You might be surprised that I asked, what’s your problem? Yes, I can help to solve your business problems using the methodologies in Analysis of Business Problems (ABP).
In this article, I would like to take you on a journey regarding my experience in the Analysis of Business Problems (ABP) course. This is a first-semester Executive MBA Course at Lagos Business School (LBS) and I am newly enrolled for the January 2023 intake of the program. We have had about six sessions of the course and it has been an amazing experience so far.
The core concept behind ABP is the examination of case studies assembled by the faculties of LBS and other prestigious business schools including Ivy League schools such as Harvard et al. They document real-life cases of organizations, entrepreneurs, governmental organizations, and much more with problems that need to resolve. The case studies then constitute the curriculum for teaching the ABP Course.
One of the great benefits of the course is that the problems presented for analysis are usually multi-dimensional in nature and must be critically reviewed with all the facts and characters provided within the case to begin analyzing the problem statement.
The first thing that stood out for me at the commencement of the ABP course is the methodical approach to solving any business problem. The faculty carefully took us through the stages one step at a time. The first step is, ‘identify the problem statement’. No matter how long a case study is, we are considered to be business problem analysts hence we are to study through the case study and identify the true problem within the case.
Next, is to identify the core objectives that the organization or individual in the case study would like to achieve in order to be considered problem-free. In order words, what are the outcomes that these organizations desire to have? Most organizations have issues ranging from poor product development to human resource challenges, plant and equipment issues, sourcing and procurement gaps, and so on. It will take careful analysis to review the current situation and design a program that will lead the organization or individuals to their desired destination.
After the objectives are determined, possible Alternatives and Consequences of the decisions to be considered are also to be placed in review. This will be accompanied by a lot of analysis of every background information that must have been gathered prior to the situations in review.
The case studies in the ABP course are usually constructed in a detailed manner that helps you to dive deep into the experiences of the organization or individual characters under study. At the end of each study, there are usually two or more solutions to be considered and we are expected to provide recommendations to the organizations or individuals under study without referencing our frame of bias.
ABP is one course that helps you to fetch facts, identify the problem statement in the midst of a myriad of information, and dispassionately create the best possible solution. The faculty always stress that the outcome of your decision is usually determined by the process followed to take such decisions, hence the process is key to the successful practice of the course.
This course has challenged my mind in several ways and promises to challenge my mind in even greater ways as we ride along the journey. I am really excited about what the future holds and the significant impact that I will be able to make on my organization and society at large as a result of being a participant in a course with such strategic framing.
