Pyramid Principle

Apply structured thinking and MECE principle to break down complex problems. Use at the start of any strategic analysis to organize thoughts and create compe...

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only skill that documents the Pyramid Principle framework and requests no credentials, binaries, or installs — its behavior matches its description.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description (Pyramid Principle, MECE structured thinking) match the SKILL.md content: instructions for structuring arguments and producing a Pyramid-style analysis. Nothing requested (no env vars, binaries, or config paths) is extraneous to that purpose.

Instruction Scope

The SKILL.md confines the agent to crafting structured analyses: define situation, complication, question, answer, supporting arguments, evidence, and MECE checks. It does not instruct the agent to read files, access environment variables, call external services, or exfiltrate data.

Install Mechanism

There is no install specification and no code files — the skill is purely instruction text. That minimizes on-disk or network risk and is proportionate for a conceptual/formatting helper.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, credentials, or config paths. There are no opaque secret names or unrelated credentials in the manifest — access level is minimal and appropriate.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and there are no install hooks or self-modifying instructions. disable-model-invocation is false by default (normal for skills); this is not concerning here because the skill requires no sensitive access and is instruction-only.

Assessment

This skill is instruction-only and internally consistent with its stated purpose; it asks for nothing sensitive and performs no installs. The only minor caution: the skill's source/homepage is not provided, so if provenance matters to you, consider requesting the publisher identity or preferring a documented source. If the skill later adds code, installs, or requests environment variables, re-evaluate before enabling.

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

Split Type	Application
What/Why/How	Strategy development
Revenue/Cost/Volume	Financial analysis
Customer/Competitor/Company	Market analysis
People/Process/Technology	Operations
Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats	Strategic assessment

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.