I was working with a client last week who is preparing for Google strategy questions, and we discussed a framwork that is essentially a modification of strategy frameworks from the top consulting firms. Hence, the rule of three here shouldn’t be a surprise.

It this case, the three are:

• The Company

• The Competitors

• The Macro Environment

This should be seen as a lose framework, NOT a strict one. That said, let’s dive in.

The Company

• Mission/Vision

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Culture

• Recent successes (or fumbles)

• Core User Base

The Competition

• Foothold

• Weaknesses

• Blindspots

• Core User Base

The Macro Environment

• User Trends

• Regulators

• Cultural Issues

The Macro Environment can be a bit of a catch-all. Don’t get hung up on economics, use it as a mental model to talk about issues outside the company's control as well as a chance to talk about user trends. Different case prompts will find you using this bucket differently