Ratings slide at the stove

A root cause analysis question from a product manager interview, set at Thaali, a fictional food delivery company.

The question

Skills this case tests

A starting metric tree

Average rating = sum of (number of ratings × average score) per segment ÷ total ratings; split by time slot, area and order type

How to approach this case

Begin by pinning down the metric. Which rating is it, how is it averaged, and did the number of ratings change as well as the score? An average can move because different people are rating, not only because the same people rate lower. Orders are flat and restaurant partners are angry, so check whether restaurants actually changed anything: prep time, cancellations, prices. Then segment by time of day, area, cuisine and order type to find where the drop sits. Ask what changed in the app and in delivery operations around the start of the drop, and use another city or time slot as a comparison. Read what the low reviews say. A strong close sizes the cost to restaurants and to repeat orders, weighs it against any saving, and says what you would tell restaurant partners.

The full method for root cause analysis questions · A worked example answer

After the mock interview you get scores on five skills, what to fix with quotes from your answers, and the ideal path for this case.