Difference between strategy at Big 4 vs MBB in terms of project/ work deliverables. Asking from an associate/ senior associate POV

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MBB do more assessments and theoretical analysis. The work they get to do seems fascinating. They produce strategies which assume the client can deliver without that much trouble, allowing them to think big and interesting thoughts. If the idea is good, it is good. If the client fails in implementation, that is user error.

Big 4 and ACN strat is on average more applied strategy. By that I mean that our strategies seem to be very focussed on deliverability rather than theory (obviously because we want to win the follow on work, and don’t want that to be impossible!). When I include a recommendation I need to have a high degree of certainty that this will (not can) be delivered. That necessarily limits the imagination I can use.

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This may be true to an extent, but I think BCG at least is trying to be more implementation-aware too. The number of times I’ve heard “there’s no way X client can do Y goal” is crazy!

From what I’ve seen, either at the BU level rather than the c suite level, or c suite at smaller clients. For M&A it’s less strategy and more post integration planning, or CDD churn

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