Earlier this month, I had the privilege of representing the Wisconsin School of Business in Columbus, Ohio. Along with my incredible teammates–Aby Bencent, Ashley DiCesare, Kasey Morris, and Alexandria Prosko–I competed in the annual Fisher Invitational Case Competition at Ohio State University. I’m thrilled to share that we returned to Madison with a first-place trophy in hand. Below, I share my perspective on what it took to achieve this milestone and the lessons I learned along the way.
What is a Case Competition?
For the unfamiliar, a business case competition challenges teams of business students to solve a real-world problem provided by a host school in partnership with a local company. Teams are given limited time to analyze the situation, develop a strategic solution, and present their recommendations to a panel of judges. The judges evaluate each team’s approach across multiple dimensions, depth of problem solving, strategic coherence, feasibility, risk identification and mitigation, economic logic, overall quality, and adaptability.
What Does It Take to Compete?
Many cups of coffee are usually a good starting point. In reality, the work began well before we departed for Ohio. Once the team was assembled, we met to discuss strategy. What were the team members’ strengths? What assets could we pull together before the actual case prompt was provided? How could we delegate responsibility before even knowing the question? Even little things like coordinating wardrobes were important. Sage wisdom from center directors Tanya Hubanks and Jake Dean, of the Strategic Human Resource Management Center and the Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management, helped set us on the right path from the outset.
Tuesday
Feeling prepared, there was nothing to do but wait patiently until the case was released on Tuesday so we could dive into the problem. Ironically, the case landed in our inboxes just as we were taxiing for takeoff at O’Hare, prompting me to frantically screenshot the problem before airplane mode kicked in. The entire flight was spent reading, and our first team meeting after settling into the hotel focused almost exclusively identifying the core problem. We created a list of questions and assigned them to team members for further research before retiring to our rooms.
Wednesday
We began the next day with breakfast and by securing use of a hotel conference room. Our first order of business was to clarify questions from the day prior. Because we were limited to asking the client only two questions, most of the morning was spent further refining our understanding of the problem and identifying the most critical missing information.
That afternoon, Ohio State hosted a lovely reception that included food, networking, and a tour of the stadium. Even as a Camp Randall loyalist, it was cool to see the press box and step out onto the field. By the time the reception concluded, we had put in a ten-hour day, and the team felt that Thursday’s Q&A session would be pivotal in shaping our final recommendation.
Thursday
Breakfast at the Fisher College of Business began at 7:15 AM on Thursday, and we wouldn’t depart campus until about 6:00 PM. The insights from the company’s Q&A proved immensely valuable— it confirmed some of our suspicions, reframed how we viewed others, and introduced new considerations. From there, we worked in a tight-quarters study room for the rest of the day, breaking only for lunch and dinner. We worked together to build our slide deck; I made liberal use of the whiteboard to track our team’s progress. Each completed section made the board a little clearer. By dinnertime, we felt confident that we had the materials needed to tell a compelling story and were ready for a change of scenery. We headed back to the hotel to practice—first individually for two hours, then together as a team. We mapped out where we would stand, choreographed our transitions, and ran the presentation again. After more individual practice and one final group run-through, I squeezed in another two hours on my own before finally calling it a night at midnight.
Friday
Presentation day finally arrived. After a brief breakfast and welcome at Battelle’s headquarters, we moved right into the first round of presentations. The irony of case competitions is how hard and long you work for a presentation that lasts just thirty minutes. And, that thirty minutes had arrived. As we entered the room, we shook hands with each of the judges and took our positions. I was the first to present—introducing the team, outlining the agenda, framing the problem, and previewing our recommendation. I had practiced a hundred times, knowing how critical it was to set a successful tone. Unfortunately, I did not pause to reset before speaking, and my introduction felt rougher than in practice. I couldn’t help but feel that I had let the team down, knowing I was capable of better. Thankfully, my teammates were rock stars. I saw how collected they were, and I began to feed off their confidence. When it was my turn to present again, I was far more relaxed. Thanks to the team’s composure and our confidence in the recommendation, we advanced to the final round. I adjusted for the next presentation and, when it was over, the team agreed it was our strongest performance yet. The judges must have agreed, too.
What I Learned
Experiential learning opportunities like case competitions are among the most rewarding aspects of my Wisconsin MBA. It’s one thing to learn in a classroom and demonstrate mastery on paper, but collaborating with a team to deliver a client-facing product is an entirely different—and deeper—form of learning. First, it’s fun. The Battelle case was uniquely engaging, incorporating elements of chemistry, engineering, stakeholder management, finance, and more. It was easy to become fully immersed in the material. Just as importantly, I had the opportunity to get to know four classmates much more deeply. Not just personally, but in how they work and approach complex problems. Hearing from the other finalist teams was equally valuable, as their presentations and novel approaches to solving the problem offered different perspectives.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to represent Wisconsin. Every day in the SHR Center and at the Wisconsin School of Business presents another chance to grow. By equipping me with the skills to operate in ambiguity, under tight time constraints, with a new team, and in an unfamiliar environment—and then giving me opportunities to apply those skills—I continue to develop as a more confident HR and business professional. On, Wisconsin!