Scenario Bank — The Five Cases
Module 4, Unit 1 | Case study selection
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Understand how the five case scenarios are structured and why they are equivalent in challenge (K22)
- Read an assigned case for operational evidence, stakeholder tension, data constraints and human impact (S23)
- Use the scenario brief to prepare for workflow mapping, problem diagnosis and team planning (K22, S23)
How to use this page. Your facilitator will assign groups and scenarios using learner project or workplace context where possible. The five prepared cases are equivalent in difficulty, so every group is working with the same analytical challenge even when the sector differs.
Five Organisations, One Problem Shape
Each case is set in a UK-based mid-size organisation. Every scenario gives you:
- an organisation snapshot and business context
- two process descriptions with pain points
- stakeholder voices that do not all agree
- proposals already on the table
- data realities and constraints
Facilitator note. Assign groups before Session 1 where possible. Use the five scenarios as the default set, but match them deliberately to learner interests, sectors or project themes if that will improve engagement.
Your job is not to find the flashiest AI idea. Your job is to diagnose the real bottleneck, decide whether AI or automation is viable, and make a credible recommendation that a leadership team could act on.
The Five Cases
Healthcare
Meadowbrook Primary Care Network
Six GP surgeries, 78,000 patients, and a leadership team being pulled in three directions.
Marketing
Brightline Agency
A 64-person Manchester marketing agency promising '20% productivity' to its CEO by year-end.
Hospitality
Cobbler's Rest Hotels
A family-owned hotel group in the Lakes and Dales — 7 properties, 480 staff, and a generational tension at the top.
Finance and Accounting
Halford & Greene LLP
A Bristol-based accountancy practice growing through acquisition and chasing receipts from 1,400 SMEs.
Construction
Caldwell & Sons (Construction) Ltd
A Leeds-based, third-generation construction firm carrying recent trauma into a tech decision.
Reading the Case Well
Read your assigned case twice. First, read for the operational facts: process steps, delays, costs, risks and constraints. Then read for human impact: whose work changes, whose voice is loud, whose voice is missing, and where the organisation may be tempted into the wrong decision.
Did you know?
Case-based learning is deliberately uncomfortable because there is rarely one perfect answer. The point is to practise professional judgement: weighing evidence, uncertainty, stakeholder pressure and human impact before making a recommendation.
KSB evidence focus
- K22: Collaborative working principles to explore AI and automation solutions and implement prototypes, pilots or proof of concepts.
- S23: Work with others to achieve agreed outcomes or outputs. Provide evidence-based analysis and insight to leaders on the likely human impacts of automation projects.