Data to Decisions

SCQA (Situation → Complication → Question → Answer) is your opening move. It earns the audience's attention by voicing the tension they already feel before you give them your answer. Use it to open a deck or briefing.

ABT (And → But → Therefore) is the narrative spine — three words that encode the full logic of any argument. Randy Olson's insight is that most bad writing is just "And…And…And" with no real conflict. If your But is weak, the Therefore won't land.

Pyramid Principle is the structural layer — once you have your answer (from SCQA or ABT), you use the pyramid to arrange your supporting arguments so a busy reader can self-select how deep to go. The MECE test keeps the logic tight.