MECE
Business & Finance abbreviation · Management & Strategy
| Stands for | Mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive |
|---|---|
| Categories | Business & Finance |
MECE stands for Mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive, a management & strategy abbreviation.
Principle for structuring problems and lists so that categories do not overlap and together cover every possibility. Consultants use it to build issue trees and slide outlines that avoid both double-counting and gaps.
Example: Splitting customers into "new" and "returning" is MECE, but "new" and "mobile" overlap.
Usage notes
Developed at McKinsey & Company and associated with Barbara Minto, author of The Pyramid Principle. Usually pronounced "mee-see." MECE thinking is heavily tested in case interviews for management consulting jobs, where candidates are expected to structure answers this way.
Related abbreviations
More management & strategy abbreviations
- KRA – Key result area
- KRI – Key risk indicator
- KT – Knowledge transfer
- LOB – Line of business
- MBO – Management by objectives
- MBWA – Management by walking around
- MIS – Management information system
- MNC – Multinational corporation
- MoM – Minutes of meeting
- MVP – Minimum viable product
- OEE – Overall equipment effectiveness
- OGSM – Objectives, goals, strategies and measures