How do I write a case study analysis?

Read the case more than once, identify the decision and the underlying problem, analyze the situation with a few relevant frameworks, set out realistic alternatives and judge them against stated criteria, recommend one, and say how it would be carried out. Support every claim with a fact from the case or a cited source.

What is the difference between the problem and its symptoms?

Symptoms are what the case shows going wrong — falling sales, high turnover. The problem is the cause behind them. Naming the cause matters because your alternatives should address it; an option that treats only a symptom will look weak against the criteria.

How many alternatives should I compare?

Usually two to four. Fewer than two is not a choice, and more than four makes each comparison thin. Doing nothing is worth including only if it is a real option for the decision maker.

How long should a case analysis be?

Follow the assignment. Course case write-ups are often a few pages to a few thousand words. Enter your limit and the tool splits it across the sections, with the most words on the analysis.

How do I cite the case itself?

Cite it the way your style guide cites the kind of source it is, usually with the authors, year, title, case number if there is one, and the publisher. Cite any outside data you use separately. Check the business citation guide for examples.

Does the generator write my analysis?

No. It organizes your own facts, alternatives, and criteria into a standard structure, with prompts where your reasoning belongs. Nothing is generated by AI, and it runs in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded.

Case Study Analysis Generator

Enter the decision a business case asks you to make, the key facts, your alternatives, and the criteria to judge them by, and get a case analysis outline with a word target for each section, an alternatives-by-criteria table, and prompts for the analysis and the implementation plan. Honest templates, no AI. Free, no sign-up.

The case

Case title

Who has to decide, and where

The decision, as a question

Key facts from the case — one per line

The problem, in your own words

Alternatives and criteria

Alternatives — one per line

Criteria to judge them by — one per line, up to six

Leave this empty to use fit with the problem, feasibility, cost, and risk.

Your recommendation (optional)

Frameworks to use in the analysis

SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threatsPESTLE — the outside environmentPorter's five forces — the industryFinancial analysis — the numbers in the caseStakeholders — who gains and loses

Target length (words)

Splits the analysis into a word target for each section.

Your case analysis outline

10 parts still to write

Case Analysis Outline

Situation, problem, analysis, alternatives, recommendation, implementation

Word Budget

Tip: A planning convention, not a standard. If your instructor gives a template or page limit, follow that and use these shares only to balance the length.

Section	Share
Situation and Key Facts	10%
Problem Statement	8%
Analysis	30%
Alternatives	22%
Recommendation	15%
Implementation and Risks	15%
Total	100%

Situation and Key Facts

Tip: About 10% of the analysis. Give only the facts the reader needs to follow your argument. Do not retell the whole case.

To write: Name the decision maker and organization, and state the decision to be made.

To write: List the five to ten facts from the case that matter most — with numbers where the case gives them.

Problem Statement

Tip: About 8% of the analysis. Separate the problem from its symptoms: falling sales may be a symptom, and the problem is why.

To write: What is the underlying problem? What are the symptoms, and what causes them?

Analysis

Tip: About 30% of the analysis. Use the frameworks to find causes, then tie every finding back to the problem. Analysis that does not change the decision does not belong.

SWOT

To write: Which strengths and weaknesses of the organization, and which outside opportunities and threats, bear on this decision? Rank them.

Financial analysis

To write: What do the case's figures show — growth, margins, cash, break-even? Show the calculation behind each number you use.

Alternatives

Tip: About 22% of the analysis. Offer at least two realistic options and judge them against the same criteria.

To write: List the realistic options the decision maker has, including doing nothing if it is a real option.

Recommendation

Tip: About 15% of the analysis. Choose one alternative, say why it beats the others, and say what you give up by choosing it.

To write: Which alternative do you recommend, and why does it beat the others on your criteria?

Implementation and Risks

Tip: About 15% of the analysis. A recommendation without a plan is a wish. Say who does what, by when, and how you will know it worked.

Action	Who	When	How you will know it worked

To write: List the first actions, who owns each, and when. Fill the table, then summarize it here.

To write: What could go wrong, how likely is it, and what is the fallback?

To write: What will you measure to know within a few months that the decision is working?

Before You Submit

The problem is stated as a cause, not a symptom
Every analysis point connects to the problem or the decision
The alternatives are different from each other and judged on the same criteria
The recommendation names one alternative and what it gives up
Every figure from the case is quoted correctly and every outside source is cited

How to Use the Case Study Analysis Generator

1. State the decision. Name who has to decide, and write the decision as a question: “Should Brightside open a second café or sell online instead?” Everything in the analysis should help answer it.
2. Add facts, the problem, and your alternatives. List the facts that matter, write the underlying problem in your own words, and list the options one per line, with the criteria you will judge them by.
3. Choose frameworks and a length. Tick the frameworks you plan to use — SWOT, PESTLE, five forces, financial analysis, stakeholders — and enter your word limit to get a target for each section.
4. Write into the outline. Copy it into your document, download it as text or Markdown, or print it. Fill the scoring table, then replace each prompt with your own analysis.

The Sequence of a Case Analysis

There is no single official format for a case analysis, and instructors often supply their own template — if yours does, follow it. Most business courses teach the same sequence: understand the situation, identify the problem, analyze it, generate and compare alternatives, recommend one, and plan how to carry it out. The outline follows that order.

Section	Job	Share of words
Situation and key facts	Give the reader only the facts the argument needs	10%
Problem statement	Separate the underlying problem from its symptoms	8%
Analysis	Use frameworks to find causes, tied to the decision	30%
Alternatives	Compare realistic options on the same criteria	22%
Recommendation	Choose one, defend it, and say what it gives up	15%
Implementation and risks	Who does what, by when, and how you will know	15%

The shares are a planning convention, not a standard. They put the most weight on the analysis, which is where marks are usually earned.

Worked example: 2,000 words

For a 2,000-word analysis the shares give 200 words for the situation, 160 for the problem, 600 for the analysis, 440 for the alternatives, 300 for the recommendation, and 300 for implementation — the same numbers the tool prints when you enter 2000. In the example loaded in the tool, a small coffee roaster must choose between a second café, online sales, growing wholesale, or doing nothing, and the table compares those four on cost, speed to first revenue, fit with the brand, and risk. The scenario is invented for illustration.

Choosing Frameworks

A framework is a way of asking questions, not a way of filling space. Use only those that bear on the decision: a SWOT analysis for the organization's position, a PESTLE analysis for the outside environment, Porter's five forces for the industry, and the case's own numbers for financial analysis. Each should end in a finding that changes how you judge the alternatives.

Common Case Analysis Mistakes

Retelling the case. The reader has read it. Use facts as evidence, not as a plot summary.
Mistaking the symptom for the problem. “Sales fell” is a symptom. The problem is why: a competitor, a pricing error, a shift in customers.
Fake alternatives. Options that are obviously worse exist only to make your pick look good. Each alternative should be one the decision maker might really choose.
Frameworks without findings. A SWOT grid that does not change the recommendation is padding.
No implementation. A recommendation needs an owner, a date, a measure, and a fallback.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I write a case study analysis?: Read the case more than once, identify the decision and the underlying problem, analyze the situation with a few relevant frameworks, set out realistic alternatives and judge them against stated criteria, recommend one, and say how it would be carried out. Support every claim with a fact from the case or a cited source.
What is the difference between the problem and its symptoms?: Symptoms are what the case shows going wrong — falling sales, high turnover. The problem is the cause behind them. Naming the cause matters because your alternatives should address it; an option that treats only a symptom will look weak against the criteria.
How many alternatives should I compare?: Usually two to four. Fewer than two is not a choice, and more than four makes each comparison thin. Doing nothing is worth including only if it is a real option for the decision maker.
Is there a standard Harvard Business School case format?: No single format is published as official, and instructors vary. The sequence this tool uses — situation, problem, analysis, alternatives, recommendation, implementation — is a common way courses teach the case method, so check your instructor's template first.
How long should a case analysis be?: Follow the assignment. Course case write-ups are often a few pages to a few thousand words. Enter your limit and the tool splits it across the sections, with the most words on the analysis.
How do I cite the case itself?: Cite it the way your style guide cites the kind of source it is, usually with the authors, year, title, case number if there is one, and the publisher. Cite any outside data you use separately. Check the business citation guide for examples.
Does the generator write my analysis?: No. It organizes your own facts, alternatives, and criteria into a standard structure, with prompts where your reasoning belongs. Nothing is generated by AI, and it runs in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded.

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