---
name: consulting-frameworks
description: >
  How-to guidance for consulting frameworks: MECE problem structuring, issue
  trees, hypothesis-driven analysis, the pyramid principle and SCR, action
  titles, Porter's Five Forces, TAM/SAM/SOM, value chain, NPV/IRR and
  build/buy/partner, RACI and operating models, synergy sizing and valuation
  triangulation, price-volume-mix, Van Westendorp and discount waterfalls. Use
  when the user asks how to apply or choose a framework ("how do I run a Van
  Westendorp survey?", "what's a MECE way to cut our cost base?"), or wants a
  framework-level check of their own work. To produce a finished deliverable,
  the matching slash command (/issue-tree, /market-size, /storyline, ...) is
  the faster path. Not for real-estate deal analysis (real-estate-investment).
---

# Consulting Frameworks

Select the reference file matching the task. Each has procedural guidance, application steps, quality checks and examples. `references/quality-bar.md` is the sourcing and review standard every deliverable in this plugin is held to.

## Framework Selection Guide

| Task | Reference File | Key Frameworks |
|------|---------------|----------------|
| Decompose a problem, build an issue tree, structure hypotheses | [references/structuring.md](references/structuring.md) | MECE, Issue Trees, Hypothesis-Driven |
| Write executive summaries, build storylines, craft action titles | [references/communication.md](references/communication.md) | Pyramid Principle, SCR, Action Titles |
| Analyze markets, competitive dynamics, or growth options | [references/strategy.md](references/strategy.md) | Porter's Five Forces, TAM/SAM/SOM, Value Chain, 3 Horizons, Ansoff |
| Build business cases, evaluate investments, model costs | [references/financial.md](references/financial.md) | NPV/IRR, Build/Buy/Partner, Zero-Based Budgeting, Should-Cost |
| Design accountability structures, operating models, processes | [references/operational.md](references/operational.md) | RACI, Operating Model Canvas, Spans & Layers, Lean/Six Sigma |
| Size synergies, triangulate valuations, screen deals, frame DD findings | [references/ma-and-dd.md](references/ma-and-dd.md) | Synergy Sizing & Phasing, Valuation Triangulation, Integration Cost Benchmarks, Red-Flag Taxonomy, Deal-Breaker vs. Price-Chip |
| Set or diagnose pricing, decompose revenue growth, estimate elasticity | [references/pricing.md](references/pricing.md) | Price-Volume-Mix, Van Westendorp, Conjoint, EDLP vs. Hi-Lo, Elasticity Estimation, B2B Discount Waterfall |

## Cross-Framework Patterns

Most consulting deliverables combine multiple frameworks:

- **Market sizing** = TAM/SAM/SOM (strategy) + MECE segmentation (structuring) + Pyramid Principle (communication)
- **Due diligence** = Porter's Five Forces (strategy) + Issue Tree (structuring) + NPV/IRR (financial) + Red-Flag Taxonomy (ma-and-dd)
- **Business case** = Build/Buy/Partner (financial) + RACI (operational) + SCR (communication)
- **Transformation roadmap** = Operating Model (operational) + 3 Horizons (strategy) + Hypothesis-Driven (structuring)
- **Deal evaluation** = Synergy Sizing + Valuation Triangulation (ma-and-dd) + NPV/IRR (financial) + Deal-Breaker vs. Price-Chip framing (ma-and-dd)
- **Pricing diagnostic** = Price-Volume-Mix + B2B Discount Waterfall (pricing) + Porter's Five Forces (strategy) + SCR (communication)

Read the primary reference file for your task, then pull from adjacent files as needed.