Marketing templates · 15-minute exercise

Case study interview and outline template for corporate training providers

Use this case study interview and outline worksheet to document a real engagement with evidence, permission and a clear account of what changed. It is written for corporate training providers and starts with an illustrative offer: a practical skills workshop with follow-up exercises. Replace the assumptions with evidence from your own business before using the result.

NEXT MBA EditorialPublished Example + editable working sheet
What you will work towards

Leave with a case study outline ready to populate with verified customer evidence.

Start with a real buying situation

For the worked example, the audience is a learning lead supporting a sales team. Their problem is that participants understand the concept but do not practise it at work. The desired practical outcome is observable practice of one job-relevant skill.

The example is deliberately bounded: participants have different experience levels and limited release time. That condition should influence the promise, scope and next step rather than disappear from the marketing copy.

Illustrative offera practical skills workshop with follow-up exercises
Buyer questionWhat should someone do differently on the job after the session?
Possible evidencea sample exercise, scoring rubric and follow-up manager checklist
Useful asseta training needs and transfer-to-work plan

How to complete your case study interview and outline

  1. Obtain permission for the specific material you plan to publish.
  2. Describe the original situation and constraints.
  3. Record the work performed and who contributed.
  4. Use verified results with definitions, dates and limitations.
  5. Explain what another buyer can learn without implying the same result is guaranteed.

Worked example

These entries are illustrative planning material, not research findings or customer results. Keep the structure and replace the content with verified details.

Permission and scope of disclosureObtain the customer’s permission for names, quotations, screenshots and figures. This worksheet contains no actual customer result.
Starting situationDocument the original problem and constraint: participants understand the concept but do not practise it at work; participants have different experience levels and limited release time. Replace these illustrative prompts with verified facts.
Actions and responsibilitiesDescribe the actual work. Reference a practical skills workshop with follow-up exercises only where it matches the agreed and delivered scope.
Verified result and measurementRecord completion and quality of the agreed practice task only if measured; include the baseline, period, source and what else changed.
Lessons and limitationsExplain what the case can teach a buyer. Attendance and satisfaction do not prove behaviour change. State limitations and avoid attributing all change to one intervention.

Review before using it

A useful operational measure in this example is completion and quality of the agreed practice task. That does not automatically make it a marketing attribution metric. Define the source, period and owner before drawing conclusions.

  • Can the customer verify the account, and are all numbers traceable?
  • Check the delivery assumptions: Specify preparation, delivery, follow-up, materials and usage rights.
  • Use evidence rather than promises. Attendance and satisfaction do not prove behaviour change.
  • Discuss the draft with someone who understands the buying situation. Start with: “What should someone do differently on the job after the session?”
  • If the next step is a trial, define its purpose. One possible starting point is to run one exercise with a small group and inspect the feedback.

Common mistakes and a better review

Do not fill a missing fact with an impressive-sounding number. Mark it as an assumption, explain how you will check it and give that check an owner. A short, honest document is easier to use than an elaborate plan built on unknowns.

Watch forDo not turn an illustrative example into a customer success story.
A real buyer concernOur team can watch free videos instead.
Useful response directionVideos may cover the information. Let us establish whether your team needs explanation, supervised practice or feedback on actual behaviour.
Evidence to collectThe buyer’s own account, a sample exercise, scoring rubric and follow-up manager checklist, and records relevant to completion and quality of the agreed practice task.

Your working sheet

Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.

Example: Obtain the customer’s permission for names, quotations, screenshots and figures. This worksheet contains no actual customer result.

Example: Document the original problem and constraint: participants understand the concept but do not practise it at work; participants have different experience levels and limited release time. Replace these illustrative prompts with verified facts.

Example: Describe the actual work. Reference a practical skills workshop with follow-up exercises only where it matches the agreed and delivered scope.

Example: Record completion and quality of the agreed practice task only if measured; include the baseline, period, source and what else changed.

Example: Explain what the case can teach a buyer. Attendance and satisfaction do not prove behaviour change. State limitations and avoid attributing all change to one intervention.

Review your work

Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.

Questions about this resource

How do I adapt this for my corporate training providers business?

Replace the audience, offer and evidence with your actual information. Begin with a recent buyer conversation about why participants understand the concept but do not practise it at work, then check which assumptions match your business.

Is the filled example ready to publish?

No. It is a working example. Verify claims, permissions, prices, current capabilities and any customer information before using it externally. Attendance and satisfaction do not prove behaviour change.

What should I do after completing the worksheet?

Use it to make one decision or have one focused conversation. The intended output is a case study outline ready to populate with verified customer evidence. Set a review date and update it when the evidence changes.

Illustrative business worksheet. No customer results, market rates, traffic volumes or performance benchmarks are implied. About these resources.