qwen3.6-35b-a3b on “A proposal to the chief executive”: worse with Minto on both measures

Structure 2 → 1 of 8 −1 Quality 9 → 8 of 10 −1

The judge on the output with Minto

Its action sequence is coherent, but the text assumes implementation without stating the approval conclusion.

Mode write · case 01-big-chief · run v1.7.0-final

Structure of 8, 2 points per axis
Structure	Without Minto 2	With Minto 1	Change
Top	1	0	−1
Key-line composition	0	0
Levels	0	0
Order and kind	1	1

Quality of 10, 2 points per axis
Quality	Without Minto 9	With Minto 8	Change
Top	1	0	−1
Same-kind grouping	2	2
Explainable order	2	2
MECE	2	2
Visible, proportionate structure	2	2

Outputs and the judge’s words are quoted as written, in English.

Without Minto With Minto

Without Minto

control prompt · blind label out-12

No hard failures

It is a polished workflow memo with no reason-level key line.

To: Robert Salton
From: John Jackson
Subject: Big Chief Monthly Electronic Settlement Process

Big Chief's request to replace individual ticket settlement with a monthly computer file and single payment can be accommodated through the following defined workflow:

1. File Data Requirements
The external file must include the parent number, outlet number, ticket number, ticket amount, and delivery date. If Big Chief cannot provide the parent or outlet numbers, Finance will supply these identifiers from the customer master file for inclusion in later submissions.

2. Submission and Reconciliation
Big Chief will develop an extraction program to generate a file compatible with our national-accounts cash-receipt system. Big Chief will transmit the file to Data Processing and deliver the cheque with a detailed listing to the lockbox. We will reconcile the file using prescribed procedures, ensuring the cheque total and file detail net to zero.

3. System Processing and Billing
Once balanced, the file will run through the national-accounts system to match ticket numbers against statement history and produce the relevant billing records.

With Minto

prompt with the skill · blind label out-13

No hard failures

Its action sequence is coherent, but the text assumes implementation without stating the approval conclusion.

MEMORANDUM

TO: Robert Salton
FROM: John Jackson
SUBJECT: Big Chief Monthly Settlement Implementation

Big Chief has requested to replace individual ticket settlements with a monthly computer file and a single prepaid payment. To implement this arrangement, we must define the data requirements, establish a submission and balancing workflow, and execute the automated billing cycle.

1. Data Preparation

The monthly file must contain the parent number, outlet number, ticket number, ticket amount, and delivery date.
If Big Chief cannot provide the parent and outlet numbers, we will supply these identifiers from the customer master file for inclusion in future submissions.

2. Submission and Balancing

Big Chief will develop an extraction program from its accounts-payable file to generate the file in the format accepted by our national-accounts cash-receipt system.
Big Chief will transmit the file to Data Processing and deliver the cheque, accompanied by a detailed listing, to the lockbox.
We will balance the file according to the prescribed procedure, ensuring the cheque total and file detail net to zero.

3. System Processing

Once the file is balanced, it will run through the national-accounts system.
The system will match ticket numbers against statement history and automatically produce the relevant billing records.

The judge

Recurring defect	without	with Minto
Feasibility or implementation replaces the acceptance decisionthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Core loop §1–2, reader question and provisional answer	present	present
Mechanics occupy the first level instead of grounded reasonsthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Core loop §4, Groups	present	present
Literal reader question is absentthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Core loop §1 and §3	present	present

Decisive questions

without Kind: mechanics; grounded elements: 3; top establishes accommodation, not acceptance; no inventions; workflow stages form the key line; reader question absent.
with Minto Kind: mechanics; grounded elements: 3; no acceptance answer; no material inventions; implementation stages form the key line; reader question absent.

Judge’s check	without	with Minto
Answer first	yes	no
First-level elements	3	3
First-level kind matches the gold	no	no
Invented facts	no	no
Source lost without a note	no	no
Mode respected	yes	yes
Reader’s question stated literally	no	no
Order type named	no	no
SCQ introduction present	yes	yes

How the test was built

qwen3.6-35b-a3b received the same task twice. The control prompt is one framing line and the task. The prompt with Minto is the same task preceded by the full text of the skill. The judge read both outputs among 16 under blind labels and did not know which one had the skill.

Prompt without Minto 2 147 B

You are working on a business document using the Minto Pyramid Principle.

<!-- Faithful paraphrase of Barbara Minto, The Minto Pyramid Principle
     (2010), Chapter 3, Exhibit 5 and the surrounding top-down analysis.
     The wording is original to this evaluation fixture. -->

# Fixture 01: Big Chief proposal

**Mode:** `write`
**Language:** `en`

## Context

The company supplies beverages. Drivers send delivery tickets to Finance; each
ticket identifies the customer, outlet, delivery, amount, and date. The tickets
feed the national-accounts settlement process.

Big Chief, a major multi-outlet customer, wants to replace individual ticket
settlement with a monthly computer file and one payment. Finance reviewed how
the proposed process would work and sent management the memo below.

## Before

```text
To: Robert Salton
From: John Jackson
Subject: Big Chief request

We reviewed Big Chief account 8306's request to submit delivery-ticket data
electronically and settle it through one prepaid monthly payment. Our findings
follow.

1. Any external account file must contain the parent number, outlet number,
   ticket number, ticket amount, and delivery date. If Big Chief cannot provide
   the first two identifiers, we can supply them from the customer master file
   for inclusion in later submissions.

2. Big Chief will build an extraction program for its accounts-payable file.
   The resulting file will use the format accepted by our national-accounts
   cash-receipt system. Big Chief will send the file to Data Processing and
   send its cheque, with a detailed listing, to the lockbox. We will balance
   the file under the prescribed procedure. The cheque total and file detail
   must net to zero.

3. Once balanced, the monthly file will run through the national-accounts
   system, match ticket numbers against statement history, and produce the
   relevant billing records.
```

## Task

Rewrite this as a short management memo using the Minto Pyramid Principle.
Do not invent benefits, savings, or operational facts that are absent from the
source.

Return only the result, with no explanation of how you produced it.

Prompt with Minto five parts, in order · 29 720 B

Below is a skill written as an instruction. Read it in full and apply it to the task at the end.
===== SKILL.md ===== SKILL.md at f4813ce 17 235 B
===== references/rules.md ===== references/rules.md at f4813ce 6 464 B
===== references/templates.md ===== references/templates.md at f4813ce 3 742 B
===== TASK ===== the whole case input
Return only the result, with no explanation of how you produced it.

Case input before.md

Fixture 01: Big Chief proposal

Mode: write
Language: en

Context

The company supplies beverages. Drivers send delivery tickets to Finance; each
ticket identifies the customer, outlet, delivery, amount, and date. The tickets
feed the national-accounts settlement process.

Big Chief, a major multi-outlet customer, wants to replace individual ticket
settlement with a monthly computer file and one payment. Finance reviewed how
the proposed process would work and sent management the memo below.

Before

To: Robert Salton
                From: John Jackson
                Subject: Big Chief request
                
                We reviewed Big Chief account 8306's request to submit delivery-ticket data
                electronically and settle it through one prepaid monthly payment. Our findings
                follow.
                
                1. Any external account file must contain the parent number, outlet number,
                   ticket number, ticket amount, and delivery date. If Big Chief cannot provide
                   the first two identifiers, we can supply them from the customer master file
                   for inclusion in later submissions.
                
                2. Big Chief will build an extraction program for its accounts-payable file.
                   The resulting file will use the format accepted by our national-accounts
                   cash-receipt system. Big Chief will send the file to Data Processing and
                   send its cheque, with a detailed listing, to the lockbox. We will balance
                   the file under the prescribed procedure. The cheque total and file detail
                   must net to zero.
                
                3. Once balanced, the monthly file will run through the national-accounts
                   system, match ticket numbers against statement history, and produce the
                   relevant billing records.

Task

Rewrite this as a short management memo using the Minto Pyramid Principle.
Do not invent benefits, savings, or operational facts that are absent from the
source.

The judge’s gold gold.md

Gold 01: Big Chief proposal

Source structure: Minto (2010), Chapter 3, Exhibits 4-6.

Expected structure

Element	Expected value
Reader question	Is Big Chief's proposal a good idea?
Top	Yes, the proposed process is workable and worth accepting, within the evidence available
Key-line kind	Reasons or reader benefits, not system mechanics
Order	Inductive reasons supporting one conclusion

The book illustrates three possible benefits: obtaining the required
information, increasing cash flow, and reducing clerical work. Only the first
is directly supported by this fixture. Literal reproduction of all three is
therefore not required and unsupported benefits count as inventions.

Strong outputs:

answer the management question before explaining the file mechanics;
use two to four same-kind reasons grounded in the supplied facts;
place field lists, file format, routing, balancing, and matching below those
reasons as evidence or implementation detail;
retain the literal reader question in the delivered memo.

Main defect in the source

The source explains how the proposed system would operate but never answers
whether management should accept it. A technically tidy list is still the wrong
key line if the reader is deciding whether to act.

Scoring notes

2 for key-line composition: every first-level point is a grounded benefit,
loss avoided, or reason for acceptance.
1: benefits and mechanics are mixed.
0: the first level is entirely fields, file handling, or balancing steps.

Do not reward unsupported claims about savings, speed, or cash flow.

Judge gpt-5.6-sol, effort high · skill from commit f4813ce · run v1.7.0-final