Value at stake
What problem the technology solves, in dollars.
- Ask
- Which revenue line or cost does it move, and by how much?
- Baseline
- What does the process cost or earn today?
Digital transformation case study: how to crack one in an interview
A digital transformation case asks whether and how a company should use technology to change how it sells or runs: an online channel, AI in a process, or a new core system. Structure it in four parts: the value at stake, which initiatives to fund first, how to deliver them (build, buy or partner) and how people will adopt them. Then size the payback and name the main risk. Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, runs a free claims automation case with no sign-up, and full mock cases with follow-ups and scored feedback.
Updated
- It is a business case first. Technology is the lever, but the question is still value, cost and risk.
- Four parts. Value at stake, which initiatives first, build, buy or partner, and adoption.
- Payback carries the answer. Savings or new revenue against the cost to build and run, and how fast.
- People decide if it works. Training, process change and who owns the system after launch.
- Pilot, then scale. One region or one process first, with a clear test for moving on.
What does a digital transformation case look like?
The client wants to use technology to grow, cut cost or keep up with rivals, and asks whether it is worth it and how to do it. In our experience the prompt hides a normal business question: a profit lever, an operations fix or a new channel. The four cards are the structure we suggest. The open row works one case through it.
Which initiatives first
A short list, ranked by value and ease.
- Ask
- Which uses pay back fastest with the data the client has?
- Tool
- An impact effort matrix
Build, buy or partner
How to get the capability, and what it costs.
- Ask
- Up front cost, running cost and time to launch for each route
- Fit
- Does it set the client apart, or is it standard?
People and adoption
Whether staff and customers will use it.
- Ask
- Who must work differently, and what training do they need?
- Risk
- Data quality, security, and the legacy systems it must connect to
Worked outline: Northgate Mutual (ours)6 steps
Northgate Mutual, an invented regional car insurer, handles 400,000 claims a year at about $120 each. A vendor and its own IT team both say AI could handle simple claims faster and cheaper. Should Northgate invest, and how? This case and every number in it are invented by Soreno for practice.
Clarify
Goal, budget and timeline
Ask what the CEO wants most: lower cost, faster claims or happier customers. Then ask the budget, the deadline and what systems run claims today. Here the goal is lower handling cost without more complaints.
Value at stake
$8.64 million a year
Handling costs $48 million a year today (400,000 claims at $120). Case data: 60% of claims are simple enough for the system, and it cuts their handling cost 30%. That is 240,000 claims saving $36 each, or $8.64 million a year.
Which first
Simple claims only
Start where the data is clean and the rules are clear: small, single car claims with photos. Complex and injury claims stay with adjusters, which also limits the risk of a wrong payout.
Impact effort matrix, workedBuild or buy
Buy pays back in 2.6 years
Build: $30 million up front and $3 million a year to run, so it nets $5.64 million a year and pays back in 5.3 years, live in 24 months. Buy: $12 million up front and $4 million a year, netting $4.64 million and paying back in 2.6 years, live in 9 months. Claims handling is not what sets an insurer apart, so buying is the better fit.
Adoption
Adjusters move to the hard claims
The saving only arrives if adjusters' time is moved to complex claims or fewer are hired as people leave. Plan the training, the new job design and a human check on payouts above a set amount.
Recommend
Buy, pilot in one region, then scale
Buy the vendor system and pilot it in one region for simple claims. Scale if the saving per claim holds. Set the test before the pilot starts: cost per simple claim, time to pay, wrong payouts and complaints, against the same region last year. Main risks: the system must connect to the old policy database, and customers may push back on automated decisions, so keep an easy route to a person. At full scale it nets about $4.64 million a year.
Four kinds of digital transformation case4 kinds
Our grouping. Each leans on a case type you already know.
New channel
Selling online or through an app
Margin per online order against the store, which buyers switch, and what happens to the stores. Close to a market entry case.
Practice: a retailer selling onlineAutomate a process
AI or software in operations
Cost per transaction before and after, volume it can handle, and the people affected. Close to an operations case.
Free operations caseReplace a core system
ERP, core banking, policy systems
Cost to run the old system against the cost and risk of moving. Timelines and data migration are the usual trap.
New business model
A digital product or platform
Who pays, how much, and whether the client can build it faster than a rival. Close to a growth or new product case.
What do interviewers listen for in a digital case?
In our experience, technical depth matters less than business sense. Four things set strong answers apart.
Value before technology
Naming the dollars at stake before naming any tool. AI is a means, not an answer.
Running cost, not just build cost
Licenses, cloud, support and upgrades every year. Payback on up front cost alone flatters every option.
Adoption as part of the plan
Who changes how they work, and what happens to the time saved. A system nobody uses saves nothing.
A phased call
Pilot, measure, then scale, with a clear test for moving on. It shows you can manage risk, not just spot it.
9 digital transformation practice prompts
Soreno's own prompts. Try each out loud: the value at stake, which initiative first, build or buy, and adoption.
New channels3 prompts
Selling in a new way.
A furniture retailer with 60 stores wants to start selling online. How would you structure the decision?
What a strong answer does
Compares the margin per order online, after delivery and returns, with the store, and asks which buyers would switch. Practice it, see a model answer
A regional grocery chain is deciding whether to launch home delivery through its own app or a delivery platform. What would you recommend?
What a strong answer does
Weighs the platform's fee per order against the cost to build and run an app, and who owns the customer data.
A bank's younger customers are leaving for app-only banks. Should it build a new digital bank under a separate brand?
What a strong answer does
Sizes the customers at risk and their value, then compares a separate brand with fixing the current app.
Automate a process3 prompts
Cost, speed and the people affected.
A hospital network wants to use AI to schedule operating rooms. How would you assess the opportunity?
What a strong answer does
Starts from idle operating room hours today and what each hour is worth, then asks what data and surgeon buy-in it needs.
A logistics company is considering robots in its five largest warehouses. How would you decide?
What a strong answer does
Compares cost per order picked before and after, against the robots' cost and the volume needed to pay back.
A telecom operator wants to answer most customer calls with an AI agent. What would you look at?
What a strong answer does
Splits calls by type, picks the simple ones first, and counts the cost of a wrong answer, not only the saving.
Core systems and new models3 prompts
Bigger bets with longer paybacks.
A manufacturer's ERP system is 20 years old. The CIO wants to replace it. Should the CEO approve it?
What a strong answer does
Compares the cost and risk of running the old system with the cost, timeline and disruption of moving.
A car parts maker wants to sell predictive maintenance software to its customers. Is it a good idea?
What a strong answer does
Asks who pays, how much, and whether the client has the data and the software skills, or should partner.
A public transit agency wants to replace paper tickets with tap-to-pay. How would you plan the rollout?
What a strong answer does
Sizes the cost of fare collection today, phases the rollout by line, and plans for riders without a bank card.
Mistakes, firm notes and FAQ
Common mistakes in digital transformation cases
Leading with the technology
Opening with AI, cloud or blockchain before saying what problem it solves and what it is worth.
Ignoring the running cost
Comparing up front prices only. In the worked outline, building costs less to run each year but takes far longer to pay back.
Assuming the saving arrives by itself
Time freed up is not money saved until work is moved or hiring changes. Say how.
All at once
A big launch across the whole company. A pilot with a clear test is safer and easier to defend.
Jargon
Explain what the system does in plain words. Interviewers score clear thinking, not vocabulary.
How do consulting firms describe their digital transformation work?
Five firms, each from its own page, read October 29, 2026. This is not a ranking. Claims about size or results are each firm's own.
McKinseyTech & AI community
A McKinsey Business Analyst, Tech & AI posting for its Central European offices says it aims to give analysts engagements in technology, AI, digital transformation, advanced analytics, cloud and cybersecurity, typically in teams of 3 to 5 consultants alongside developers, designers, data engineers and agile coaches when relevant.
McKinsey: Business Analyst, Tech & AIMcKinsey interview
BCGDigital, technology and data, and BCG X
BCG calls BCG X its tech build and design unit and says it unites 3,000+ tech builders, designers and entrepreneurs. Its digital, technology and data page says three types of outcomes will shape companies: personalized customer experiences, operational excellence, and innovative offerings, services and business models. BCG Platinion handles large tech transformations.
BCG: digital, technology and dataBCG case interview
BainApplied Technology & AI
Bain lists six capabilities, from technology and AI strategy and business reinvention to data, platforms, architecture and cyber, and operating model and talent. It says it helps clients decide where to build, buy or partner, and cites 7,000+ tech and AI projects in the last 10 years.
Bain: technology and AIBain case interview
DeloitteEnterprise Technology & Performance
Deloitte's consulting page describes a holistic and strategic approach to digital transformation for enterprise technology. Its Enterprise Technology & Performance team builds roadmaps across ERP and enterprise operations, with cloud, supply chain and application management services.
Deloitte: Enterprise Technology & PerformanceDeloitte case interview
AccentureTechnology transformation
Accenture's technology transformation page covers technology strategy, the IT operating model, cloud and generative AI. It says 70% of transformations fail to meet expectations and advises setting up a transformation office to deliver and measure value.
Accenture: technology transformationAccenture case interview
Practice digital cases out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer runs consulting cases the way a firm does: it gives you the prompt, hands you data when you ask, pushes back on your numbers and scores the session. Soreno is not affiliated with any firm named on this page.
Questions people ask
What is a digital transformation case interview?
A consulting case where the client wants to use technology to change how it sells or runs, such as an online channel, AI in a process or a new core system. You decide whether it is worth it and how to do it.
Do I need a technical background?
In our view, not for most generalist roles. You need to reason about value, cost, risk and adoption. Technology roles ask for more. One McKinsey Tech & AI posting asks for a strong interest in technology and AI and counts exposure to it as an advantage.
What framework should I use?
Use the four parts on this page as a start, then bend them to the prompt. A new channel case leans on market entry, an automation case on operations, and a core system case on cost and risk of the move.
How is it different from an operations case?
Many digital cases are operations cases with a technology lever. The extra steps are the build or buy choice, the running cost and adoption.
What math comes up?
Savings or new revenue per year, up front and running costs, and payback. In the worked outline, buying pays back in about 2.6 years and building in about 5.3 years.
Which firms do digital transformation work?
Most large firms. McKinsey, BCG (with BCG X), Bain, Deloitte and Accenture each describe technology and digital practices on their own pages.