Think like a consultant. Build like a product manager.
A live specialist programme for engineering students, MBA aspirants, and social science or rural development students who want to understand consulting, strategy and product careers before choosing one.
Why this programme exists
Many students pick consulting, strategy or product on reputation alone. This programme gives you real mentorship, structured problem-solving practice and a capstone that mirrors the actual work.
Who it is for
- Engineering students and graduates preparing for consulting, strategy or product careers
- MBA aspirants and current MBA students who want a head start on case solving and business fundamentals
- Social science, development studies and rural management students interested in social impact and boutique consulting
- Early-career professionals reconsidering a move into consulting, strategy or product roles
How the programme runs
A foundational track of sixteen classes, plus a thematic track of mentor-led sessions.
8 weeks, delivered as 16 live classes
2 classes per week, 60 to 90 minutes each
Live online, taught by instructors and mentors with real industry experience
A foundational track of 16 core classes, plus a thematic expert track of mentor-led sessions
Weekly case and problem-solving assignments completed between classes
30 participants per cohort
Two, scored, with individual written feedback
One hands-on capstone project, presented live to mentors
Awarded on completed work and milestones, not attendance alone
Six capability areas
From structured thinking to case interviews and product sense.
Consulting foundations
How to approach a problem, structured thinking, issue trees, MECE, hypothesis-led problem solving, the 80/20 principle, root cause analysis
Case solving and guesstimates
Market sizing, profitability, growth and market entry cases, live case practice with feedback
Business process and analytics
Six Sigma and process optimisation, strategy consulting metrics, Excel and dashboards, intro to data science
Product and systems thinking
Product-based learning, product management fundamentals, system thinking, design thinking
Career craft
Consulting-grade CV and cover letter, LinkedIn positioning, behavioural interview prep with STAR
Capstone and mentorship
A hands-on capstone project, two mock interviews, direct mentor exposure
Thematic expert track, beyond the classroom
Life at a consulting firm
A candid look at the first two years inside management, strategy or Big Four consulting
Types of consulting
IIM alumni mentors on the real differences between management, strategy, technology, Big Four and social impact consulting
Life inside a product team
How product teams at technology and fintech companies actually operate day to day
Data science for business roles
How data science is used inside consulting and product teams, without needing to become an engineer
Social and impact consulting
How consulting thinking applies to social impact, rural development and non-profit work
Week-by-week classes
Two classes each week. Tap a week to see its classes.
Week 1Orientation, the consulting, strategy and product landscape · How to approach a problem, structured thinking foundations
- Class 1Orientation, the consulting, strategy and product landscape
- Class 2How to approach a problem, structured thinking foundations
Week 2Issue trees and MECE · Hypothesis-led problem solving and the 80/20 principle
- Class 3Issue trees and MECE
- Class 4Hypothesis-led problem solving and the 80/20 principle
Week 3Guesstimates and market sizing · Case solving, profitability and growth cases
- Class 5Guesstimates and market sizing
- Class 6Case solving, profitability and growth cases
Week 4Case solving, market entry and operations cases · Six Sigma and business process optimisation
- Class 7Case solving, market entry and operations cases
- Class 8Six Sigma and business process optimisation
Week 5Strategy consulting metrics and data storytelling · Introduction to data science for consulting and product roles
- Class 9Strategy consulting metrics and data storytelling
- Class 10Introduction to data science for consulting and product roles
Week 6Product thinking and product-based learning · System thinking and design thinking
- Class 11Product thinking and product-based learning
- Class 12System thinking and design thinking
Week 7Consulting-grade CV and cover letter · Behavioural interview preparation, STAR approach, mock interview one
- Class 13Consulting-grade CV and cover letter
- Class 14Behavioural interview preparation, STAR approach, mock interview one
Week 8Case and product interview preparation, capstone work · Capstone presentation, mock interview two, career direction plan
- Class 15Case and product interview preparation, capstone work
- Class 16Capstone presentation, mock interview two, career direction plan
Seven career tracks inside consulting, strategy and product
Each with entry-level roles and a realistic progression.
Management & Strategy Consulting
Broad business problem-solving for corporate clients
Big Four Consulting & Advisory
Advisory and transformation inside large professional services firms
Technology & Digital Consulting
Digital transformation and platform ecosystems
Boutique & Social Impact Consulting
Development, non-profit and specialist advisory work
Product Management
Deciding what gets built and why, inside product-led companies
Data & Analytics Consulting
Using data to support business and client decisions
Business Process Excellence
Six Sigma-led process optimisation and operational excellence
Swipe to see more tracks →
A capstone that mirrors real consulting work
Five stages, from a messy problem to a recommendation you defend in front of mentors.
Problem framing
Participants receive a realistic business or social impact problem and define it precisely before any analysis begins
Structuring
The problem is broken into a MECE issue tree and a set of testable hypotheses
Analysis
Participants work through supporting data to test their hypotheses and find the real driver
Recommendation
A specific, defensible recommendation is developed, with a product or business lens applied where relevant
Presentation
Delivered live to mentors and peers, followed by structured questioning
What you build and what you walk away with
Issue tree and hypothesis document
Evidence of structured problem-solving ability
Guesstimate and case solutions
Direct preparation for case interviews
A business process or Six Sigma exercise
Evidence of process and operational thinking
A product thinking exercise
Evidence of product sense and system thinking
Capstone project and live presentation
One complete story, from a business question to a recommendation
Consulting-grade CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile
The assets that get you into the interview room
Two mock interview reports
Proof you have practised before it counted
By the end, you should be able to
- Structure any ambiguous business problem using issue trees and MECE thinking
- Solve a guesstimate, a profitability case and a market entry case with a defensible approach
- Understand the real differences between management, strategy, technology, Big Four, boutique and social impact consulting, and product management
- Understand the fundamentals of Six Sigma and business process optimisation
- Apply system thinking and design thinking to a real problem
- Have a consulting-grade CV, LinkedIn profile and two completed, scored mock interviews