementation, and continuous evaluation for improvement.

Case studies highlighting successful application of the model

Let’s take a look at a few case studies that demonstrate the successful application of the Six Step Problem Solving Model:

• Case Study 1: Resolving Customer Complaints: A customer service team at a retail store implemented the Six Step Problem Solving Model to address a high volume of customer complaints. By defining the problem (long wait times and inadequate product knowledge), analyzing the root causes (staffing issues and lack of training), generating potential solutions (hiring additional staff, providing comprehensive training), choosing the best solution (opting for both solutions), implementing the changes, and evaluating the results, the team successfully reduced customer complaints and improved overall customer satisfaction.
• Case Study 2: Streamlining Manufacturing Processes: A manufacturing company faced inefficiencies in its production line, resulting in increased costs and delays in product delivery. Utilizing the Six Step Problem Solving Model, the team defined the problem (inefficient workflows and bottlenecks), analyzed the root causes (ineffective equipment maintenance and suboptimal process design), generated potential solutions (implementing regular maintenance schedules, reconfiguring layouts), chose the best solution (combination of both solutions), implemented the changes, and continuously evaluated and adjusted strategies. As a result, the company improved productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Tips and Best Practices for Mastering the Six Step Problem Solving Model

Mastering the Six Step Problem Solving Model requires a combination of critical thinking, effective communication, and appropriate utilization of problem-solving tools and techniques. Here are some tips to enhance your proficiency in using this model:

Developing critical thinking skills

Critical thinking is essential for problem-solving. Sharpening your critical thinking skills allows you to objectively analyze situations, identify patterns, and generate creative and effective solutions. Engage in activities that promote critical thinking, such as puzzles or mind mapping exercises, to enhance this skill.

Enhancing communication and collaboration

Effective communication and collaboration are key to successful problem-solving. Encourage open and constructive dialogue within teams, actively listen to others’ perspectives, and promote idea sharing. By fostering a collaborative environment, you can tap into the collective knowledge and insights of your team, leading to more comprehensive and innovative solutions.

Utilizing problem-solving tools and techniques

There are various problem-solving tools and techniques available that can complement the Six Step Problem Solving Model. Examples include SWOT analysis, Fishbone diagrams, and decision matrices. Familiarize yourself with these tools, and utilize them as appropriate to enhance your problem-solving capabilities.

Advantages and Limitations of the Six Step Problem Solving Model

While the Six Step Problem Solving Model provides a structured approach to problem-solving, it is important to consider its advantages and limitations:

Advantages of using a structured approach

Using a structured approach, such as the Six Step Problem Solving Model, offers several benefits. It provides a clear framework that guides problem-solving activities, ensures thorough analysis of the problem, and encourages systematic decision-making. Additionally, this model allows for continuous evaluation and improvement, enabling individuals and teams to continuously refine their problem-solving skills.

Potential challenges and drawbacks

There are a few potential challenges and drawbacks to be aware of when using the Six Step Problem Solving Model. It may require significant time and effort to complete all six steps, especially for complex problems. Additionally, this model assumes a linear problem-solving process, which may not always align with the dynamic and iterative nature of certain challenges. It is important to adapt the model as needed to accommodate different problem-solving contexts.

The Six Step Problem Solving Model provides individuals and teams with an effective framework for approaching and resolving problems. By defining the problem, analyzing it thoroughly, generating potential solutions, choosing the most suitable option, implementing it effectively, and continuously evaluating and adjusting strategies, you can overcome obstacles and achieve successful outcomes. Mastering this model requires critical thinking, effective communication, and a willingness to learn and improve. Apply the Six Step Problem Solving Model in your personal and professional life and witness the positive impact it can have on problem-solving processes.

Related articles:

• Mastering the Six Step Problem Solving Model – A Step-by-Step Guide for Effective Solutions
• Understanding AI Model Drift – Causes, Challenges, and Solutions
• Mastering the Art of Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – A Comprehensive Definition and Guide
• Mastering the Six-Step Problem Solving Model – A Comprehensive Guide for Success

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How to master the seven-step problem-solving process

In this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , Simon London speaks with Charles Conn, CEO of venture-capital firm Oxford Sciences Innovation, and McKinsey senior partner Hugo Sarrazin about the complexities of different problem-solving strategies.

Podcast transcript

Simon London: Hello, and welcome to this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , with me, Simon London. What’s the number-one skill you need to succeed professionally? Salesmanship, perhaps? Or a facility with statistics? Or maybe the ability to communicate crisply and clearly? Many would argue that at the very top of the list comes problem solving: that is, the ability to think through and come up with an optimal course of action to address any complex challenge—in business, in public policy, or indeed in life.

Looked at this way, it’s no surprise that McKinsey takes problem solving very seriously, testing for it during the recruiting process and then honing it, in McKinsey consultants, through immersion in a structured seven-step method. To discuss the art of problem solving, I sat down in California with McKinsey senior partner Hugo Sarrazin and also with Charles Conn. Charles is a former McKinsey partner, entrepreneur, executive, and coauthor of the book Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything [John Wiley & Sons, 2018].

Charles and Hugo, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for being here.

Hugo Sarrazin: Our pleasure.

Charles Conn: It’s terrific to be here.

Simon London: Problem solving is a really interesting piece of terminology. It could mean so many different things. I have a son who’s a teenage climber. They talk about solving problems. Climbing is problem solving. Charles, when you talk about problem solving, what are you talking about?

Charles Conn: For me, problem solving is the answer to the question “What should I do?” It’s interesting when there’s uncertainty and complexity, and when it’s meaningful because there are consequences. Your son’s climbing is a perfect example. There are consequences, and it’s complicated, and there’s uncertainty—can he make that grab? I think we can apply that same frame almost at any level. You can think about questions like “What town would I like to live in?” or “Should I put solar panels on my roof?”

You might think that’s a funny thing to apply problem solving to, but in my mind it’s not fundamentally different from business problem solving, which answers the question “What should my strategy be?” Or problem solving at the policy level: “How do we combat climate change?” “Should I support the local school bond?” I think these are all part and parcel of the same type of question, “What should I do?”

I’m a big fan of structured problem solving. By following steps, we can more clearly understand what problem it is we’re solving, what are the components of the problem that we’re solving, which components are the most important ones for us to pay attention to, which analytic techniques we should apply to those, and how we can synthesize what we’ve learned back into a compelling story. That’s all it is, at its heart.

I think sometimes when people think about seven steps, they assume that there’s a rigidity to this. That’s not it at all. It’s actually to give you the scope for creativity, which often doesn’t exist when your problem solving is muddled.

Simon London: You were just talking about the seven-step process. That’s what’s written down in the book, but it’s a very McKinsey process as well. Without getting too deep into the weeds, let’s go through the steps, one by one. You were just talking about problem definition as being a particularly important thing to get right first. That’s the first step. Hugo, tell us about that.

Hugo Sarrazin: It is surprising how often people jump past this step and make a bunch of assumptions. The most powerful thing is to step back and ask the basic questions—“What are we trying to solve? What are the constraints that exist? What are the dependencies?” Let’s make those explicit and really push the thinking and defining. At McKinsey, we spend an enormous amount of time in writing that little statement, and the statement, if you’re a logic purist, is great. You debate. “Is it an ‘or’? Is it an ‘and’? What’s the action verb?” Because all these specific words help you get to the heart of what matters.

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Simon London: So this is a concise problem statement.

Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah. It’s not like “Can we grow in Japan?” That’s interesting, but it is “What, specifically, are we trying to uncover in the growth of a product in Japan? Or a segment in Japan? Or a channel in Japan?” When you spend an enormous amount of time, in the first meeting of the different stakeholders, debating this and having different people put forward what they think the problem definition is, you realize that people have completely different views of why they’re here. That, to me, is the most important step.

Charles Conn: I would agree with that. For me, the problem context is critical. When we understand “What are the forces acting upon your decision maker? How quickly is the answer needed? With what precision is the answer needed? Are there areas that are off limits or areas where we would particularly like to find our solution? Is the decision maker open to exploring other areas?” then you not only become more efficient, and move toward what we call the critical path in problem solving, but you also make it so much more likely that you’re not going to waste your time or your decision maker’s time.

How often do especially bright young people run off with half of the idea about what the problem is and start collecting data and start building models—only to discover that they’ve really gone off half-cocked.

Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah.

Charles Conn: And in the wrong direction.

Simon London: OK. So step one—and there is a real art and a structure to it—is define the problem. Step two, Charles?

Charles Conn: My favorite step is step two, which is to use logic trees to disaggregate the problem. Every problem we’re solving has some complexity and some uncertainty in it. The only way that we can really get our team working on the problem is to take the problem apart into logical pieces.

What we find, of course, is that the way to disaggregate the problem often gives you an insight into the answer to the problem quite quickly. I love to do two or three different cuts at it, each one giving a bit of a different insight into what might be going wrong. By doing sensible disaggregations, using logic trees, we can figure out which parts of the problem we should be looking at, and we can assign those different parts to team members.

Simon London: What’s a good example of a logic tree on a sort of ratable problem?

Charles Conn: Maybe the easiest one is the classic profit tree. Almost in every business that I would take a look at, I would start with a profit or return-on-assets tree. In its simplest form, you have the components of revenue, which are price and quantity, and the components of cost, which are cost and quantity. Each of those can be broken out. Cost can be broken into variable cost and fixed cost. The components of price can be broken into what your pricing scheme is. That simple tree often provides insight into what’s going on in a business or what the difference is between that business and the competitors.

If we add the leg, which is “What’s the asset base or investment element?”—so profit divided by assets—then we can ask the question “Is the business using its investments sensibly?” whether that’s in stores or in manufacturing or in transportation assets. I hope we can see just how simple this is, even though we’re describing it in words.

When I went to work with Gordon Moore at the Moore Foundation, the problem that he asked us to look at was “How can we save Pacific salmon?” Now, that sounds like an impossible question, but it was amenable to precisely the same type of disaggregation and allowed us to organize what became a 15-year effort to improve the likelihood of good outcomes for Pacific salmon.

Simon London: Now, is there a danger that your logic tree can be impossibly large? This, I think, brings us onto the third step in the process, which is that you have to prioritize.

Charles Conn: Absolutely. The third step, which we also emphasize, along with good problem definition, is rigorous prioritization—we ask the questions “How important is this lever or this branch of the tree in the overall outcome that we seek to achieve? How much can I move that lever?” Obviously, we try and focus our efforts on ones that have a big impact on the problem and the ones that we have the ability to change. With salmon, ocean conditions turned out to be a big lever, but not one that we could adjust. We focused our attention on fish habitats and fish-harvesting practices, which were big levers that we could affect.

People spend a lot of time arguing about branches that are either not important or that none of us can change. We see it in the public square. When we deal with questions at the policy level—“Should you support the death penalty?” “How do we affect climate change?” “How can we uncover the causes and address homelessness?”—it’s even more important that we’re focusing on levers that are big and movable.

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Simon London: Let’s move swiftly on to step four. You’ve defined your problem, you disaggregate it, you prioritize where you want to analyze—what you want to really look at hard. Then you got to the work plan. Now, what does that mean in practice?

Hugo Sarrazin: Depending on what you’ve prioritized, there are many things you could do. It could be breaking the work among the team members so that people have a clear piece of the work to do. It could be defining the specific analyses that need to get done and executed, and being clear on time lines. There’s always a level-one answer, there’s a level-two answer, there’s a level-three answer. Without being too flippant, I can solve any problem during a good dinner with wine. It won’t have a whole lot of backing.

Simon London: Not going to have a lot of depth to it.

Hugo Sarrazin: No, but it may be useful as a starting point. If the stakes are not that high, that could be OK. If it’s really high stakes, you may need level three and have the whole model validated in three different ways. You need to find a work plan that reflects the level of precision, the time frame you have, and the stakeholders you need to bring along in the exercise.

Charles Conn: I love the way you’ve described that, because, again, some people think of problem solving as a linear thing, but of course what’s critical is that it’s iterative. As you say, you can solve the problem in one day or even one hour.

Charles Conn: We encourage our teams everywhere to do that. We call it the one-day answer or the one-hour answer. In work planning, we’re always iterating. Every time you see a 50-page work plan that stretches out to three months, you know it’s wrong. It will be outmoded very quickly by that learning process that you described. Iterative problem solving is a critical part of this. Sometimes, people think work planning sounds dull, but it isn’t. It’s how we know what’s expected of us and when we need to deliver it and how we’re progressing toward the answer. It’s also the place where we can deal with biases. Bias is a feature of every human decision-making process. If we design our team interactions intelligently, we can avoid the worst sort of biases.

Simon London: Here we’re talking about cognitive biases primarily, right? It’s not that I’m biased against you because of your accent or something. These are the cognitive biases that behavioral sciences have shown we all carry around, things like anchoring, overoptimism—these kinds of things.

Both: Yeah.

Charles Conn: Availability bias is the one that I’m always alert to. You think you’ve seen the problem before, and therefore what’s available is your previous conception of it—and we have to be most careful about that. In any human setting, we also have to be careful about biases that are based on hierarchies, sometimes called sunflower bias. I’m sure, Hugo, with your teams, you make sure that the youngest team members speak first. Not the oldest team members, because it’s easy for people to look at who’s senior and alter their own creative approaches.

Hugo Sarrazin: It’s helpful, at that moment—if someone is asserting a point of view—to ask the question “This was true in what context?” You’re trying to apply something that worked in one context to a different one. That can be deadly if the context has changed, and that’s why organizations struggle to change. You promote all these people because they did something that worked well in the past, and then there’s a disruption in the industry, and they keep doing what got them promoted even though the context has changed.

Simon London: Right. Right.

Hugo Sarrazin: So it’s the same thing in problem solving.

Charles Conn: And it’s why diversity in our teams is so important. It’s one of the best things about the world that we’re in now. We’re likely to have people from different socioeconomic, ethnic, and national backgrounds, each of whom sees problems from a slightly different perspective. It is therefore much more likely that the team will uncover a truly creative and clever approach to problem solving.

Simon London: Let’s move on to step five. You’ve done your work plan. Now you’ve actually got to do the analysis. The thing that strikes me here is that the range of tools that we have at our disposal now, of course, is just huge, particularly with advances in computation, advanced analytics. There’s so many things that you can apply here. Just talk about the analysis stage. How do you pick the right tools?

Charles Conn: For me, the most important thing is that we start with simple heuristics and explanatory statistics before we go off and use the big-gun tools. We need to understand the shape and scope of our problem before we start applying these massive and complex analytical approaches.

Simon London: Would you agree with that?

Hugo Sarrazin: I agree. I think there are so many wonderful heuristics. You need to start there before you go deep into the modeling exercise. There’s an interesting dynamic that’s happening, though. In some cases, for some types of problems, it is even better to set yourself up to maximize your learning. Your problem-solving methodology is test and learn, test and learn, test and learn, and iterate. That is a heuristic in itself, the A/B testing that is used in many parts of the world. So that’s a problem-solving methodology. It’s nothing different. It just uses technology and feedback loops in a fast way. The other one is exploratory data analysis. When you’re dealing with a large-scale problem, and there’s so much data, I can get to the heuristics that Charles was talking about through very clever visualization of data.

You test with your data. You need to set up an environment to do so, but don’t get caught up in neural-network modeling immediately. You’re testing, you’re checking—“Is the data right? Is it sound? Does it make sense?”—before you launch too far.

Simon London: You do hear these ideas—that if you have a big enough data set and enough algorithms, they’re going to find things that you just wouldn’t have spotted, find solutions that maybe you wouldn’t have thought of. Does machine learning sort of revolutionize the problem-solving process? Or are these actually just other tools in the toolbox for structured problem solving?

Charles Conn: It can be revolutionary. There are some areas in which the pattern recognition of large data sets and good algorithms can help us see things that we otherwise couldn’t see. But I do think it’s terribly important we don’t think that this particular technique is a substitute for superb problem solving, starting with good problem definition. Many people use machine learning without understanding algorithms that themselves can have biases built into them. Just as 20 years ago, when we were doing statistical analysis, we knew that we needed good model definition, we still need a good understanding of our algorithms and really good problem definition before we launch off into big data sets and unknown algorithms.

Simon London: Step six. You’ve done your analysis.

Charles Conn: I take six and seven together, and this is the place where young problem solvers often make a mistake. They’ve got their analysis, and they assume that’s the answer, and of course it isn’t the answer. The ability to synthesize the pieces that came out of the analysis and begin to weave those into a story that helps people answer the question “What should I do?” This is back to where we started. If we can’t synthesize, and we can’t tell a story, then our decision maker can’t find the answer to “What should I do?”

Simon London: But, again, these final steps are about motivating people to action, right?

Charles Conn: Yeah.

Simon London: I am slightly torn about the nomenclature of problem solving because it’s on paper, right? Until you motivate people to action, you actually haven’t solved anything.

Charles Conn: I love this question because I think decision-making theory, without a bias to action, is a waste of time. Everything in how I approach this is to help people take action that makes the world better.

Simon London: Hence, these are absolutely critical steps. If you don’t do this well, you’ve just got a bunch of analysis.

Charles Conn: We end up in exactly the same place where we started, which is people speaking across each other, past each other in the public square, rather than actually working together, shoulder to shoulder, to crack these important problems.

Simon London: In the real world, we have a lot of uncertainty—arguably, increasing uncertainty. How do good problem solvers deal with that?

Hugo Sarrazin: At every step of the process. In the problem definition, when you’re defining the context, you need to understand those sources of uncertainty and whether they’re important or not important. It becomes important in the definition of the tree.

You need to think carefully about the branches of the tree that are more certain and less certain as you define them. They don’t have equal weight just because they’ve got equal space on the page. Then, when you’re prioritizing, your prioritization approach may put more emphasis on things that have low probability but huge impact—or, vice versa, may put a lot of priority on things that are very likely and, hopefully, have a reasonable impact. You can introduce that along the way. When you come back to the synthesis, you just need to be nuanced about what you’re understanding, the likelihood.

Often, people lack humility in the way they make their recommendations: “This is the answer.” They’re very precise, and I think we would all be well-served to say, “This is a likely answer under the following sets of conditions” and then make the level of uncertainty clearer, if that is appropriate. It doesn’t mean you’re always in the gray zone; it doesn’t mean you don’t have a point of view. It just means that you can be explicit about the certainty of your answer when you make that recommendation.

Simon London: So it sounds like there is an underlying principle: “Acknowledge and embrace the uncertainty. Don’t pretend that it isn’t there. Be very clear about what the uncertainties are up front, and then build that into every step of the process.”

Hugo Sarrazin: Every step of the process.

Simon London: Yeah. We have just walked through a particular structured methodology for problem solving. But, of course, this is not the only structured methodology for problem solving. One that is also very well-known is design thinking, which comes at things very differently. So, Hugo, I know you have worked with a lot of designers. Just give us a very quick summary. Design thinking—what is it, and how does it relate?

Hugo Sarrazin: It starts with an incredible amount of empathy for the user and uses that to define the problem. It does pause and go out in the wild and spend an enormous amount of time seeing how people interact with objects, seeing the experience they’re getting, seeing the pain points or joy—and uses that to infer and define the problem.

Simon London: Problem definition, but out in the world.

Hugo Sarrazin: With an enormous amount of empathy. There’s a huge emphasis on empathy. Traditional, more classic problem solving is you define the problem based on an understanding of the situation. This one almost presupposes that we don’t know the problem until we go see it. The second thing is you need to come up with multiple scenarios or answers or ideas or concepts, and there’s a lot of divergent thinking initially. That’s slightly different, versus the prioritization, but not for long. Eventually, you need to kind of say, “OK, I’m going to converge again.” Then you go and you bring things back to the customer and get feedback and iterate. Then you rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. There’s a lot of tactile building, along the way, of prototypes and things like that. It’s very iterative.

Simon London: So, Charles, are these complements or are these alternatives?

Charles Conn: I think they’re entirely complementary, and I think Hugo’s description is perfect. When we do problem definition well in classic problem solving, we are demonstrating the kind of empathy, at the very beginning of our problem, that design thinking asks us to approach. When we ideate—and that’s very similar to the disaggregation, prioritization, and work-planning steps—we do precisely the same thing, and often we use contrasting teams, so that we do have divergent thinking. The best teams allow divergent thinking to bump them off whatever their initial biases in problem solving are. For me, design thinking gives us a constant reminder of creativity, empathy, and the tactile nature of problem solving, but it’s absolutely complementary, not alternative.

Simon London: I think, in a world of cross-functional teams, an interesting question is do people with design-thinking backgrounds really work well together with classical problem solvers? How do you make that chemistry happen?

Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah, it is not easy when people have spent an enormous amount of time seeped in design thinking or user-centric design, whichever word you want to use. If the person who’s applying classic problem-solving methodology is very rigid and mechanical in the way they’re doing it, there could be an enormous amount of tension. If there’s not clarity in the role and not clarity in the process, I think having the two together can be, sometimes, problematic.

The second thing that happens often is that the artifacts the two methodologies try to gravitate toward can be different. Classic problem solving often gravitates toward a model; design thinking migrates toward a prototype. Rather than writing a big deck with all my supporting evidence, they’ll bring an example, a thing, and that feels different. Then you spend your time differently to achieve those two end products, so that’s another source of friction.

Now, I still think it can be an incredibly powerful thing to have the two—if there are the right people with the right mind-set, if there is a team that is explicit about the roles, if we’re clear about the kind of outcomes we are attempting to bring forward. There’s an enormous amount of collaborativeness and respect.

Simon London: But they have to respect each other’s methodology and be prepared to flex, maybe, a little bit, in how this process is going to work.

Hugo Sarrazin: Absolutely.

Simon London: The other area where, it strikes me, there could be a little bit of a different sort of friction is this whole concept of the day-one answer, which is what we were just talking about in classical problem solving. Now, you know that this is probably not going to be your final answer, but that’s how you begin to structure the problem. Whereas I would imagine your design thinkers—no, they’re going off to do their ethnographic research and get out into the field, potentially for a long time, before they come back with at least an initial hypothesis.

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Hugo Sarrazin: That is a great callout, and that’s another difference. Designers typically will like to soak into the situation and avoid converging too quickly. There’s optionality and exploring different options. There’s a strong belief that keeps the solution space wide enough that you can come up with more radical ideas. If there’s a large design team or many designers on the team, and you come on Friday and say, “What’s our week-one answer?” they’re going to struggle. They’re not going to be comfortable, naturally, to give that answer. It doesn’t mean they don’t have an answer; it’s just not where they are in their thinking process.

Simon London: I think we are, sadly, out of time for today. But Charles and Hugo, thank you so much.

Charles Conn: It was a pleasure to be here, Simon.

Hugo Sarrazin: It was a pleasure. Thank you.

Simon London: And thanks, as always, to you, our listeners, for tuning into this episode of the McKinsey Podcast . If you want to learn more about problem solving, you can find the book, Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything , online or order it through your local bookstore. To learn more about McKinsey, you can of course find us at McKinsey.com.

Charles Conn is CEO of Oxford Sciences Innovation and an alumnus of McKinsey’s Sydney office. Hugo Sarrazin is a senior partner in the Silicon Valley office, where Simon London, a member of McKinsey Publishing, is also based.

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Single Case Studies and Models of Complex Problem Solving

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There are at least two different ways in which single case studies can be fruitfully employed in problem solving research. In the first approach, the starting point is a theory. Hypotheses are derived from the theory, and single cases are studied to test the theory. In the second approach, the starting point are single cases that are studied based on preliminary assumptions about the problem solving process. Here, assumptions regarding cognitive processes are derived from the study of single cases and are implemented in a model, which, in turn, is subjected to further investigations. Of course, the real-life research approaches will never be exact copies of these two alternatives but will typically contain components of both approaches.

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• J Microbiol Biol Educ
• v.19(3); 2018

A Systematic Approach to Teaching Case Studies and Solving Novel Problems †

Carolyn a. meyer.

1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523

Heather Hall

Natascha heise, karen kaminski.

2 School of Education, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523

Kenneth R. Ivie

Tod r. clapp, associated data.

Both research and practical experience in education support the use of case studies in the classroom to engage students and develop critical thinking skills. In particular, working through case studies in scientific disciplines encourages students to incorporate knowledge from a variety of backgrounds and apply a breadth of information. While it is recognized that critical thinking is important for student success in professional school and future careers, a specific strategy to tackle a novel problem is lacking in student training. We have developed a four-step systematic approach to solving case studies that improves student confidence and provides them with a definitive road map that is useful when solving any novel problem, both in and out of the classroom. This approach encourages students to define unfamiliar terms, create a timeline, describe the systems involved, and identify any unique features. This method allows students to solve complex problems by organizing and applying information in a logical progression. We have incorporated case studies in anatomy and neuroanatomy courses and are confident that this systematic approach will translate well to courses in various scientific disciplines.

INTRODUCTION

There is increasing emphasis in pedagogical research on encouraging critical thinking in the classroom. The specific mental processes and behaviors involved require the individual to engage in reflective and purposeful thinking. Critical thinking encompasses the ability to examine ideas, make decisions, and solve problems ( 1 , 2 ). The skills necessary to think critically are essential for learners to evaluate multiple perspectives and solve novel problems in the classroom and throughout life. Career success in the 21st century requires a complex set of workforce skills. Current labor market assessments indicate that by the year 2020, the majority of occupations will require workers to display cognitive skills such as active listening, critical thinking, and decision making ( 3 , 4 ). In particular, current studies show that the US economy is impacted by a deficit of skilled workers able to solve problems and transfer learning to any unique situation ( 3 ).

The critical thinking skills necessary to tackle novel problems can best be addressed in higher education institutions ( 5 , 6 ). Throughout education, and specifically in college courses, students tend to be required to regurgitate knowledge through a myriad of multiple-choice exams. Breaking this habit and incorporating critical thinking can be difficult for students. While the ability to recite information is helpful for establishing base knowledge, it does not prepare students to tackle novel problems. Ideally, the objective of any course is to encourage students to move beyond recognition of knowledge into its application ( 7 ). Considering this, the importance of critical thinking is widely accepted; however, there has been some debate in educational research regarding how to teach these skills ( 8 ). Research has demonstrated that students show significant improvements in critical thinking as a result of explicit methods of instruction in related skills ( 9 , 10 ). Explicit instruction provides a protocol on how to approach a problem. By establishing the necessary framework to work through unfamiliar details, we enable students to independently solve complex problems.

These skills, which are important in every facet of the workforce, are vital for students in the sciences ( 10 , 11 ). Here, we discuss a specific process that teaches students a systematic approach to solving case studies in the anatomical sciences. Case studies are a popular method to encourage critical thinking and engage students in the learning process ( 12 ). While the examples described here are specifically designed to be implemented in anatomy and neuroanatomy courses, this platform lends itself to teaching critical thinking skills across scientific disciplines. This four-step approach encourages students to work through four separate facets of a problem:

• Define unfamiliar terms
• Create a timeline associated with the problem
• Describe the (anatomical) systems involved
• Identify any unique features associated with the case

Often, students start by trying to plug in memorized facts to answer a complicated question quickly. With the four-step approach, students learn that before “solving” the case study, they must analyze the information presented in the case. The case studies implemented are anatomically-based case studies that emphasize important structural relationships. The case may include terminology with which the students are not familiar. They therefore begin by identifying and defining unfamiliar terms. They then specify the timeline in which the problem occurred. Establishing a timeline and narrowing the focus can be critical when considering the relevant pathology. Students must then describe the anatomical systems involved (e.g., musculoskeletal or circulatory), and finally list any additional unique features of the case (e.g., lateral leg was struck or patient could not abduct the right eye). By dissecting the details along the lines of these four categories, students create a clear roadmap to approach the problem. Case studies with a clinical focus are complex and can be overwhelming for unpracticed students. However, teaching students to follow this systematic approach gives them the tools to begin to carefully dismantle even the most convoluted problem.

Intended audience

This approach to solving case studies has been applied in undergraduate courses, specifically in the sciences. This curriculum is currently utilized in both human gross anatomy and functional neuroanatomy capstone courses. While it is ideal to implement this process in a course that runs in parallel with a lecture-heavy course, it can also be utilized with case studies in a typical lecture class.

Anatomy-based case studies lend themselves well to this problem-solving approach due to the complexities of clinical problems. However, we believe with an appropriately designed case study, this model of teaching critical thinking can easily be expanded to any discipline. This activity encourages critical thinking and engages students in the learning process, which we believe will better prepare them for professional school and careers in the sciences.

Prerequisite student knowledge

Required previous student knowledge only extends to that which students learn through the related course taken previously or concurrently. Application of this approach in different classroom settings only requires that students have a basic understanding of the material needed to solve the case study. As such, the case study problem and questions should be built around current topics being studied in the classroom.

Using unfamiliar words teaches students to identify important information. This encourages integration of information and terminology, which can be critical for understanding anatomy. Simple terms, like superficial or deep, guide discussions about anatomical relationships. While students may be able to recite the definitions of these concepts, applying that information to a case study requires integrating the basic definition with an understanding of the relevant anatomy. Specific prerequisite knowledge for the sample case study is detailed in Appendix 1 .

Learning time

This process needs to be learned and practiced over the course of a semester to ensure long-term retention. With structured and guided attempts, students will be able to implement this approach to solving case studies in one 50-minute class period ( Table 1 ). The course described in this study is a capstone course that meets once weekly. Each 50-minute class period centers around working through a case study. As some class sessions are reserved for other activities, students complete approximately 10 case studies during the semester. Students begin to show increased confidence with this method within a few weeks and ultimately are able to integrate this approach into their critical thinking skillset by the end of the semester. Presentation of the case study, individual or small group work, and class discussion are all achieved in one standard class session ( Table 1 ). The current model does not require student work prior to the class meeting. However, because this course is taken concurrently with a related, content-heavy lecture component, students are expected to be up to date on relevant material. Presenting the case study in class to their peers encourages students to work through the systematic approach we describe here. Each case study is designed to correlate with current topics from the lecture-based course. Following the class period, students are expected to complete a written summary of the discussed case study. The written summary should include a detailed explanation of the approach they utilized to solve the problem, as well as a definitive solution. Written summaries are to be completed two days after the original class period.

Anticipated in-class time to implement this model.

Learning objectives

This model for teaching a systematic approach to solving case studies provides a framework to teach students how to think critically and how to become engaged learners when given a novel problem. By mastering this technique, students will be able to:

• Recognize words and concepts that need to be defined before solving a novel problem
• Recall, interpret, and apply previous knowledge as it relates to larger anatomical concepts
• Construct questions that guide them through which systems are affected, the timeline of the pathologies, and what is unique about the case
• Formulate and justify a hypothesis both verbally and in writing

As a faculty member, it can be challenging to create appropriate case studies when developing this model for use in a specific classroom. There are resources that provide case studies and examples that can be tailored to specific classroom needs. The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (University at Buffalo) can be a useful tool. The ultimate goal of this model is to teach an approach to problem solving, and a properly designed case study is crucial to success. To build an effective case study, faculty must include sufficient information to provide students with enough base knowledge to begin to tackle the problem. This model is ideal in a course that pairs with a lecture-heavy component, utilized in either a supplementary course or during a recitation. The case study should be complex and not quickly solved. An example of a simplified case study utilized in Human Gross Anatomy is detailed in Appendix 1 .

This particular case study encourages students to think through the anatomy of the lateral knee, relevant structures in this area, and which muscle compartments may be affected based on movement disabilities within the case. While more complex case studies can certainly be developed for the Neuroanatomy course through Clinical Case Studies, this case study provides a good example of a problem to which students cannot immediately provide the answer. They must think critically through the four-step process to identify the “diagnosis” for this patient.

This approach to solving case studies can be integrated into the classroom with no special materials. However, we use a Power-Point presentation and personal whiteboards (2.5’ × 2’) to both improve delivery of the case study and facilitate small group discussion, respectively. The Power-Point presentation is utilized by faculty to assist in leading the classroom discussion, prompting student responses and projecting relevant images. As the faculty member is presenting the case study during the first five minutes of class ( Table 1 ), the wording of the case study can be displayed on the PowerPoint slide as a reference while students take notes.

Faculty instructions

It is helpful to first present an overview of the approach and to solve a case study together as a class. We recommend giving students a lecture describing the benefits of a systematic approach to case studies and emphasizing the four-step approach outlined in this paper. Following this lecture, it is imperative that faculty walk the students through the first case study. This helps to familiarize students with the approach and lays out expectations on how to break down the individual components of the case. During the initial case study, faculty must heavily moderate the discussion, leading students through each step of the approach using the provided Case Study Handout ( Appendix 2 ). In subsequent weeks, students can be expected to show increasing independence.

Following initial presentation of the case study in class, students begin work that is largely independent or done in small groups. This discussion has no grades assigned. However, following the in-class discussion and small group work, students are asked to detail their approach to solving the case study and their efforts are graded according to a set rubric ( Appendix 3 ). This written report should document each step of their thought process and detail the questions they asked to reach the final answer, providing students with a chance for continual self-evaluation on their mastery of the method.

Implementing this model in the classroom should focus not only on the individual student approach, but also on creating an encouraging classroom environment and promoting student participation. Student questions may prompt other student questions, leading to an engaging discussion-based presentation of the case study, which is crucial to increasing confidence among students, as has been seen with the data represented in this paper. When moderating the discussion, it is important that faculty emphasize to students that the most critical goal of the exercise is to learn how to ask the next most appropriate question. The questions should begin with broad concepts and evolve to discussing specific details. Efforts to quickly arrive at the answer should be discouraged.

Students should be randomly assigned to groups of two to three individuals as faculty members moderate small group discussion during class. Randomly assigning students to different groups each week encourages interaction between all students in the class and promotes a collaborative environment. Within their small groups, students should work through the systematic four-step process for solving a novel problem. Students are not assigned specific roles within the group. However, all group members are expected to contribute equally. During this process, it can be beneficial to provide students with a template to follow ( Appendix 2 ). This template guides their discussion and encourages them to use the four-step process. Additionally, each small group is given a white board that they can use to facilitate their small group discussions. Specifically, asking students to write down details of each of the four facets of the problem (definitions, timeline, systems involved, unique features) and how they arrived at these encourages them to commit to their answers. This also ensures they have concrete evidence to support their “diagnosis” and that they have confidence in presenting it to the class. Two or three small groups are chosen randomly each week to present their hypothesis to the class using their whiteboard.

Suggestions for determining student learning

The cadence of the in-class discussion can provide an informal gauge of how students are progressing with their ability to apply the systematic approach. The discussion for the initial case studies should be largely faculty led. Then, as the semester progresses, faculty should step back into a facilitator role, allowing the dialogue to be carried by the students.

Additionally, requiring students to write a detailed summary of their approach to the problem provides a strong measure of student learning. While it is important for students to document their final “diagnosis” or solution to the problem, the focus of this assignment is primarily on the process and the series of relevant questions the student used to arrive at the answer. These assignments are graded according to a set rubric ( Appendix 3 ).

Sample data

The following excerpt is from a student who showed marked improvement over the course of the semester in implementing this approach to solving case studies. The initial submission for the case study write-up was rudimentary, did not document the thought process through appropriate questions, and lacked an in-depth explanation to demonstrate any critical thinking. By the end of the semester, this student documented a logical thought progression through this four-step approach to solving the case study. This student, additionally, detailed the questions that led each stage of critical thinking until a “diagnosis” was reached (complete sample data are available in Appendix 4 ).

Initial sample

“Given loss of sensory and motor input to left lower limb, right anterior cerebral artery ischemia caused the sensory and motor cortices of the contralateral (left) lower limb to be without blood flow for a short amount of time (last night). The lack of flow led to a fast onset of motor and sensory paresis to limb.”

Final sample

“…the left vestibular nuclei which explains the nystagmus, and the left cerebellar peduncles which carry information that aids in coordinating intention movements. My next question was where in the brainstem are all of these components located together? I narrowed this to the left caudal pons. Finally, I asked which artery supplies the area that was damaged by the lesion? This would be the left anterior inferior cerebellar artery.”

Safety issues

There are no known safety issues associated with implementing this approach to solving case studies.

The primary goal of the model discussed here is to give students a method that uses critical reasoning and helps them incorporate facts into a complete story to solve case studies. We believe that this model addresses the need for teaching the specific skill set necessary to develop critical thinking and engage students in the learning process. By encouraging critical thinking, we begin to redirect the tendency to simply recite a memorized answer. This four-step approach to solving case studies is ideal for the college classroom, as it is easily implemented, requires minimal resources, and is simple enough that students demonstrate mastery within one semester. While it was designed to be used in anatomy and neuroanatomy courses, this platform can be used across scientific disciplines. Outside of the classroom, in professional school and future careers, this approach can help students to break down the details, ask appropriate questions, and ultimately solve any complex, novel problem.

Field testing

This model has been implemented in several courses in both undergraduate and graduate settings. The data and approach detailed here are specific to an undergraduate senior capstone course with approximately 25 students. The lecture-based course, which is required to be taken concurrently or as a prerequisite, provides a strong base of information from which faculty can develop complex case studies.

Evidence of student learning

Student performance on written case study summaries improved over approximately ten weeks of practicing the systematic four-step approach ( Fig. 1 ). As indicated by the data, scores improve and begin to plateau around five weeks, indicating a mastery of the approach. In the spring 2016 semester, a marked drop in scores was observed at week 8. We believe that this reflects a particularly difficult case study that was assigned that week. After observing the overall trend in scores, instructional format was adjusted to provide students with more guidance as they worked through this particular case study.

Grade performance in case study written summaries as measured with the grading rubric throughout the semester. A) Mean (with SD) grade performance in case study write-ups in the spring semester of 2016. B) Mean (with SD) grade performance in case study write-ups in the spring semester of 2017. Overall grade performance in case study written summaries improved throughout the 10 weeks in which this method was implemented in the classroom. Written summaries are graded based on a set rubric ( Appendix 3 ) that assigned a score between 0 and 1 for five different categories. Data represent the mean of students’ scores and the associated standard deviation. Improved student performance throughout the semester indicates progress in successful incorporation of this method to solve a complex novel problem.

After the class session, students were asked to provide a written summary of their findings. A set rubric ( Appendix 3 ) was used to assess students on their ability to apply basic anatomical knowledge as it relates to the timeline, systems involved, and what is unique in each case study. Students were also asked to describe the questions that they had asked in order to reach a diagnosis for the case study. The questions formulated by students indicate their ability to bring together previous knowledge to larger anatomical concepts. In this written summary, students were also required to justify the answer they arrived at in each step of the process. In addition to these four steps, students were assessed on the organization of their paper and whether their diagnosis is well supported.

Although class participation was not formally assessed, the improvements demonstrated in the written assignments were mirrored in student discussions in the classroom. While it is difficult to accurately assess how well students think critically, students demonstrated success in learning this module, which provides the necessary framework for approaching and solving a novel problem.

Student perceptions

Students were asked to answer the open response question, “Describe the process you use to figure out a novel problem or case study.” Responses were anonymized, then coded based on frequency of responses. Responses were collected at the start of the semester, prior to any instruction in the described systematic approach, and again at the end of the semester ( Figs. 2 and ​ and3). 3 ). Overall, student comments indicated that mastering this four-step approach greatly increased their confidence in tackling a novel problem. Below are some sample student responses.

Student responses to a survey regarding their approach to solving a novel problem. Data were collected prior to and following the completion of the spring semester of 2016. A) Student approach to solving a novel problem at the beginning of the semester. B) Student approach to solving a novel problem at the end of the semester. Student responses indicate that following a semester of training in using this method, students prefer to use this four-step systematic approach to solve a novel problem.

Student responses to a survey regarding their approach to solving a novel problem. Data were collected prior to and following the completion of spring semester of 2017. A) Student approach to solving a novel problem at the beginning of the semester. B) Student approach to solving a novel problem at the end of the semester. Student responses indicate that students overwhelmingly utilize this systematic approach when solving a novel problem.

“Rather than being intimidated with a set of symptoms I can’t explain, I’m now able to break them down into simpler questions that will lead me down a path of understanding and accurate explanation.” “I now know how to address an exam question or life problem by considering what is needed to solve it. This knowledge will help me to address each problem efficiently and calmly. As a future nurse, I will benefit from developing a logical and stereotypical approach to solving problems. I have learned to assess my thinking and questioning and modify my approach to problem-solving. While the problems may be different in the future, I am confident that I will be able to efficiently learn from my successes and setbacks and continually improve.” “I’m sure I’ll use this approach when I’m faced with any other novel problem, whether it’s scientific or not. Stepping back and establishing what I know and what I need to find out makes difficult problems a lot more approachable.” “Before, I would look at all the information presented and try to find things that I recognized. Then I would simply ask myself if I knew the answer. Even if I did actually know the answer, I had no formula to make the information understandable, cohesive, or approachable. I now feel far more confident when dealing with novel problems and do not become immediately overwhelmed.”

This approach encourages students to quickly sort through a large amount of information and think critically. Although students can find the novel nature of this method cumbersome in the initial implementation in the classroom, once they become familiar with the approach, it provides a valuable platform for attacking any novel problem in the future. The ability to apply this approach to critical thinking in any discipline was also demonstrated, as is evidenced by the two following student responses.

“When I first thought about this question and when solving case studies I tried to find the answer immediately. I’m good at memorizing information and spitting it back out but not working through an issue and having a method. I definitely have a more successful way to think through complex problems and being patient and coming up with an answer.” “I already use it in many of my other classes and life cases. When I take an exam that is asking a complicated question or is in a long format, I work to break it down like I did in this class and try to find the base question and what the answer may be. It has actually helped significantly.”

Possible modifications

Currently, students are randomly assigned to groups each week. In future semesters, we could improve small group work by utilizing software that helps to identify individual student strengths and assign groups accordingly. Additionally, while students are given flexibility within their small groups, if groups struggle with equality of workload we could assign specific roles and tasks.

We are also using this model in a large class (100 students) and assessing understanding of the case study through instant student response questions (ICLICKER). While this model does not allow for the valuable in-depth classroom discussions, it still presents the approach to students and allows them to begin to implement it in solving complex problems. Preliminary data from these large classes indicate that students initially find the method difficult and cumbersome. Further development and testing of this model in a large classroom will improve its use for future semesters.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Appendix 1: sample case study, appendix 2: case study handout, appendix 3: case study grading rubric, appendix 4: student writing sample, acknowledgments.

Use of anonymized student data and student responses to surveys was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Colorado State University. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

† Supplemental materials available at http://asmscience.org/jmbe

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• Published: April 2017
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Chapter 1 begins with a five-step model for analyzing a case posing ethical questions in pharmacy: (1) responding to a “sense” or feeling that something is wrong, (2) gathering information and making an assessment, (3) identifying the ethical problem, (4) seeking a resolution, and (5) working with others to choose a course of action. This five-step model is illustrated by the book’s first case, one involving reporting a possibly lethal medical error. A patient dies after mistakenly being given heparin intended for another patient. The case is followed by commentary applying the model and concluding with possible resolutions of the dilemma. The pharmacist might share the information with all those involved, including the family of the now-deceased patient, or tell only the pharmacist who prepared the drugs. The implications of the ethical principles involved, such as nonmaleficence and veracity, are explored.

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Making Learning Relevant With Case Studies

The open-ended problems presented in case studies give students work that feels connected to their lives.

To prepare students for jobs that haven’t been created yet, we need to teach them how to be great problem solvers so that they’ll be ready for anything. One way to do this is by teaching content and skills using real-world case studies, a learning model that’s focused on reflection during the problem-solving process. It’s similar to project-based learning, but PBL is more focused on students creating a product.

Case studies have been used for years by businesses, law and medical schools, physicians on rounds, and artists critiquing work. Like other forms of problem-based learning, case studies can be accessible for every age group, both in one subject and in interdisciplinary work.

You can get started with case studies by tackling relatable questions like these with your students:

• How can we limit food waste in the cafeteria?
• How can we get our school to recycle and compost waste? (Or, if you want to be more complex, how can our school reduce its carbon footprint?)
• How can we improve school attendance?
• How can we reduce the number of people who get sick at school during cold and flu season?

Addressing questions like these leads students to identify topics they need to learn more about. In researching the first question, for example, students may see that they need to research food chains and nutrition. Students often ask, reasonably, why they need to learn something, or when they’ll use their knowledge in the future. Learning is most successful for students when the content and skills they’re studying are relevant, and case studies offer one way to create that sense of relevance.

Teaching With Case Studies

Ultimately, a case study is simply an interesting problem with many correct answers. What does case study work look like in classrooms? Teachers generally start by having students read the case or watch a video that summarizes the case. Students then work in small groups or individually to solve the case study. Teachers set milestones defining what students should accomplish to help them manage their time.

During the case study learning process, student assessment of learning should be focused on reflection. Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick’s Learning and Leading With Habits of Mind gives several examples of what this reflection can look like in a classroom: 

Journaling: At the end of each work period, have students write an entry summarizing what they worked on, what worked well, what didn’t, and why. Sentence starters and clear rubrics or guidelines will help students be successful. At the end of a case study project, as Costa and Kallick write, it’s helpful to have students “select significant learnings, envision how they could apply these learnings to future situations, and commit to an action plan to consciously modify their behaviors.”

Interviews: While working on a case study, students can interview each other about their progress and learning. Teachers can interview students individually or in small groups to assess their learning process and their progress.

Student discussion: Discussions can be unstructured—students can talk about what they worked on that day in a think-pair-share or as a full class—or structured, using Socratic seminars or fishbowl discussions. If your class is tackling a case study in small groups, create a second set of small groups with a representative from each of the case study groups so that the groups can share their learning.

4 Tips for Setting Up a Case Study

1. Identify a problem to investigate: This should be something accessible and relevant to students’ lives. The problem should also be challenging and complex enough to yield multiple solutions with many layers.

2. Give context: Think of this step as a movie preview or book summary. Hook the learners to help them understand just enough about the problem to want to learn more.

3. Have a clear rubric: Giving structure to your definition of quality group work and products will lead to stronger end products. You may be able to have your learners help build these definitions.

4. Provide structures for presenting solutions: The amount of scaffolding you build in depends on your students’ skill level and development. A case study product can be something like several pieces of evidence of students collaborating to solve the case study, and ultimately presenting their solution with a detailed slide deck or an essay—you can scaffold this by providing specified headings for the sections of the essay.

Problem-Based Teaching Resources

There are many high-quality, peer-reviewed resources that are open source and easily accessible online.

• The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo built an online collection of more than 800 cases that cover topics ranging from biochemistry to economics. There are resources for middle and high school students.
• Models of Excellence , a project maintained by EL Education and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has examples of great problem- and project-based tasks—and corresponding exemplary student work—for grades pre-K to 12.
• The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning at Purdue University is an open-source journal that publishes examples of problem-based learning in K–12 and post-secondary classrooms.
• The Tech Edvocate has a list of websites and tools related to problem-based learning.

In their book Problems as Possibilities , Linda Torp and Sara Sage write that at the elementary school level, students particularly appreciate how they feel that they are taken seriously when solving case studies. At the middle school level, “researchers stress the importance of relating middle school curriculum to issues of student concern and interest.” And high schoolers, they write, find the case study method “beneficial in preparing them for their future.”

Solving Case Studies: 8 Step-by-Step Strategies for Management Students

Mastering the Art of Analyzing and Resolving Business Case Studies 

Case study analysis is useful for management students. It’s more than a course—it’s a preview of your future job problems. These real-life examples allow you to apply class ideas and acquire a business-ready problem-solving attitude.

It’s not easy to master case study solving. Strategic thinking, critical thinking, and innovation are needed. This book covers the finest case study solution tactics to help you succeed academically and become a good manager. Solving a management case study is a crucial skill for students pursuing degrees in fields such as MBA, HRM, Finance, and Marketing.

Also, read  10 Proven Memorize Techniques for Students- Friendly Tips

8 Step-by-Step Strategies for Management Students

These case studies offer a practical application of management concepts, requiring students to analyze complex scenarios and devise solutions. In this comprehensive guide, we will outline a step-by-step approach to solving management case studies and provide a real-world example with a solution.

  Step 1: Comprehensive Case Study Analysis

Comprehensive case study analysis is the cornerstone of effective problem-solving. It involves immersing yourself in the case study, not just skimming through it. Start by reading the case thoroughly, absorbing its context, characters, and central problem or objective. It’s crucial to understand the nuances of the situation presented, as even subtle details may significantly impact the solution.

During this phase, consider the following:

• Context : Understand the setting, time frame, and circumstances that led to the current situation.
• Characters : Familiarize yourself with the key individuals involved, their roles, motivations, and potential biases.
• Problem/Objective : Identify the core challenge or goal that the case revolves around.

Step 2: Familiarize with the Industry and Company

Familiarizing yourself with the industry and the specific company involved in the case study is pivotal. This step provides essential context and aids in making informed decisions and recommendations. Here’s how to approach it:

• Industry Analysis : Research the industry’s characteristics, trends, and dynamics. This knowledge helps you understand the broader competitive landscape and market forces at play.
• Company Background : Delve into the company’s history, products or services, market position, financial performance, and strategic priorities. This information helps you align your recommendations with the company’s goals and capabilities.

Step 3: Define the Core Problem/Objective

In this step, your objective is to pinpoint the primary issue or objective that the case study revolves around. By clarifying the problem that needs resolution or the goal that must be achieved, you set the stage for your analysis and decision-making. Consider the following:

• Problem Statement : Summarize the problem in a concise, clear statement. Ensure that your understanding aligns with the essence of the case.
• Objective Clarity : If the case involves an objective, such as expanding market share or improving profitability, define it with precision.

Step 4: Extract Relevant Information

A key aspect of case study analysis is extracting relevant facts and details from the case materials. This process involves revisiting the case study, both to reinforce your understanding and to gather pertinent information. Here’s how to approach it:

• Detailed Examination : Scrutinize the case for data, statistics, anecdotes, and any other information that sheds light on the problem or objective.
• Note-taking : Create a system for recording critical information, whether through written notes or mental models. This will aid in organizing your analysis.

Step 5: Identify Key Statements

Meet Tanu Bhatnagar, an educational expert with extensive experience in teaching, research and mentoring.With a decade in education and research, Tanu combines academic expertise with engaging storytelling. Her research background ensures every article is well-researched and insightful. Beyond textbooks, Tanu's expertise spans writing, exam preparation, economic trends, and global education, delving into the realms of spiritual awakening. This diverse perspective shines through in his writing, offering a fresh take on education. Join Tanu and CollegeChalo for an enriching learning adventure, where his passion ignites yours, and his words light your way.

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15 Real-Life Case Study Examples & Best Practices

Written by: Oghale Olori

Case studies are more than just success stories.

They are powerful tools that demonstrate the practical value of your product or service. Case studies help attract attention to your products, build trust with potential customers and ultimately drive sales.

It’s no wonder that 73% of successful content marketers utilize case studies as part of their content strategy. Plus, buyers spend 54% of their time reviewing case studies before they make a buying decision.

To ensure you’re making the most of your case studies, we’ve put together 15 real-life case study examples to inspire you. These examples span a variety of industries and formats. We’ve also included best practices, design tips and templates to inspire you.

Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

What is a case study, 15 real-life case study examples, sales case study examples, saas case study examples, product case study examples, marketing case study examples, business case study examples, case study faqs.

• A case study is a compelling narrative that showcases how your product or service has positively impacted a real business or individual. 
• Case studies delve into your customer's challenges, how your solution addressed them and the quantifiable results they achieved.
• Your case study should have an attention-grabbing headline, great visuals and a relevant call to action. Other key elements include an introduction, problems and result section.
• Visme provides easy-to-use tools, professionally designed templates and features for creating attractive and engaging case studies.

A case study is a real-life scenario where your company helped a person or business solve their unique challenges. It provides a detailed analysis of the positive outcomes achieved as a result of implementing your solution.

Case studies are an effective way to showcase the value of your product or service to potential customers without overt selling. By sharing how your company transformed a business, you can attract customers seeking similar solutions and results.

Case studies are not only about your company's capabilities; they are primarily about the benefits customers and clients have experienced from using your product.

Every great case study is made up of key elements. They are;

• Attention-grabbing headline: Write a compelling headline that grabs attention and tells your reader what the case study is about. For example, "How a CRM System Helped a B2B Company Increase Revenue by 225%.
• Introduction/Executive Summary: Include a brief overview of your case study, including your customer’s problem, the solution they implemented and the results they achieved.
• Problem/Challenge: Case studies with solutions offer a powerful way to connect with potential customers. In this section, explain how your product or service specifically addressed your customer's challenges.
• Solution: Explain how your product or service specifically addressed your customer's challenges.
• Results/Achievements : Give a detailed account of the positive impact of your product. Quantify the benefits achieved using metrics such as increased sales, improved efficiency, reduced costs or enhanced customer satisfaction.
• Graphics/Visuals: Include professional designs, high-quality photos and videos to make your case study more engaging and visually appealing.
• Quotes/Testimonials: Incorporate written or video quotes from your clients to boost your credibility.
• Relevant CTA: Insert a call to action (CTA) that encourages the reader to take action. For example, visiting your website or contacting you for more information. Your CTA can be a link to a landing page, a contact form or your social media handle and should be related to the product or service you highlighted in your case study.

Now that you understand what a case study is, let’s look at real-life case study examples. Among these, you'll find some simple case study examples that break down complex ideas into easily understandable solutions.

In this section, we’ll explore SaaS, marketing, sales, product and business case study examples with solutions. Take note of how these companies structured their case studies and included the key elements.

We’ve also included professionally designed case study templates to inspire you.

1. Georgia Tech Athletics Increase Season Ticket Sales by 80%

Georgia Tech Athletics, with its 8,000 football season ticket holders, sought for a way to increase efficiency and customer engagement.

Their initial sales process involved making multiple outbound phone calls per day with no real targeting or guidelines. Georgia Tech believed that targeting communications will enable them to reach more people in real time.

Salesloft improved Georgia Tech’s sales process with an inbound structure. This enabled sales reps to connect with their customers on a more targeted level. The use of dynamic fields and filters when importing lists ensured prospects received the right information, while communication with existing fans became faster with automation.

As a result, Georgia Tech Athletics recorded an 80% increase in season ticket sales as relationships with season ticket holders significantly improved. Employee engagement increased as employees became more energized to connect and communicate with fans.

Why Does This Case Study Work?

In this case study example , Salesloft utilized the key elements of a good case study. Their introduction gave an overview of their customers' challenges and the results they enjoyed after using them. After which they categorized the case study into three main sections: challenge, solution and result.

Salesloft utilized a case study video to increase engagement and invoke human connection.

Incorporating videos in your case study has a lot of benefits. Wyzol’s 2023 state of video marketing report showed a direct correlation between videos and an 87% increase in sales.

The beautiful thing is that creating videos for your case study doesn’t have to be daunting.

With an easy-to-use platform like Visme, you can create top-notch testimonial videos that will connect with your audience. Within the Visme editor, you can access over 1 million stock photos , video templates, animated graphics and more. These tools and resources will significantly improve the design and engagement of your case study.

Simplify content creation and brand management for your team

• Collaborate on designs , mockups and wireframes with your non-design colleagues
• Lock down your branding to maintain brand consistency throughout your designs
• Why start from scratch? Save time with 1000s of professional branded templates

Sign up. It’s free.

2. WeightWatchers Completely Revamped their Enterprise Sales Process with HubSpot

WeightWatchers, a 60-year-old wellness company, sought a CRM solution that increased the efficiency of their sales process. With their previous system, Weightwatchers had limited automation. They would copy-paste message templates from word documents or recreate one email for a batch of customers.

This required a huge effort from sales reps, account managers and leadership, as they were unable to track leads or pull customized reports for planning and growth.

WeightWatchers transformed their B2B sales strategy by leveraging HubSpot's robust marketing and sales workflows. They utilized HubSpot’s deal pipeline and automation features to streamline lead qualification. And the customized dashboard gave leadership valuable insights.

As a result, WeightWatchers generated seven figures in annual contract value and boosted recurring revenue. Hubspot’s impact resulted in 100% adoption across all sales, marketing, client success and operations teams.

Hubspot structured its case study into separate sections, demonstrating the specific benefits of their products to various aspects of the customer's business. Additionally, they integrated direct customer quotes in each section to boost credibility, resulting in a more compelling case study.

Getting insight from your customer about their challenges is one thing. But writing about their process and achievements in a concise and relatable way is another. If you find yourself constantly experiencing writer’s block, Visme’s AI writer is perfect for you.

Visme created this AI text generator tool to take your ideas and transform them into a great draft. So whether you need help writing your first draft or editing your final case study, Visme is ready for you.

3. Immi’s Ram Fam Helps to Drive Over $200k in Sales

Immi embarked on a mission to recreate healthier ramen recipes that were nutritious and delicious. After 2 years of tireless trials, Immi finally found the perfect ramen recipe. However, they envisioned a community of passionate ramen enthusiasts to fuel their business growth.

This vision propelled them to partner with Shopify Collabs. Shopify Collabs successfully cultivated and managed Immi’s Ramen community of ambassadors and creators.

As a result of their partnership, Immi’s community grew to more than 400 dedicated members, generating over $200,000 in total affiliate sales.

The power of data-driven headlines cannot be overemphasized. Chili Piper strategically incorporates quantifiable results in their headlines. This instantly sparks curiosity and interest in readers.

While not every customer success story may boast headline-grabbing figures, quantifying achievements in percentages is still effective. For example, you can highlight a 50% revenue increase with the implementation of your product.

Take a look at the beautiful case study template below. Just like in the example above, the figures in the headline instantly grab attention and entice your reader to click through.

Having a case study document is a key factor in boosting engagement. This makes it easy to promote your case study in multiple ways. With Visme, you can easily publish, download and share your case study with your customers in a variety of formats, including PDF, PPTX, JPG and more!

4. How WOW! is Saving Nearly 79% in Time and Cost With Visme

This case study discusses how Visme helped WOW! save time and money by providing user-friendly tools to create interactive and quality training materials for their employees. Find out what your team can do with Visme. Request a Demo

WOW!'s learning and development team creates high-quality training materials for new and existing employees. Previous tools and platforms they used had plain templates, little to no interactivity features, and limited flexibility—that is, until they discovered Visme.

Now, the learning and development team at WOW! use Visme to create engaging infographics, training videos, slide decks and other training materials.

This has directly reduced the company's turnover rate, saving them money spent on recruiting and training new employees. It has also saved them a significant amount of time, which they can now allocate to other important tasks.

Visme's customer testimonials spark an emotional connection with the reader, leaving a profound impact. Upon reading this case study, prospective customers will be blown away by the remarkable efficiency achieved by Visme's clients after switching from PowerPoint.

Visme’s interactivity feature was a game changer for WOW! and one of the primary reasons they chose Visme.

“Previously we were using PowerPoint, which is fine, but the interactivity you can get with Visme is so much more robust that we’ve all steered away from PowerPoint.” - Kendra, L&D team, Wow!

Visme’s interactive feature allowed them to animate their infographics, include clickable links on their PowerPoint designs and even embed polls and quizzes their employees could interact with.

By embedding the slide decks, infographics and other training materials WOW! created with Visme, potential customers get a taste of what they can create with the tool. This is much more effective than describing the features of Visme because it allows potential customers to see the tool in action.

To top it all off, this case study utilized relevant data and figures. For example, one part of the case study said, “In Visme, where Kendra’s team has access to hundreds of templates, a brand kit, and millions of design assets at their disposal, their team can create presentations in 80% less time.”

Who wouldn't want that?

Including relevant figures and graphics in your case study is a sure way to convince your potential customers why you’re a great fit for their brand. The case study template below is a great example of integrating relevant figures and data.

This colorful template begins with a captivating headline. But that is not the best part; this template extensively showcases the results their customer had using relevant figures.

The arrangement of the results makes it fun and attractive. Instead of just putting figures in a plain table, you can find interesting shapes in your Visme editor to take your case study to the next level.

5. Lyte Reduces Customer Churn To Just 3% With Hubspot CRM

While Lyte was redefining the ticketing industry, it had no definite CRM system . Lyte utilized 12–15 different SaaS solutions across various departments, which led to a lack of alignment between teams, duplication of work and overlapping tasks.

Customer data was spread across these platforms, making it difficult to effectively track their customer journey. As a result, their churn rate increased along with customer dissatisfaction.

Through Fuelius , Lyte founded and implemented Hubspot CRM. Lyte's productivity skyrocketed after incorporating Hubspot's all-in-one CRM tool. With improved efficiency, better teamwork and stronger client relationships, sales figures soared.

The case study title page and executive summary act as compelling entry points for both existing and potential customers. This overview provides a clear understanding of the case study and also strategically incorporates key details like the client's industry, location and relevant background information.

Having a good summary of your case study can prompt your readers to engage further. You can achieve this with a simple but effective case study one-pager that highlights your customer’s problems, process and achievements, just like this case study did in the beginning.

Moreover, you can easily distribute your case study one-pager and use it as a lead magnet to draw prospective customers to your company.

Take a look at this case study one-pager template below.

This template includes key aspects of your case study, such as the introduction, key findings, conclusion and more, without overcrowding the page. The use of multiple shades of blue gives it a clean and dynamic layout.

Our favorite part of this template is where the age group is visualized.

With Visme’s data visualization tool , you can present your data in tables, graphs, progress bars, maps and so much more. All you need to do is choose your preferred data visualization widget, input or import your data and click enter!

6. How Workato Converts 75% of Their Qualified Leads

Workato wanted to improve their inbound leads and increase their conversion rate, which ranged from 40-55%.

At first, Workato searched for a simple scheduling tool. They soon discovered that they needed a tool that provided advanced routing capabilities based on zip code and other criteria. Luckily, they found and implemented Chili Piper.

As a result of implementing Chili Piper, Workato achieved a remarkable 75–80% conversion rate and improved show rates. This led to a substantial revenue boost, with a 10-15% increase in revenue attributed to Chili Piper's impact on lead conversion.

This case study example utilizes the power of video testimonials to drive the impact of their product.

Chili Piper incorporates screenshots and clips of their tool in use. This is a great strategy because it helps your viewers become familiar with how your product works, making onboarding new customers much easier.

In this case study example, we see the importance of efficient Workflow Management Systems (WMS). Without a WMS, you manually assign tasks to your team members and engage in multiple emails for regular updates on progress.

However, when crafting and designing your case study, you should prioritize having a good WMS.

Visme has an outstanding Workflow Management System feature that keeps you on top of all your projects and designs. This feature makes it much easier to assign roles, ensure accuracy across documents, and track progress and deadlines.

Visme’s WMS feature allows you to limit access to your entire document by assigning specific slides or pages to individual members of your team. At the end of the day, your team members are not overwhelmed or distracted by the whole document but can focus on their tasks.

7. Rush Order Helps Vogmask Scale-Up During a Pandemic

Vomask's reliance on third-party fulfillment companies became a challenge as demand for their masks grew. Seeking a reliable fulfillment partner, they found Rush Order and entrusted them with their entire inventory.

Vomask's partnership with Rush Order proved to be a lifesaver during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rush Order's agility, efficiency and commitment to customer satisfaction helped Vogmask navigate the unprecedented demand and maintain its reputation for quality and service.

Rush Order’s comprehensive support enabled Vogmask to scale up its order processing by a staggering 900% while maintaining a remarkable customer satisfaction rate of 92%.

Rush Order chose one event where their impact mattered the most to their customer and shared that story.

While pandemics don't happen every day, you can look through your customer’s journey and highlight a specific time or scenario where your product or service saved their business.

The story of Vogmask and Rush Order is compelling, but it simply is not enough. The case study format and design attract readers' attention and make them want to know more. Rush Order uses consistent colors throughout the case study, starting with the logo, bold square blocks, pictures, and even headers.

Take a look at this product case study template below.

Just like our example, this case study template utilizes bold colors and large squares to attract and maintain the reader’s attention. It provides enough room for you to write about your customers' backgrounds/introductions, challenges, goals and results.

The right combination of shapes and colors adds a level of professionalism to this case study template.

8. AMR Hair & Beauty leverages B2B functionality to boost sales by 200%

With limits on website customization, slow page loading and multiple website crashes during peak events, it wasn't long before AMR Hair & Beauty began looking for a new e-commerce solution.

Their existing platform lacked effective search and filtering options, a seamless checkout process and the data analytics capabilities needed for informed decision-making. This led to a significant number of abandoned carts.

Upon switching to Shopify Plus, AMR immediately saw improvements in page loading speed and average session duration. They added better search and filtering options for their wholesale customers and customized their checkout process.

Due to this, AMR witnessed a 200% increase in sales and a 77% rise in B2B average order value. AMR Hair & Beauty is now poised for further expansion and growth.

This case study example showcases the power of a concise and impactful narrative.

To make their case analysis more effective, Shopify focused on the most relevant aspects of the customer's journey. While there may have been other challenges the customer faced, they only included those that directly related to their solutions.

Take a look at this case study template below. It is perfect if you want to create a concise but effective case study. Without including unnecessary details, you can outline the challenges, solutions and results your customers experienced from using your product.

Don’t forget to include a strong CTA within your case study. By incorporating a link, sidebar pop-up or an exit pop-up into your case study, you can prompt your readers and prospective clients to connect with you.

9. How a Marketing Agency Uses Visme to Create Engaging Content With Infographics

SmartBox Dental , a marketing agency specializing in dental practices, sought ways to make dental advice more interesting and easier to read. However, they lacked the design skills to do so effectively.

Visme's wide range of templates and features made it easy for the team to create high-quality content quickly and efficiently. SmartBox Dental enjoyed creating infographics in as little as 10-15 minutes, compared to one hour before Visme was implemented.

By leveraging Visme, SmartBox Dental successfully transformed dental content into a more enjoyable and informative experience for their clients' patients. Therefore enhancing its reputation as a marketing partner that goes the extra mile to deliver value to its clients.

Visme creatively incorporates testimonials In this case study example.

By showcasing infographics and designs created by their clients, they leverage the power of social proof in a visually compelling way. This way, potential customers gain immediate insight into the creative possibilities Visme offers as a design tool.

This example effectively showcases a product's versatility and impact, and we can learn a lot about writing a case study from it. Instead of focusing on one tool or feature per customer, Visme took a more comprehensive approach.

Within each section of their case study, Visme explained how a particular tool or feature played a key role in solving the customer's challenges.

For example, this case study highlighted Visme’s collaboration tool . With Visme’s tool, the SmartBox Dental content team fostered teamwork, accountability and effective supervision.

Visme also achieved a versatile case study by including relevant quotes to showcase each tool or feature. Take a look at some examples;

Visme’s collaboration tool: “We really like the collaboration tool. Being able to see what a co-worker is working on and borrow their ideas or collaborate on a project to make sure we get the best end result really helps us out.”

Visme’s library of stock photos and animated characters: “I really love the images and the look those give to an infographic. I also really like the animated little guys and the animated pictures. That’s added a lot of fun to our designs.”

Visme’s interactivity feature: “You can add URLs and phone number links directly into the infographic so they can just click and call or go to another page on the website and I really like adding those hyperlinks in.”

You can ask your customers to talk about the different products or features that helped them achieve their business success and draw quotes from each one.

10. Jasper Grows Blog Organic Sessions 810% and Blog-Attributed User Signups 400X

Jasper, an AI writing tool, lacked a scalable content strategy to drive organic traffic and user growth. They needed help creating content that converted visitors into users. Especially when a looming domain migration threatened organic traffic.

To address these challenges, Jasper partnered with Omniscient Digital. Their goal was to turn their content into a growth channel and drive organic growth. Omniscient Digital developed a full content strategy for Jasper AI, which included a content audit, competitive analysis, and keyword discovery.

Through their collaboration, Jasper’s organic blog sessions increased by 810%, despite the domain migration. They also witnessed a 400X increase in blog-attributed signups. And more importantly, the content program contributed to over $4 million in annual recurring revenue.

The combination of storytelling and video testimonials within the case study example makes this a real winner. But there’s a twist to it. Omniscient segmented the video testimonials and placed them in different sections of the case study.

Video marketing , especially in case studies, works wonders. Research shows us that 42% of people prefer video testimonials because they show real customers with real success stories. So if you haven't thought of it before, incorporate video testimonials into your case study.

Take a look at this stunning video testimonial template. With its simple design, you can input the picture, name and quote of your customer within your case study in a fun and engaging way.

Try it yourself! Customize this template with your customer’s testimonial and add it to your case study!

11. How Meliá Became One of the Most Influential Hotel Chains on Social Media

Meliá Hotels needed help managing their growing social media customer service needs. Despite having over 500 social accounts, they lacked a unified response protocol and detailed reporting. This largely hindered efficiency and brand consistency.

Meliá partnered with Hootsuite to build an in-house social customer care team. Implementing Hootsuite's tools enabled Meliá to decrease response times from 24 hours to 12.4 hours while also leveraging smart automation.

In addition to that, Meliá resolved over 133,000 conversations, booking 330 inquiries per week through Hootsuite Inbox. They significantly improved brand consistency, response time and customer satisfaction.

The need for a good case study design cannot be over-emphasized.

As soon as anyone lands on this case study example, they are mesmerized by a beautiful case study design. This alone raises the interest of readers and keeps them engaged till the end.

If you’re currently saying to yourself, “ I can write great case studies, but I don’t have the time or skill to turn it into a beautiful document.” Say no more.

Visme’s amazing AI document generator can take your text and transform it into a stunning and professional document in minutes! Not only do you save time, but you also get inspired by the design.

With Visme’s document generator, you can create PDFs, case study presentations , infographics and more!

Take a look at this case study template below. Just like our case study example, it captures readers' attention with its beautiful design. Its dynamic blend of colors and fonts helps to segment each element of the case study beautifully.

12. Tea’s Me Cafe: Tamika Catchings is Brewing Glory

Tamika's journey began when she purchased Tea's Me Cafe in 2017, saving it from closure. She recognized the potential of the cafe as a community hub and hosted regular events centered on social issues and youth empowerment.

One of Tamika’s business goals was to automate her business. She sought to streamline business processes across various aspects of her business. One of the ways she achieves this goal is through Constant Contact.

Constant Contact became an integral part of Tamika's marketing strategy. They provided an automated and centralized platform for managing email newsletters, event registrations, social media scheduling and more.

This allowed Tamika and her team to collaborate efficiently and focus on engaging with their audience. They effectively utilized features like WooCommerce integration, text-to-join and the survey builder to grow their email list, segment their audience and gather valuable feedback.

The case study example utilizes the power of storytelling to form a connection with readers. Constant Contact takes a humble approach in this case study. They spotlight their customers' efforts as the reason for their achievements and growth, establishing trust and credibility.

This case study is also visually appealing, filled with high-quality photos of their customer. While this is a great way to foster originality, it can prove challenging if your customer sends you blurry or low-quality photos.

If you find yourself in that dilemma, you can use Visme’s AI image edit tool to touch up your photos. With Visme’s AI tool, you can remove unwanted backgrounds, erase unwanted objects, unblur low-quality pictures and upscale any photo without losing the quality.

Constant Contact offers its readers various formats to engage with their case study. Including an audio podcast and PDF.

In its PDF version, Constant Contact utilized its brand colors to create a stunning case study design.  With this, they increase brand awareness and, in turn, brand recognition with anyone who comes across their case study.

With Visme’s brand wizard tool , you can seamlessly incorporate your brand assets into any design or document you create. By inputting your URL, Visme’s AI integration will take note of your brand colors, brand fonts and more and create branded templates for you automatically.

You don't need to worry about spending hours customizing templates to fit your brand anymore. You can focus on writing amazing case studies that promote your company.

13. How Breakwater Kitchens Achieved a 7% Growth in Sales With Thryv

Breakwater Kitchens struggled with managing their business operations efficiently. They spent a lot of time on manual tasks, such as scheduling appointments and managing client communication. This made it difficult for them to grow their business and provide the best possible service to their customers.

David, the owner, discovered Thryv. With Thryv, Breakwater Kitchens was able to automate many of their manual tasks. Additionally, Thryv integrated social media management. This enabled Breakwater Kitchens to deliver a consistent brand message, captivate its audience and foster online growth.

As a result, Breakwater Kitchens achieved increased efficiency, reduced missed appointments and a 7% growth in sales.

This case study example uses a concise format and strong verbs, which make it easy for readers to absorb the information.

At the top of the case study, Thryv immediately builds trust by presenting their customer's complete profile, including their name, company details and website. This allows potential customers to verify the case study's legitimacy, making them more likely to believe in Thryv's services.

However, manually copying and pasting customer information across multiple pages of your case study can be time-consuming.

To save time and effort, you can utilize Visme's dynamic field feature . Dynamic fields automatically insert reusable information into your designs.  So you don’t have to type it out multiple times.

14. Zoom’s Creative Team Saves Over 4,000 Hours With Brandfolder

Zoom experienced rapid growth with the advent of remote work and the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such growth called for agility and resilience to scale through.

At the time, Zoom’s assets were disorganized which made retrieving brand information a burden. Zoom’s creative manager spent no less than 10 hours per week finding and retrieving brand assets for internal teams.

Zoom needed a more sustainable approach to organizing and retrieving brand information and came across Brandfolder. Brandfolder simplified and accelerated Zoom’s email localization and webpage development. It also enhanced the creation and storage of Zoom virtual backgrounds.

With Brandfolder, Zoom now saves 4,000+ hours every year. The company also centralized its assets in Brandfolder, which allowed 6,800+ employees and 20-30 vendors to quickly access them.

Brandfolder infused its case study with compelling data and backed it up with verifiable sources. This data-driven approach boosts credibility and increases the impact of their story.

Bradfolder's case study goes the extra mile by providing a downloadable PDF version, making it convenient for readers to access the information on their own time. Their dedication to crafting stunning visuals is evident in every aspect of the project.

From the vibrant colors to the seamless navigation, everything has been meticulously designed to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. And with clickable links that make exploring the content a breeze, the user experience is guaranteed to be nothing short of exceptional.

The thing is, your case study presentation won’t always sit on your website. There are instances where you may need to do a case study presentation for clients, partners or potential investors.

Visme has a rich library of templates you can tap into. But if you’re racing against the clock, Visme’s AI presentation maker is your best ally.

15. How Cents of Style Made $1.7M+ in Affiliate Sales with LeadDyno

Cents of Style had a successful affiliate and influencer marketing strategy. However, their existing affiliate marketing platform was not intuitive, customizable or transparent enough to meet the needs of their influencers.

Cents of Styles needed an easy-to-use affiliate marketing platform that gave them more freedom to customize their program and implement a multi-tier commission program.

After exploring their options, Cents of Style decided on LeadDyno.

LeadDyno provided more flexibility, allowing them to customize commission rates and implement their multi-tier commission structure, switching from monthly to weekly payouts.

Also, integrations with PayPal made payments smoother And features like newsletters and leaderboards added to the platform's success by keeping things transparent and engaging.

As a result, Cents of Style witnessed an impressive $1.7 million in revenue from affiliate sales with a substantial increase in web sales by 80%.

LeadDyno strategically placed a compelling CTA in the middle of their case study layout, maximizing its impact. At this point, readers are already invested in the customer's story and may be considering implementing similar strategies.

A well-placed CTA offers them a direct path to learn more and take action.

LeadDyno also utilized the power of quotes to strengthen their case study. They didn't just embed these quotes seamlessly into the text; instead, they emphasized each one with distinct blocks.

Are you looking for an easier and quicker solution to create a case study and other business documents? Try Visme's AI designer ! This powerful tool allows you to generate complete documents, such as case studies, reports, whitepapers and more, just by providing text prompts. Simply explain your requirements to the tool, and it will produce the document for you, complete with text, images, design assets and more.

Still have more questions about case studies? Let's look at some frequently asked questions.

How to Write a Case Study?

• Choose a compelling story: Not all case studies are created equal. Pick one that is relevant to your target audience and demonstrates the specific benefits of your product or service.
• Outline your case study: Create a case study outline and highlight how you will structure your case study to include the introduction, problem, solution and achievements of your customer.
• Choose a case study template: After you outline your case study, choose a case study template . Visme has stunning templates that can inspire your case study design.
• Craft a compelling headline: Include figures or percentages that draw attention to your case study.
• Work on the first draft: Your case study should be easy to read and understand. Use clear and concise language and avoid jargon.
• Include high-quality visual aids: Visuals can help to make your case study more engaging and easier to read. Consider adding high-quality photos, screenshots or videos.
• Include a relevant CTA: Tell prospective customers how to reach you for questions or sign-ups.

What Are the Stages of a Case Study?

The stages of a case study are;

• Planning & Preparation: Highlight your goals for writing the case study. Plan the case study format, length and audience you wish to target.
• Interview the Client: Reach out to the company you want to showcase and ask relevant questions about their journey and achievements.
• Revision & Editing: Review your case study and ask for feedback. Include relevant quotes and CTAs to your case study.
• Publication & Distribution: Publish and share your case study on your website, social media channels and email list!
• Marketing & Repurposing: Turn your case study into a podcast, PDF, case study presentation and more. Share these materials with your sales and marketing team.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Case Study?

Advantages of a case study:

• Case studies showcase a specific solution and outcome for specific customer challenges.
• It attracts potential customers with similar challenges.
• It builds trust and credibility with potential customers.
• It provides an in-depth analysis of your company’s problem-solving process.

Disadvantages of a case study:

• Limited applicability. Case studies are tailored to specific cases and may not apply to other businesses.
• It relies heavily on customer cooperation and willingness to share information.
• It stands a risk of becoming outdated as industries and customer needs evolve.

What Are the Types of Case Studies?

There are 7 main types of case studies. They include;

• Illustrative case study.
• Instrumental case study.
• Intrinsic case study.
• Descriptive case study.
• Explanatory case study.
• Exploratory case study.
• Collective case study.

How Long Should a Case Study Be?

The ideal length of your case study is between 500 - 1500 words or 1-3 pages. Certain factors like your target audience, goal or the amount of detail you want to share may influence the length of your case study. This infographic has powerful tips for designing winning case studies

What Is the Difference Between a Case Study and an Example?

Case studies provide a detailed narrative of how your product or service was used to solve a problem. Examples are general illustrations and are not necessarily real-life scenarios.

Case studies are often used for marketing purposes, attracting potential customers and building trust. Examples, on the other hand, are primarily used to simplify or clarify complex concepts.

Where Can I Find Case Study Examples?

You can easily find many case study examples online and in industry publications. Many companies, including Visme, share case studies on their websites to showcase how their products or services have helped clients achieve success. You can also search online libraries and professional organizations for case studies related to your specific industry or field.

If you need professionally-designed, customizable case study templates to create your own, Visme's template library is one of the best places to look. These templates include all the essential sections of a case study and high-quality content to help you create case studies that position your business as an industry leader.

Get More Out Of Your Case Studies With Visme

Case studies are an essential tool for converting potential customers into paying customers. By following the tips in this article, you can create compelling case studies that will help you build trust, establish credibility and drive sales.

Visme can help you create stunning case studies and other relevant marketing materials. With our easy-to-use platform, interactive features and analytics tools , you can increase your content creation game in no time.

There is no limit to what you can achieve with Visme. Connect with Sales to discover how Visme can boost your business goals.

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About the Author

• Open access
• Published: 05 September 2024

Breaking the taboo of using the nursing process: lived experiences of nursing students and faculty members

• Amir Shahzeydi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9095-2424 1 , 2 ,
• Parvaneh Abazari   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4024-2867 3 , 4 ,
• Fatemeh Gorji-varnosfaderani   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6830-982X 5 ,
• Elaheh Ashouri   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7566-6566 6 ,
• Shahla Abolhassani   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5191-7586 6 &
• Fakhri Sabohi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1448-6606 6  

BMC Nursing volume  23 , Article number:  621 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Despite the numerous advantages of the nursing process, nursing students often struggle with utilizing this model. Therefore, studies suggest innovative teaching methods to address this issue. Teaching based on real clinical cases is considered a collaborative learning method that enhances students’ active learning for the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In this method, students can acquire sufficient knowledge about patient care by accessing authentic information.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the experiences of nursing students and faculty members regarding the implementation of nursing process educational workshops, based on real case studies.

A qualitative descriptive study.

Participants

9 Nursing students and 7 faculty members from the Isfahan School of Nursing and Midwifery who attended the workshops.

This qualitative descriptive study was conducted from 2021 to 2023. Data was collected through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews using a qualitative content analysis approach for data analysis.

After analyzing the data, a theme titled “Breaking Taboos in the Nursing Process” was identified. This theme consists of four categories: “Strengthening the Cognitive Infrastructure for Accepting the Nursing Process,” “Enhancing the Applicability of the Nursing Process,” “Assisting in Positive Professional Identity,” and “Facilitating a Self-Directed Learning Platform.” Additionally, thirteen subcategories were obtained.

The data obtained from the present study showed that conducting nursing process educational workshops, where real clinical cases are discussed, analyzed, and criticized, increases critical thinking, learning motivation, and understanding of the necessity and importance of implementing the nursing process. Therefore, it is recommended that instructors utilize this innovative and effective teaching method for instructing the nursing process.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

The nursing process is a systematic and logical method for planning and providing nursing care [ 1 ] that provides an opportunity for nurses to efficiently and dynamically utilize their knowledge and expertise. It also creates a common language, known as nursing diagnosis, which facilitates action, promotes creative solutions, and minimizes errors in patient care [ 2 ]. Clinical education, based on the nursing process, provides an appropriate setting for nursing students to gain clinical experiences and foster professional development [ 3 ].

Despite the numerous advantages, nursing students face difficulties in implementing this model in various countries [ 4 , 5 ], lack of appropriate knowledge, lack of clinical practice, and insufficient learning are among the most significant obstacles to the implementation of the nursing process by students. This can be attributed to the poor quality of education regarding this important nursing care model. Therefore, it is necessary for educators in this field to use innovative and participatory teaching methods [ 3 , 6 ]. According to research conducted in Iran, 72% of nursing faculty members use passive teaching methods. Meanwhile, 92% of nursing students prefer active and innovative learning methods over traditional and passive methods [ 7 ]. Therefore, the use of modern methods, which aim to stimulate students’ thinking and enhance their responsiveness in acquiring and applying knowledge, can be effective [ 6 ].

Case-based learning is a collaborative learning method that aims to develop and enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills [ 8 ]. Teaching the nursing process based on clinical and real cases can be very important in terms of promoting critical thinking, simulating real experiences, enhancing clinical judgment, and ultimately improving the quality and effectiveness of education [ 8 , 9 ]. In this method, students gain sufficient knowledge about patient care by accessing real information, improving their skills in patient assessment, and gaining personal nursing experience. This leads to a better understanding of comprehensive care and prepares individuals for future professional roles [ 9 ].

Very few studies have been conducted on teaching methods and their impact on the quality of nursing process [ 10 , 11 ]. In Iran, case-based trainings have mostly focused on hypothetical cases [ 1 , 12 ]. In other countries, most studies conducted on the case-based educational method have not focused on the nursing process. The few studies that have been conducted on the nursing process have either not been based on real clinical cases [ 13 ] or, if clinical cases have been researched, the studies have been conducted quantitatively [ 8 , 9 ] While qualitative research provides researchers with more opportunities to discover and explain the realities of the educational environment and gain a better understanding of many challenging aspects related to the nursing education process. Researchers are able to provide a practical model that helps improve and enhance the current process by gaining insight and a deep understanding of what is happening in the field of study [ 14 ]. This study represents the first qualitative research that describes the lived experiences of nursing students and faculty members regarding the teaching of the nursing process through real-based case workshops.

Study design

This qualitative descriptive study was conducted from 2021 to 2023. Qualitative descriptive studies typically align with the naturalistic inquiry paradigm, which emphasizes examining phenomena in their natural settings as much as possible within the context of research. Naturalistic inquiry, rooted in a constructivist viewpoint, enables a deeper understanding of phenomena by observing them within the authentic social world we inhabit [ 15 ]. In this type of study, researchers provide a comprehensive summary of an extraordinary occurrence or circumstance of interest and its related factors, but they do not delve into deep interpretation [ 16 ]. This study was undertaken to explore students and faculty members perceptions of the effect of the educational workshops on knowledge, skills and attitudes of students to the nursing process.

Setting and sample

Participants were selected from nursing students and faculty members who participated in nursing process workshops (Table  1 ). The criteria for entry into the study included volunteering to participate in the study and attending at least 3 sessions of the workshops.

Workshop details

The workshops were held in the conference hall of the Nursing and Midwifery Faculty. They consisted of 9 sessions, each lasting 2 h, from 16:00 to 18:00. Students from terms 2 to 8 and faculty members participated in these workshops. Each session was attended by an average of 60 members. Despite the inconvenience of scheduling the sessions outside of the official class hours, all the members stayed until the end of the meeting, showing a keen interest in the material and actively participating in discussions. Attendance was open to all students and faculty members, and participants in each of the workshop sessions were not the same.

It should be noted that all workshops were accompanied by a specialized instructor in the field of the nursing process, as well as a specialized instructor in the field of the specific disease being discussed. The details of these workshops are summarized in three stages:

First Stage

Step 1 . The researcher visited one of the inpatient clinical wards of the hospital based on the assigned topic for each workshop. They selected a patient, conducted a comprehensive assessment, and recorded the information using Gordon’s assessment form. This included the patient’s current and past medical history, paraclinical tests, physical examinations, medications, and information gathered from credible sources such as interviews with the patient and their family, medical records, and the patient’s treatment and care interventions documented in their medical file and Cardex.

Step 2 . Preparing the presentation file, which includes the following items:

Writing the comprehensive patient assessment based on step one.

Writing actual and at-risk nursing diagnoses according to PES (Problem/ Etiology/ Signs and Symptoms) and PE (Problem/ Etiology) rules, as well as collaborative problems, and then prioritizing them based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Writing objectives and outcomes for each nursing diagnosis based on the SMART (Specific/ Measurable/ Attainable/ Realistic/ Time Bound).

Writing nursing interventions (based on objectives and outcomes), along with the rationales according to evidence-based, up-to-date, and reliable sources for each intervention.

Step 3 . Sending the presentation file to an expert professor in the field of nursing process for review and implementing her comments.

Second stage

Step 1 . Announcing the date and time of the workshop session to students and faculty members.

Step 2 . Providing students and faculty members with a comprehensive patient assessment.

Third stage (workshop implementation)

Step 1. Presenting all stages of the nursing process based on the case study:

Providing a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s condition. (Giving time for students, faculty members, and presenters to discuss with each other, express their comments, and summarize)

Presenting diagnoses along with the objectives and expected outcomes. (Giving time for students, faculty members, and presenters to discuss with each other, express their comments, and summarize)

Presentation of nursing interventions. (Giving time for students, faculty members, and presenters to discuss with each other, express their comments, and summarize)

Presentation on assessing the level of achievement of expected outcomes and evaluating interventions. (Giving time for students, faculty members, and presenters to discuss with each other, express their comments, and summarize)

Data Collection Tools

Demographic questionnaire.

It included age, gender, Position, degree and number of sessions attended in the workshop.

Semi-structured interview

It included the following questions:

What was your motivation to attend these meetings?

Before entering the nursing process meetings, what did you expect from the meeting?

How many of your expectations were met by participating in the meetings?

How much did these meetings help you in applying the nursing process in the clinical setting?

What do you think about the continuation of such meetings?

Data collection

After obtaining official permission from the university in 2021, the phone numbers of students and faculty members who participated in more sessions of the workshop were collected in 2023. A specific time and location were subsequently arranged to contact and interview participants who had indicated their willingness to take part in the study. Approximately 40 individuals expressed their consent to participate; however, data saturation was achieved after interviewing 16 participants. It is important to note that interviews were conducted through both individual sessions and focus groups. Individual interviews were carried out with 3 faculty members, while two focus groups were conducted separately with 9 students and 4 faculty members.

Individual Interviews

The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner and began with a general question to establish initial and closing communication. These interviews were conducted by one of the researchers who holds a PhD in nursing and has published several qualitative articles in reputable journals. In each of these sessions, the interviewer introduced themselves and welcomed the participants. The goals of the session were discussed, and participants were given complete freedom to express their opinions. The interviewer refrained from interfering or reacting to their opinions, and the information discussed was kept completely confidential under the guise of a code. Participants were subsequently asked to provide consent for voice recording during the interviews. Once consent was obtained from the participants, their voices were recorded. Each individual interview lasted between 30 and 45 min.

Focus Group Interviews

All the conditions of these interviews were similar to individual interviews. However, in focus group sessions, an additional researcher acted as an assistant to the main interviewer. The assistant’s role was to determine the order of speaking based on the participants’ requests, observe their facial expressions while speaking, and take necessary notes. Each of the focus group sessions lasted approximately 5 h. It should be noted that participant selection and sampling continued until data saturation was achieved. Saturation of data refers to the repetition of information and the confirmation of previously collected data.

Data analysis

The qualitative content analysis approach proposed by Graneheim and Lundman was used for data analysis [ 16 ]. The recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim (The transcripts were sent to the participants for feedback and were approved by them), and then each word was carefully examined to identify codes Two independent individuals encoded the data. Words that accurately represented thoughts or concepts within the data were highlighted. Then, the researcher added her own notes about his thoughts, interpretations of the text, and initial analysis of the text. With the progression of this process, appropriate names for the codes emerged, and the codes were organized into subcategories. These subcategories were created to organize and categorize the codes within clusters. The researcher reorganized the subcategories based on their relationships, condensing them into a smaller number of organizational categories. And then the concepts of each category, subcategory, and code were developed.

Trustworthiness

Data was managed using the Lincoln and Guba criteria. These criteria include acceptability, which is equivalent to internal validity; transferability, which is equivalent to external validity; similarity, which is equivalent to reliability; and verifiability, which is equivalent to objectivity [ 17 ]. The use of member checks by participants is considered a technique for exploring the credibility of results. In this regard, the interview text and the primary codes extracted from it were made available to several participants to verify the accuracy with their experiences. External supervision was employed to ensure that the criterion of internal consistency was met. For this purpose, the data was given to a researcher who did not participate in the study. If there was agreement in the interpretation of the data, it confirmed the presence of internal consistency. Finally, an audit or verification inquiry was conducted. The researcher accurately recorded and reported all stages and processes of the research from beginning to end. This allows external supervisors to conduct audits and assess the credibility of the findings.

Data analysis resulted in the emergence of 13 subcategories, 4 categories, and 1 theme (Table  2 ).

Strengthening the intellectual infrastructure of accepting the nursing process

Subcategories such as “improving nursing perception,” “strengthening critical thinking,” “evidence-based nursing practice,” and “filling an educational gap” contributed to the emergence of the category “Strengthening the intellectual infrastructure of accepting the nursing process.”

Improving nursing perception

Participants’ experiences indicate the significant positive impact of the workshop on improving students’ perception of the nursing process. Most nurses in departments do not provide patient care based on the nursing process. As a result, students do not have the opportunity to practically experience the real application of the nursing process in the department. Instead, they only perceive the nursing process as a written task.

For me, it was a question of what the nursing process is, for instance. How difficult is it?” and it really helped me overcome my fear in a way. (P3 student) Usually, they would explain the nursing process to us, but it was not practical or based on real cases, like this. (P1 Student)

Strengthening critical thinking

Critical thinking is a fundamental skill in the nursing process that involves various stages and activities. These include questioning to gather adequate information, validating and analyzing information to comprehend the problem and its underlying factors, evaluating interventions, and making appropriate decisions for effective problem-solving. The experiences of the participating students clearly reflected the formation of these stages during the workshop sessions.

I learned in the workshop about the importance of using critical thinking to successfully connect knowledge and practice. It’s a shame that critical thinking has not been cultivated in the minds of students, and these workshops have laid the foundation for it in our minds. (P6 student) Students often come across hypothetical cases in textbooks, but when they are confronted with real cases, the circumstances are different… This is when critical thinking becomes crucial and the art of nursing is demonstrated… These sessions have made a significant contribution to this subject. (P15 Faculty member)

Evidence-based nursing practice

One of the features of the sessions was that in introducing the case from assessment to evaluation, to justify the rationale and process of collecting and formulating nursing diagnoses, establishing expected outcomes, and providing reasons for each intervention, relied on up-to-date and reliable nursing and medical resources

It had a strong scientific foundation, consistently emphasizing the importance of evidence-based practices and a scientific approach, effectively communicating this perspective to audience. (P2 Student). I became familiar with the book ‘Carpenito,’ and it helped me a lot in understanding my shortcomings. (P3 student). In my opinion, one of the factors that contributed to the effectiveness of the work was consulting the references. They emphasized that as a nurse, I should not solely rely on my personal opinion but should instead base my actions on the reference materials (P14 Faculty member).

Filling an educational gap

From the perspective of workshop participants, the workshop has increased their awareness of their limited knowledge about the application of the nursing process. It has also helped them recognize their shortcomings, and motivated them to pursue additional studies in this field.

Exactly, there was a vacant spot for this educational program in our classes. And there should have been sessions that would prove to us that nursing is not just about the theoretical concepts that faculty members teach in class. (P5 Student) The nursing process has a theoretical aspect that students learn, but when they attempt to apply it in practice, they often encounter difficulties. These sessions helped to fill the gap between theory and practice. (P15 Faculty member)

Practicality of the nursing process

Subcategories of “linking the nursing process with team care,” “demonstrating the role of the nursing process in improving care quality,” “comprehensive view in care,” and “student’s guiding light in the clinic,” Created the category “Practicality of the Nursing Process”.

Linking the nursing process with team care

Participants’ experiences indicated that participating in nursing process sessions helped them realize that the nursing process is a model that will lead to collaborative team care. Prior to attending these sessions, nursing students like nurses considered their duty to be solely executing medical orders under the supervision of clinical faculty members and staff nurses.

I realized that in certain situations, I am able to confidently express my opinion to the doctor. For instance, if I believe that a particular course of action would yield better results, I can easily communicate this and provide reasons to support my viewpoint (P7 Student). Teaching the pathway when it’s categorized with knowing what we’re assessing… Let’s go up to the patient; our confidence can really guide them along with us as we progress step by step and systematically. Often, the patient accompanies us, and sometimes they voice their unspoken concerns, which helps improve their care. It means the patient themselves are partnering with us. (P6 student)

Demonstrating the role of the nursing process in improving care quality

Strengthening the attitude and belief in the role and application of the nursing process in improving the quality of care was another concept that emerged from the experiences of the students. Presenting reports on the implementation of the nursing process on real cases led them to believe that providing care based on the nursing process results in organized care planning and enhances the quality of care.

In these workshops, the needs of patients were prioritized, documented, and then organized systematically. This concept remains ingrained in a person’s mind and enables us to deliver comprehensive care to the patient without overlooking any aspect. This has been very helpful for me, and now it greatly assists me in the clinic. (P4 Student) Another great aspect of these sessions was the emphasis they placed on the nurse-patient relationship. I could see that the students had been following up with patients for a while and implementing the process. This was very helpful to me. For instance, diagnosing based on the patient’s current health status was an ongoing process. In my opinion, the connection between the patient and nurse was more important and practical for me.(P1 Student).

Comprehensive view in care

Attention to the patient’s care needs went beyond focusing solely on physiological aspects. It involved a holistic approach that addressed the patient’s needs related to all aspects of biology, psychology, society, spirituality, and economics. This was clearly reflected in the students’ experiences during the nursing process sessions.

…I paid attention to all aspects of the patient. For example, perhaps I overlooked her anxiety issue and never took it into consideration. However, I eventually came to realize that addressing anxiety is crucial, as it is one of the primary concerns and needs of patients. (P2 Student) …that the students had a holistic view of the patient (they had examined the patient thoroughly, including the patient’s skin, etc.) and had compiled a list of the patient’s issues, paying attention to all aspects of the patient (P14 Faculty member).

Student’s guiding light in the clinic

One of the significant accomplishments of nursing process sessions, as evidenced by the students’ experiences, was the role of these sessions in assisting students in overcoming confusion and uncertainty during their internships. These sessions enabled them to establish a mental connection between the theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom and its application in the real clinical setting, also helped them understand how to effectively utilize their theoretical knowledge in a clinical learning environment.

.I was feeling incredibly lost and confused. I didn’t know what steps to take next. Many of us find ourselves in this situation, unsure of what to do. At least for me, as someone who grasps concepts better through examples, the case-based studies conducted during the workshop had a significant impact. (P6 Student)

Supporting a positive professional identity

Two subcategories, “highlighting the importance of nursing science” and “reforming the perception of nursing nature,” have contributed to the development of the category “supporting a positive professional identity.”

Highlighting the importance of nursing science

Based on students’ experiences, the nursing process sessions have been able to answer an important question. Why should they be bombarded with information and expected to possess extensive knowledge in the field of disease recognition, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and nursing care during their studies? The students believed that the content of the nursing process sessions clarified the necessity and importance of nursing knowledge for them. In these sessions, they came to believe that providing care based on the nursing process requires extensive nursing knowledge.

. In my opinion, this work showcases a significant strength by highlighting the importance of working scientifically as a nurse. Personally, I feel its impact on myself is profound. (P2 Student) In my opinion, it was very touching and captivating because it accurately portrayed the immense power of a nurse. However, amidst the demanding and difficult nature of the job, what specific details should a nurse pay attention to? and it is precisely these details that shape the work of a nurse. It was very interesting and beneficial for me. (P5 student)

Reforming the perception of nursing nature

The student is seeking ways to comprehend and value the practical aspects of nursing as a genuine science, assuming that nursing is indeed regarded as a science. Participants’ experiences have shown that nursing process sessions have been able to address this identity challenge and modify and enhance students’ understanding of the nature of nursing.

I used to believe that nursing was primarily an art complemented by science until I entered term 2 and participated in these workshops. And now I realize that it has the scientific foundation that I expected from an evidence-based practice. (P5 student). . The important point was that lower-term students, who sometimes lacked motivation and thought nursing had nothing to offer, gained motivation and had a change in perspective by attending these sessions. (P2 faculy members)

Self-directed learning facilitator

Subcategories of “stimulating a thirst for learning,” “creating a stress-free learning atmosphere,” and “teaching fishing,” formed the category of “self-directed learning facilitator.”

Stimulating a thirst for learning

Participants’ experiences indicated that the format of conducting sessions, ranging from step-by-step training to training accompanied by multiple examples, had a significant impact on creating a sense of necessity and stimulating learners’ motivation to learn.

First of all, the challenges that you yourself raised (faculty member) for example, why did you make this diagnosis?” Why did you include this action? Why is this a priority? Really, it shook me and made me think that maybe there is more to this, maybe there is more to the nursing process that I haven’t understood yet…. That’s why it became my motivation. (P3 student) …But these sessions helped me a lot. At least, they sparked my curiosity and motivated me to delve deeper into the subject. I began actively participating in these sessions and found them to be highly effective for my personal growth. (P6 student) In my opinion, one of the things that empowered the work was the act of seeking references. They emphasized that as a nurse, I should not solely rely on my personal opinion but should instead base my actions on credible sources. (P14 Faculty member)

Creating a stress-free learning atmosphere

Students believed that the absence of a legal requirement to attend these workshops, coupled with the understanding that their participation or non-participation would not be evaluated for grading purposes, would enable them to engage in these sessions without concern for their academic performance and in accordance with their own volition.

I was more scared… In my internships, for example, we would sit and talk with the instructor. However, the discussions primarily revolved around grades and other academic matters, which created a stressful environment where students were hesitant to freely express their thoughts. But the sessions here are very relaxed, and students no longer have the fear of grades. (P7 student) The essence of these sessions was that they came from the heart and inevitably touched the heart. The beauty of this program was that it was built on love. (P10 Faculty member)

Teaching fishing

Direct reference to teaching fishing in the participants’ experiences points to one of the very important features that effectively prepares the way for self-guided learning. The term “teaching fishing” was repeatedly mentioned in the participants’ experiences. They believed that these sessions served as a roadmap to easily enhance their knowledge and skills in the field of nursing process application.

.And actually, teaching fishing, as mentioned by other students, is important. In my opinion, it has a positive impact both professionally and in terms of the effectiveness of the nursing process. (P2 student) The important aspect was the involvement and full participation of the students, who prepared the materials themselves… The meaning and concept of being a student were more evident, and the talents of the students flourished. They actively participated in discussions about learning and education. (P15 Faculty member)

Planners, in their efforts to help students gain a better understanding of the nature and application of the nursing process, are constantly striving to innovate in teaching this model. The aim of the present study was to describe and explain the experiences of nursing students and faculty during clinical-based nursing process workshops involving real cases.

Hanisch et al. (2020) recommend using data from actual patients [ 18 ], and Yilmaz et al. (2015) suggest providing nursing students with opportunities to apply the nursing process in diverse patient populations during clinical training [ 19 ]. The study conducted by Karimi et al. (2011) demonstrated that organizing nursing process classes as workshops stimulated a sense of competition and superiority both among and within groups. This approach also enhanced participants’ concentration on learning the content of each session. In addition, the workshop fostered a sense of cooperation and cohesion among the students, which was evident in their increased interest and excitement [ 1 ]. The importance of utilizing workshop-based training with real clinical cases is clearly evident. When students receive data related to a real patient, they directly experience the clinical environment. This, in turn, leads to an improvement in their critical thinking and decision-making skills when they encounter similar cases. For this purpose, nursing educators can present the rich clinical cases they encounter during their internships in theory classes based on the stages of the nursing process. They can also ask students to present these cases for their peers to comment on and critique the care provided, in order to stimulate discussion.

The category of " Strengthening the intellectual infrastructure of accepting the nursing process " indicates that the teaching method used in this study has been able to help students better understand and recognize the nature and improvement of insight into the nursing process. In the study by Thuvaraka et al. (2018), 52% of participants strongly agreed on the necessity of having a positive attitude and insight towards the nursing process for its proper implementation [ 20 ]. According to the study by Mert et al. (2020), a lack of insight into the nursing profession and process can even lead students to consider dropping out of their studies [ 21 ]. The importance of reviewing the nursing education process to enhance this perception has been emphasized in various studies. Zamanzadeh et al. (2015) discuss several challenges in the implementation of the nursing process. These challenges include a lack of clarity regarding its meaning, differences in perspectives, and insufficient training leading to a lack of awareness on how to properly implement it [ 22 ]. More than 90% of students (93.5%) in the study conducted by Rajabpoor et al. (2018) [ 4 ] and over two-thirds (75.6%) of students in the study conducted by Sharghi et al. (2015) identified lack of proper training and insufficient time allocated for teaching as the most significant barriers to implementing the nursing process. They attributed this to traditional and routine teaching methods [ 23 ]. This causes students to undervalue the nursing process, perceiving it only at a theoretical level rather than practical. As a result, they become overwhelmed by the routine when working as clinical nurses [ 7 ]. Therefore, by teaching the case method based on real clinical cases, nursing instructors can strengthen students’ positive outlook and ability to apply the nursing process. This increases the percentage of students implementing the nursing process in clinical wards.

Strengthening critical thinking is one of the concepts derived from analyzing the experiences of the students and faculty who participated in the present study. Based on a review study by Carvalho et al. (2017), the utilization of the nursing process, particularly the stage of nursing diagnosis formulation, enables nurses to employ critical thinking in making judgments and providing clinical care [ 24 ]. This process also helps ensure the delivery of high-quality care [ 25 ]. But if the nursing process is presented in an undesirable manner, it suppresses critical thinking. According to Heidari et al. (2016), the nursing process resulted in students relying on copying from books, which led to a decline in creativity and an increase in their dissatisfaction [ 26 ]. According to the study conducted by Ghanbari et al. (2017), the implementation of collaborative workshops focused on the nursing process resulted in an improvement in critical thinking skills among nursing students [ 3 ]. Therefore, nursing instructors can teach theoretical classes based on the clinical cases they have experienced in the hospital. By doing so, students can immerse themselves in the clinical environment during theoretical classes, which significantly enhances their critical thinking skills.

The evidence-based nursing display was one of the achievements of nursing process educational workshops, which were based on real cases. Mackey et al. (2017) consider evidence-based practice as a means to bridge the gap between theory and practice in nursing education for undergraduate and graduate students [ 27 ]. And likewise, Sin et al. (2017) believe that nursing faculties are obligated to enhance the competence and knowledge of students for evidence-based practice by employing innovative methods [ 28 ]. Therefore, it is recommended that nursing instructors use up-to-date scientific references for nursing interventions when teaching about the nursing process of diseases. This practice helps students feel that the care they provide is supported by scientific evidence and motivating them to carry out nursing care more effectively.

One of the emerging concepts in this study was the focus on the practicality of the nursing process. In the study conducted by Agyeman-Yeboah et al. (2017), participants reported that new students and nurses tend to neglect the implementation of the nursing process when they observe experienced nurses failing to apply it in a scientific and systematic manner [ 5 ]. The lack of implementation of the nursing process by nurses is due to a lack of knowledge and a negative attitude towards it. Zerihun Adraro and Adugna Cherkos (2021) conducted a study in Ethiopia and found that the majority of nurses had inadequate knowledge, and half of them lacked a positive attitude towards the implementation of the nursing process [ 29 ]. In the study by Thuvaraka et al. (2018), only 17% of nurses had sufficient knowledge about the nursing process and implemented it [ 20 ]. One of the important experiences for students in the “Practicality of the Nursing Process” category is the development of their participatory and interprofessional spirit. They are encouraged to express their opinions about the care and treatment process of patients, rather than blindly following the doctor’s orders. According to a systematic review study, the level of physicians’ proficiency in their management systems is a significant issue for the healthcare system [ 22 ]. According to the study conducted by Nakhaee et al. (2017), doctors are the ones responsible for making decisions regarding all patient matters, while the efforts of nurses often go unappreciated. This lack of recognition can result in a decline in their self-esteem [ 30 ]. While according to Adamy et al. (2019), the implementation of the nursing process at a professional level is highly effective in creating an independent nursing role, rather than just serving as assistants to physicians. This implementation also enhances the credibility of the nursing profession [ 31 ]. The recommendation of the present researchers to nursing instructors is to take a significant step in enhancing the knowledge and independent spirit of nursing students by basing their teaching on real clinical cases. When students perceive that they have independence and are not merely following doctors’ orders, their engagement in operationalizing the nursing process and evidence-based care will increase.

Strengthening the holistic perspective was one of the positive experiences for students and faculty members who attended these workshops. According to the study by Hackett et al. (2017), physical problems can result in mental stress among patients. Therefore, it is essential to consider all dimensions of care [ 32 ]. According to Ericsson (1995), humans should be considered as a whole, and nursing care should be tailored to address biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects [ 33 ]. The importance of holistic care has been emphasized by Florence Nightingale, who encouraged caregivers to practice it [ 34 ]. Holistic care emphasizes partnership and dialogue between nurse and patient about health care needs [ 35 ]. Adequate training is crucial in ensuring that nurses and nursing students are well-prepared to meet the diverse needs of patients and deliver comprehensive care [ 36 ]. It is recommended for nursing instructors to focus on the mental aspect in addition to the physical aspect when teaching the nursing process and encourage students to apply this approach during clinical internships.

Another advantage of these sessions was the successful implementation of the nursing process in apprenticeship. Work disorder and confusion in implementing the nursing process are significant challenges. According to the study by Korkut et al. (2021), students were unable to collect appropriate data from their patients and were confused when formulating and prioritizing nursing diagnoses, determining goals, and planning care. However, due to the fear of receiving a low grade, they were compelled to present fabricated data [ 37 ]. Therefore, nursing instructors should incorporate real clinical cases encountered during internships into their theoretical classes. This simulation helps students perform better in implementing the nursing process in the hospital environment later on.

During these workshop sessions, the students’ awareness of the professional identity of nursing was heightened. They came to understand that this professional identity is a crucial principle that underpins their comprehension of nursing and scientific care. As a result, they recognized the significance of studying pathophysiology and the fundamental principles of scientific care for different diseases. Professional identity is described as a person’s perception of themselves within a profession or the collective identity of the profession [ 38 ]. In nursing, professional identity plays a crucial role in delivering high-quality services to patients [ 39 ] because it effectively enhances clinical competence, self-assurance, self-esteem, and interpersonal communication skills [ 40 , 41 ]. In this regard, the study by Sun et al. (2016) found that professional identity and education level had the greatest impact on the stress levels of nursing students. The results of that study showed that developing and enhancing professional identity could be beneficial for nursing students in managing stress [ 42 ]. Similarly, according to the study by Sabanciogullari et al. (2015), there was a positive and significant correlation between nurses’ job satisfaction and professional identity. This study found that 15.5% of nurses who intended to leave their profession had insufficient professional identity and lower job satisfaction. Professional identity is a significant factor in job satisfaction [ 41 ]. According to the study by Van der Cingel et al. (2021), a lack of attention to the professional identity of nursing contributes to the departure of nursing students and young nurses from the nursing profession [ 43 ]. Therefore, focusing on professional identity in nursing education is crucial and should be a primary objective [ 38 ], despite findings from Haghighat et al. (2019) indicating that nursing education programs in Iran have not effectively nurtured nursing students [ 44 ]. This highlights a greater focus on teaching based on real clinical cases, which enhances the professional identity of nursing and facilitates the implementation of the nursing process.

“Self-directed learning facilitator” is one of the important categories identified in the present study. It encompasses three crucial concepts: “stimulating a thirst for learning”, “creating a stress-free learning atmosphere”, and “teaching fishing”. The students’ experiences indicated that engaging in discussions, asking questions, and providing answers had a significant impact on motivating them to study and enhancing their motivation for learning. This learning took place in a calm and stress-free environment. Participants were able to analyze the content calmly, as grades were not involved. As a result, they were able to diagnose what to prioritize in a clinical setting, even without the assistance of a clinical instructor. In fact, during these sessions, the instructors focused on teaching the students how to fish instead of simply giving them fish. As a result, the students’ spirit of independent learning increased. Kholmuratovich et al. (2020) stated in their study that independent learning helps students to learn effectively and efficiently [ 45 ]. It increases their independence and critical thinking skills, while also effectively enhancing their self-esteem and motivation [ 46 ]. For this reason, Lau et al. (2017) recommend promoting this teaching method in their study [ 47 ]. Based on the aforementioned studies, independent and self-directed learning leads to improved comprehension and learning, increased motivation, enhanced self-confidence, and critical thinking among students. Consequently, it can be argued that teaching based on clinical cases and workshop-based approaches, beyond aiding students in better understanding and applying the nursing process, has the potential to transform students’ overall learning approach.

Teaching the nursing process through workshops based on clinical cases has broken the taboo surrounding the application of the nursing process. The organization of these workshops in a friendly and stress-free environment, where real clinical cases were discussed, analyzed, and criticized, motivated the students to apply the nursing process in clinical setting. This approach led to a correction in their perception that they considered the implementation of the nursing process as time-consuming and unnecessary, and it also increased the students’ critical thinking abilities. The nature and process of conducting the workshops proved to be beneficial in implementing the theoretical standards in practical settings. The nursing interventions program was evidence based. This approach not only fostered students’ motivation for self-directed learning but also heightened their curiosity for acquiring knowledge. In these sessions, the approach involved teaching students how to fish rather than simply giving them fish. On the other hand, one of the significant challenges in the application of the nursing process in clinical practice by students is the lack of knowledge and skills among nurses to provide care based on the nursing process, it is recommended that these workshops also be conducted for nurses. Furthermore, action research should be employed to evaluate the role of this educational approach in enhancing the knowledge and skills of clinical nurses.

Limitations

Considering that the workshops had to be held outside of the regular class hours of the faculty, which is at 16:00, and taking into account the transportation issues of the students, the workshops could only continue until 18:00. The limitations of this study include the restricted hours and duration of these workshops. Another limitation of this study is the lack of implementation of nursing interventions by the researchers for the patient and subsequently the real evaluation of the interventions performed, due to ethical considerations. In fact, considering that the biggest problem for students is the application of the nursing process related to assessment, diagnosis, and planning, the focus of the workshops was on these stages. However, it seems that by covering all stages of the nursing process in educational workshops, the challenges faced by students in the implementation and evaluation stages can also be addressed.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the cor - responding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to express their gratitude to the students and professors who participated in the workshops and Student Research Committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

This study was financed by the Student Vice Chancellor for Research of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Project number 1400254).

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Authors and affiliations.

Pediatric Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Amir Shahzeydi

Student of Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Parvaneh Abazari

Nursing and Midwifery Sciences Development Research Center, Najaf abad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najaf abad, Iran

Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran

Fatemeh Gorji-varnosfaderani

Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Department of Adult Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Elaheh Ashouri, Shahla Abolhassani & Fakhri Sabohi

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ASH, PA, FG designed the study. ASH, PA, FG, EA, SHA, FS helded the Workshops. PA interviewed the participants. ASH and FG wrote the interviews. PA, EA and SHA analyzed the interviews. ASH, PA and FS prepared the manuscript, and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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This study has been approved by the ethics committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IR.MUI.NUREMA.REC.1400.139) in 2021. Initially, the research purpose was explained to the patients and their caregivers. They were informed that participation in the research is entirely voluntary and free of charge. Not participating in the research would not affect their care and treatment interventions. They were assured that they could withdraw from the research at any time. Furthermore, it was emphasized that their information would be presented in the workshop in a strictly confidential manner, without disclosing their names, photos, file numbers, etc. Subsequently, both oral and written consent were obtained from them. After that, the study’s purpose was also explained to nursing students and faculty members, and informed oral and written consent was obtained from them. Numeric codes were used instead of personal names to ensure the confidentiality of the interviews. The participants were free to withdraw from the study at any time. All methods were conducted following the applicable guidelines and regulations.

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Shahzeydi, A., Abazari, P., Gorji-varnosfaderani, F. et al. Breaking the taboo of using the nursing process: lived experiences of nursing students and faculty members. BMC Nurs 23 , 621 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02233-z

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Received : 05 February 2024

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Published : 05 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02233-z

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I-CNN-LSTM: An Improved CNN-LSTM for Transient Stability Analysis of More Electric Aircraft Power Systems

• Research Article-Electrical Engineering
• Published: 08 September 2024

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• Cong Gao 1 &
• Hongjuan Ge   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0008-5450-645X 1  

High-power nonlinear load characteristics are one of the typical characteristics of multi-electric aircraft power systems. The study provides an improved CNN-LSTM stability analysis method for solving the stability problem of the aircraft power system caused by high-power nonlinear load switching. To address the issue of sample imbalance, this approach creatively incorporates the cost factor into the CNN loss function. In order to handle the issue of computational complexity, the projection layer is added to the LSTM, and a methodology known as CNN-LSTMP is proposed. This algorithm solves the problems of low computational efficiency and huge computational volume. The time series data utilized by the experiment are created by simulating the transient switching process. The data are then labeled, normalized, and model training is carried out. A deep learning algorithm that satisfies the prediction requirements can be created by applying this method to the established simulation model of a multi-electric aircraft power system for stability analysis. According to the results of the experiments, this method’s transient stability analysis accuracy is 93.32%, which has a positive impact on transient analysis and may satisfy application requirements.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due time limitations but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant U2233205 and U2133203).

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College of Civil Aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China

Cong Gao & Hongjuan Ge

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H.G. designed the study. C.G. performed numerical experiments, performed data analysis, and wrote the paper. All the authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hongjuan Ge .

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Gao, C., Ge, H. I-CNN-LSTM: An Improved CNN-LSTM for Transient Stability Analysis of More Electric Aircraft Power Systems. Arab J Sci Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-024-09531-3

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Received : 20 January 2024

Accepted : 18 August 2024

Published : 08 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-024-09531-3

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