Essay on Mock Case Analysis

Submitted By Koteho1
Words: 2491
Pages: 10

Practice case interview – Home Nurses for New Families

The case interview, done as a core part of the recruiting process, serves two purposes:
• It provides an example to you, the interviewee, of the types of problems that we help our clients tackle
• It allows us to learn, in real-time, how you approach problem-solving
Case interviews, at their best, are an in-depth exercise that provides a platform for you to demonstrate your analytical approach, problem-solving creativity, and passion for social change. The case interview will be a conversation between you and the interviewer. It tends to consist of several structured questions that allow for a multi-faceted exploration of the different parts of a case experience. Throughout the case interview, you should feel free to ask questions, both for clarification and for more data or information.
This practice case provides one example of the case interview and what it looks like. It is a case interview pulled from our own experiences in casework, set firmly in the nonprofit context. While pulled from our casework, this case has been fictionalized; the numbers are for illustration purposes only. It is intended to serve as a resource for candidates and should be augmented by practice cases from other sources (e.g., for-profit consulting firms, business schools, etc.). There are many ways to approach the problems we work on. Sample answers provided below show one way that this case could be done; however, there is no single correct answer.
Section 1: SETTING THE CONTEXT
Overview
• Your next project will be partnering with a new client that recently engaged Bridgespan on a strategic planning project focused on growing the organization’s impact
• The client is Home Nurses for New Families (HNNF), a nurse home visitation program based in St. Louis,
MO.
• HNNF sends specially trained registered nurses to work with at-risk, first-time mothers, meeting with them, in their homes, from pregnancy through the first six months post-birth to provide a number of services including health-assessment, counseling, pre- and post-natal care and parenting skills
• HNNF has successfully served ~5,000 mothers and their children across the United States. Recent evaluation results demonstrate extremely successful outcomes for families served by HNNF, with better academic achievement and reduced rates of child abuse and youth involvement in the juvenile justice system • Given these results, HNNF is eager to expand the program
• The client has asked us to help them plan for growth. As part of the team, your manager has asked you to do two things: o Outline what HNNF should consider and evaluate as they plan for growth o Determine the cost of growth to a potential replication state
Question
• What critical issues does the client face?
Sample answer
• TIP: Often, asking clarifying questions about the client organization, their situation, and the broader context can help to deepen your understanding of the client and demonstrate your curiosity




HNNF is confronting the challenge of translating its Mission into concrete strategy. To do this, it will need to address two issues:
First, HNNF must determine its goals as an organization (to be achieved through growth): What impact does it hope to create?
Second, HNNF must determine the best path forward to those goals: How should HNNF grow to realize this impact?

Response from interviewer
• Great. According to initial client interviews, it is clear that HNNF wants to pursue growth so that it can serve, directly, all first-time, low-income mothers in the United States

1

Practice case interview – Home Nurses for New Families
Section 2: FRAMING THE APPROACH
Question
• What are the different elements HNNF should consider as they think about the challenges and opportunities of growing to serve many more first-time mothers in the US?
Sample answer
• TIP: Here it will be important to provide a clear