scqa-pyramid

Structures a recommendation, set of findings, or decision (Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle) so the reader gets the answer first and the rest of the document defends it. The output is an SCQA introduction that frames the reader's real question, and a pyramid of supporting arguments beneath the answer, each level summarizing the level below it.

SCQA in full, the pyramid rules, deductive versus inductive grouping, and the pitfalls live in references/pyramid.md. Load that file before structuring.

When to use

The user has something to say and needs to say it in an order the reader can follow: an executive summary, a one-pager, a recommendation email, a deck storyline. It pairs downstream of the analysis skills, this is the step where the result of the thinking becomes a message. Define the problem, decompose and analyze it, then structure the answer for the reader. It shares its Minto lineage with mece-decomposition: the key line of a pyramid must itself be MECE. If the user only needs a quick note, this is heavier than necessary; reach for it when the order of ideas decides whether the point lands.

Language

Run the session and write the output in the language the user is writing in. The reference file is English; keep the framework keyed to it regardless of output language.

Inputs

• MESSAGE (required): the recommendation, findings, or decision to communicate, plus the supporting material (the analysis, data, or reasons behind it).
• AUDIENCE (optional): who reads it and what they already know and care about. This shapes the SCQA, since the framing turns on the reader's existing question, so ask if it is unclear.
• FORMAT (optional): the vehicle, an exec summary, one-pager, email, or deck storyline. Affects length and how the pyramid is flattened into prose, not the structure itself.