For consultants with findings to present
Pyramid Principle and SCQA Template
A pyramid principle template for client decks and reports: your answer in one sentence, an SCQA opening, key points with sourced evidence, and a slide-by-slide outline.
Pyramid principle template
What goes in each part of the pyramid
Seven parts, in the order the template sets them out. Each row shows what the part does, a weak version and a strong one.
| Part | What it does | Weak | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governing thought | Tells the reader what to do or believe, and why, in one sentence | "Margin review: findings and options" | "Three moves can lift margin back above 6% by the end of next year: reprice the chain accounts, buy centrally again and merge two depots." |
| Situation | Says what the reader already knows and accepts, with no news yet | "The food distribution market is changing fast." | "For three years the company has grown sales about 9% a year, mostly by winning restaurant chains, while holding operating margin near 6%." |
| Complication | Says what changed, with the number that shows it, and why it matters now | "Profitability has come under some pressure." | "In the 12 months to June, margin fell to 4.2% even though sales kept growing. At that level, profit no longer covers the warehouse upgrade the board approved in March." |
| Question | Asks the one question the complication raises, which your answer must settle | "What is going on in our market?" | "How do we get margin back above 6%, and how fast?" |
| Key line | Three to five full sentences that prove the answer without overlapping | "Supplier purchasing" | "Buying centrally again recovers about 0.5 points in supplier rebates." |
| Evidence | Two to four facts under each point, each with its source | "Suppliers seem open to better terms." | "Two of those suppliers confirmed that combined orders would return us to the top tier. (Source: calls with suppliers, May)" |
| Action title | States one slide's conclusion in two lines or fewer | "Depot cost analysis" | "Those two depots cost 40% more per delivery than the other four" |
The weak versions were written for this page. The strong ones come from the template's worked example, which continues the invented distributor from the issue tree examples, and every figure is made up.
How it works
What is the pyramid principle, and how do you build one?
The pyramid principle is Barbara Minto's method for structuring a report or deck: your answer first, then the points that prove it, then the evidence under each. Her own site1 says your thinking "will be easy for a reader to grasp if you present the ideas organized as a pyramid under a single point." That point, your governing thought, must answer the question in the reader's mind. Minto teaches her Situation, Complication, Question framework for finding that question, and your answer completes the SCQA opening.
Once you know the question, sort your findings into groups that each support one conclusion, and write that conclusion as a full sentence. In a McKinsey alumni profile2, Minto says you can't derive an idea from a group unless its ideas are "logically the same, and in logical order." Your key line, the level just under the answer, should hold three to five points that are MECE: no overlaps and no gaps.
Before you build a slide, test the pyramid. Umbrex, a consultant network founded by McKinsey alumni, gives a test for each group3: does it add up to one "so what?" that is essentially the point above it? Then outline the deck: one slide per key point and per main piece of evidence, each with an action title that states its conclusion. Mats Stigzelius, an ex-McKinsey consultant whose company Slideworks sells slide templates, says the titles alone should show your conclusions and how you reached them4.
How it works
How to use the pyramid principle template
Download it or open it in River
Download both Word documents free, or click Edit with AI to open the template in River, with the worked example beside it.
Add your findings first
Optional: paste your notes in the box at the top before you click Edit with AI, and River drafts a first pyramid and slide outline.
Test the key line
Run the six checks on your key points, give each two to four sourced facts, and settle the To confirm list.
Outline the deck
Read the action titles alone, in order, to hear the argument. Then ask River to tighten them or write the executive summary.
Three moves can lift margin back above 6% by the end of next year
Governing thought, key line and evidence
- 1Repricing 20 chain accounts recovers about 0.9 pointsDiscounts rose from 8% to 13%; 14 of 20 contracts renew within nine months
- 2Buying centrally again recovers about 0.5 pointsRebates fell from $2.3M to $1.2M once each depot bought on its own
- 3Merging the two smallest depots saves about 0.6 pointsTheir cost per delivery runs 40% above the other four depots
- AskThree decisions needed today to start next quarterRepricing rules, central buying, and consultation at two depots
What you'll get
Governing thought, SCQA, key points and a slide outline
- Your answer in one sentence, opened with SCQA
- Three to five key points, checked for overlaps and gaps
- A slide outline with an action title on every slide
Before and after
Your findings in. A storyline out.
Week 6 notes: margin down from 6.1% to 4.2% in the year to June. Chain discounts up from 8% to 13% since the competitor came in. Rebates down $1.1M since depots buy separately. Two small depots cost 40% more per drop.
Governing thought: Chain discounts, lost rebates and two costly depots pulled margin down from 6.1% to 4.2%. Complication: Margin fell from 6.1% to 4.2% in the year to June. (Source: your notes) Key point 1: Deeper discounts to chain accounts have cut margin since a competitor arrived. · Discounts rose from 8% to 13% since a competitor came in. (Source: your notes) Needs more evidence. Slide 4 title: Discounts to chain accounts rose from 8% to 13% after a competitor arrived. To confirm: how much margin each cause cost.
Every fact shows where it came from in your notes. Points with thin evidence are flagged, and anything the notes don't prove goes on the to-confirm list.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the pyramid principle template
- The governing thought
Your whole answer in one sentence, ideally 25 words or fewer, so a reader who stops there has it. - The introduction (SCQA)
Situation, complication, question and answer, each under its own heading with a line on what goes there. - The key line
Three to five points, with six checks: full sentences, no overlaps, no gaps, same kind, logical order, adds up. - Supporting evidence
Two to four sourced facts under each point, plus a list of what to confirm before the client sees it. - Slide-by-slide outline
A table of action titles, each with the point it supports, what the slide shows and its source. - Pyramid Principle Example
A second document: an invented distributor's pyramid, from SCQA to an 11-slide outline, with notes on why it works.
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is the pyramid principle?
The pyramid principle is a way to structure a report or presentation so the reader gets your answer first. One governing thought sits at the top, the points that prove it sit below, and the evidence sits under each point. Barbara Minto worked it out while editing consultants' reports at McKinsey2 and set it out in her textbook, The Minto Pyramid Principle.
What is the SCQA framework?
SCQA is the four-part opening of a pyramid-style document: situation, complication, question and answer. In the template's example, the situation is steady sales growth with margin near 6%. The complication is that margin fell to 4.2%, and the question is how to get it back above 6%. The answer repeats your governing thought. Minto teaches the first three as her SCQ framework1.
What is a governing thought?
A governing thought is the single sentence at the top of the pyramid that answers the reader's question; every other point supports it. Umbrex, a consultant network founded by McKinsey alumni, asks for declarative sentences, not topics3: "expansion" is a topic, but "We need to expand into the European market" makes a claim. The governing thought also heads your executive summary.
How many key points should a pyramid have?
Aim for three to five key points under the governing thought. If you have more, some are probably evidence for others, or two belong under one broader point, so regroup them. Then check that the governing thought says what the points add up to. Minto's course page5 puts it bluntly: "There are three reasons" is not an appropriate insight.
Is this pyramid principle template free?
Yes. Download both Word documents, the fill-in template and the worked example, free with no account or signup. Edit with AI opens the same template in a River workspace, free to start, where you can fill it in yourself or paste your findings for a first draft. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
What does Edit with AI do?
Edit with AI opens the template and worked example in a free River workspace. Paste your findings at the top before you click, and River drafts a first pyramid and slide outline from them, not finished slides. Each piece of evidence says where in your notes it came from, numbers stay exactly as given, and anything unproven goes on a To confirm list.
Is this the official Minto template?
No. River is not affiliated with Barbara Minto or Minto Books International. The pyramid principle and the SCQ framework are hers. Her site1 says the 1996 textbook, The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking and Problem Solving, supersedes her earlier Pyramid Principle book. McKinsey's profile of her notes the older book is the version most often sold online2.
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