The typical case study story structure is pretty basic. It is simple Aristotle, a three act play of crisis, complication and resolution. Beginning, middle and end, a narrative built out of interview questions that are also pretty basic.
Some of most popular ones include:
- What were the drivers, i.e. what did the customer want/need to achieve?
- What solution did your team bring to the table?
- How was that solution going to meet their needs better than any alternative?
- What kind of feedback have you received since completing this project?
If you’ve read any industry case studies, you know the formula. Every one of them out there covers that same ground, and that high hill is almost always flag-planted with best case scenarios, cheerful customers, and the most cutting edge and powerful solutions. And in those stories – those thousands and thousands of stories – the real question, the most important question, is almost never asked. Instead, the whole game is one long succession of fast balls down the middle.
Whenever I sit and interview a sales rep, engineer, customer end user or other interested party for a case study project, however, I like to throw a curve ball about two-thirds the way through.
That question is: “What went wrong?”
The reaction is usually an awkward silent moment. Um. Nothing to speak of.
Really, I ask? Nothing went wrong? No weird, unexplained, unplanned course corrections? No scope shifts? No budget dramas? This thing was absolutely clockwork from start to finish?
Well..
I then assure them that my job is to make everyone look good. If there’s no way to spin it, I won’t include it at all. But I would like to know the story because, well, I have a thing for good stories. And so, reluctantly, they begin talking about the moments during the project where they had to react rather than act, and think a little fast on their feet.
And sometimes there simply isn’t anything I can do with it. Most times, though, it ends up being the best part of the overall story. The point where the project team really proved how good they were.
We’re all heroes of our own sagas. No one views themselves as just another fill-in-the-blank, and so, every problem calls for a certain amount of customizing and unique tailoring to make work in that unique situation. When the “what went wrong” question goes unaddressed, the solution is the star of the show. Confront it head on, however, and your team becomes the star – because they saved the day.
When I write case studies, I’m looking for heroes. Anyone can achieve factual accuracy, just as anyone can recommend a stock technology solution and get it installed. But show the scramble, and you have a bit of drama. You have a story worth telling, one that answers the question that lies at the heart of each and every one of your customer’s decisions. What happens if things go wrong?
Credibility is the currency of communication. The ability to project a sense of authenticity, vulnerability even, crucially tells the reader that you know what you’re talking about. However, you also know that things happen. And when they do, you can roll with the punches, reacting competently to turn crises around into opportunities before they tear the project – and budget – apart.
Being tough is as important as being smart. Tell your tough stories. They’re worth it.
