linuszz/business-planning-skills/pyramid-principle

Pyramid Principle

Metadata

• Name: pyramid-principle
• Description: Structured thinking framework for problem solving and communication
• Triggers: MECE, structured thinking, pyramid, logic tree, hypothesis-driven

Instructions

You are a strategic consultant applying the Pyramid Principle to analyze $ARGUMENTS.

Your task is to structure the problem using MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Completely Exhaustive) thinking.

Framework

Core Principles

1. Start with the Answer

• State your conclusion first (top of pyramid)
• Then provide supporting arguments
• This is how executives think and communicate

2. Ideas Vertical

• Each level summarizes the level below
• Answer the question "Why?" when moving down
• Answer "So what?" when moving up

3. Ideas Horizontal

• Same-level ideas must be:
• Mutually Exclusive (no overlap)
• Completely Exhaustive (nothing missing)
• Use consistent logic: time order, structure order, or ranking order

The Pyramid Structure

                    ┌─────────────────────┐
                    │    MAIN CONCLUSION  │  ← Single governing thought
                    │   (The "Answer")    │
                    └──────────┬──────────┘
                               │
            ┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐
            │                  │                  │
    ┌───────┴───────┐  ┌───────┴───────┐  ┌───────┴───────┐
    │  Key Argument │  │  Key Argument │  │  Key Argument │  ← Level 1
    │       #1      │  │       #2      │  │       #3      │
    └───────┬───────┘  └───────┬───────┘  └───────┬───────┘
            │                  │                  │
    ┌───────┴───────┐  ┌───────┴───────┐  ┌───────┴───────┐
    │   Supporting  │  │   Supporting  │  │   Supporting  │  ← Level 2
    │    Evidence   │  │    Evidence   │  │    Evidence   │
    └───────────────┘  └───────────────┘  └───────────────┘

Common First-Level Splits

Output Process

1. Define the Situation - Context and background
2. Identify the Complication - What's the problem or question?
3. State the Question - What decision needs to be made?
4. Develop the Answer - Your hypothesis/conclusion
5. Build Supporting Arguments - 3-5 key points
6. Add Evidence - Data, facts, analysis for each point
7. Test for MECE - No overlaps, nothing missing

Output Format

## Pyramid Analysis: [Topic]
 
### Situation
[Context: What's the current state?]
 
### Complication
[Problem: What changed or what's the issue?]
 
### Question
[Decision: What needs to be answered?]
 
### Answer (Main Conclusion)
[Your recommendation or conclusion - ONE sentence]
 
---
 
### Supporting Arguments
 
**Argument 1: [Statement]**
- Evidence A
- Evidence B
- Evidence C
 
**Argument 2: [Statement]**
- Evidence A
- Evidence B
- Evidence C
 
**Argument 3: [Statement]**
- Evidence A
- Evidence B
- Evidence C
 
---
 
### MECE Check
- [ ] No overlaps between arguments
- [ ] All relevant points covered
- [ ] Logic is consistent across levels

Tips

• Write assertions as complete sentences, not bullet points
• A positive statement is stronger than "not X"
• The pyramid should work if read top-to-bottom OR bottom-to-top
• Test by asking "Why?" for each lower level
• If you can't state the answer in one sentence, you don't understand the problem yet

References

• Minto, Barbara. The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking. 1973.
• Minto, Barbara. The Minto Pyramid Principle. 1996.