One-line distinction
- Issue tree: helps you find the answer.
- Minto Pyramid: helps you communicate the answer.
Minto Pyramid
- State the governing answer.
- Give two to four supporting reasons.
- Put evidence beneath the reason it supports.
- Keep items at the same level logically comparable.
- Order the reasons by importance, process, time, or another clear logic.
SCQA setup
- Situation: What stable context does the reader already understand?
- Complication: What changed or created a problem?
- Question: What decision now needs an answer?
- Answer: What should happen?
Issue tree
- Write the decision as one question.
- Break it into two to four major questions.
- Check overlap and missing possibilities.
- Prioritize the branch that most affects the decision.
- Convert major branches into workstreams.
Workstream fields
- Question
- Owner
- Evidence
- Output
- Deadline
- Decision affected
Final synthesis
Recommendation: one sentence.
Reasons: two or three.
Evidence: the strongest fact under each reason.
Risk: the fact most likely to reverse the answer.
Next step: owner, action, and timing.