Claude Haiku 4.5 on “A memo on composing costs”: with Minto, worse on quality, structure unchanged

Structure 5 → 5 of 8 0 Quality 8 → 7 of 10 −1

The judge on the output with Minto

The compact SCQ-style opening is effective, but the literal question is absent and the claim of minimal risk is unsupported.

Mode write · case 02-ttv · run v1.7.0-final

Structure of 8, 2 points per axis
Structure	Without Minto 5	With Minto 5
Top	2	2
Key-line composition	1	1
Levels	0	0
Order and kind	2	2

Quality of 10, 2 points per axis
Quality	Without Minto 8	With Minto 7	Change
Top	2	2
Same-kind grouping	2	2
Explainable order	2	1	−1
MECE	0	0
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

unacknowledged_source_loss

The concise parallel initiatives are visibly presented, but the labor evidence and managerial disagreement are removed without a complete acknowledgment.

To:
From:
Subject: Reducing Composition Costs at TTW

Recommendation

TTW should pursue two parallel initiatives to reduce composition costs: (1) simplify quality-control procedures for simple titles, targeting ~10% cost savings, and (2) conduct a methods study to close the 20-50% productivity gap against industry benchmarks.

Process Simplification

All titles currently pass through identical quality-control stages regardless of complexity. Testing simplified procedures on selected simple titles will reveal whether fewer or differently-timed checks can reduce costs while maintaining quality and customer satisfaction.

Productivity Improvement

TTW's manual composition productivity trails the industry benchmark by 20-50%. A methods study can identify improvements to close this gap. Management is willing to undertake such an investigation.

Why These Initiatives Matter

Composition represents 40% of hardback and 50-55% of paperback production costs. TTW is uncompetitive on simple work, making these cost reductions urgent.

Omitted

Labor market constraints, hiring difficulties, and overtime issues (operational challenges but not addressed by these recommendations)
Proposed comparison with three other printers (provides context but unlikely to resolve cost questions)
Details of personnel interviews (established feasibility; not essential to the recommendation)

With Minto

prompt with the skill · blind label out-10

invented_facts
unacknowledged_source_loss

The compact SCQ-style opening is effective, but the literal question is absent and the claim of minimal risk is unsupported.

Subject: TTW composing costs — test simplification and methods study

Situation:
Composition accounts for 40–50% of product cost at TTW and makes it uncompetitive on simple work.

Complication:
Investigation confirms that TTW's composing productivity lags competitors by 20–50%. The department is under strain: below-market wages drive staff turnover, jobs run late, and overtime is 50% over budget. The union is pressing a new wage claim, adding to time pressure.

Answer:
Test simplified composition processes for simple titles, and conduct a methods study to close the productivity gap.

Why:

Test simplification for simple titles. Currently all titles—complex references and simple novels alike—pass through identical quality-control stages. Trials on selected simple jobs can measure whether fewer or differently timed checks preserve quality while reducing cost. Potential savings: roughly 10% of composing cost, with minimal risk.
Conduct a methods study. TTW's productivity trails competitors by 20–50%. This study will identify the sources of the gap and test which process changes close it.

What I need:
Approval to proceed. George Kennedy is ready to lead the simplification trials.

(Omitted: proposed comparison with three other printers—not essential to the recommendation.)

The judge

Recurring defect	without	with Minto
Process simplification and method/productivity change remain duplicate branchesthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Core loop §6, MECE duplication test	present	present
The wage action remains buried in observations or disappearsthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Core loop §§4 and 6, promotion of the real branch from observations	present	present
Staffing evidence is placed in context, attached to the methods branch, or omittedthe rule is there but buried · Core loop, vertical support and levels	present	present
The literal reader question is absentthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Core loop §§1 and 3	present	present
Unsupported certainty, causal claims, or implementation details are introducedthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Mode 3, “Invent nothing”	absent	present
Omitted source material is not fully acknowledgedthe skill has the rule; the model did not follow it · Mode 3, preservation and dropped-fact rule	present	present
No output names one of the prescribed order typesthe rule is there but buried · Core loop §5, obscured by Mode 3’s clean-text guidance	present	present

Decisive questions

Were process simplification and method/productivity change merged as one branch?
without No
with Minto No
Was raising wages promoted to the first level?
without No
with Minto No
How many first-level elements are actions?
without 2
with Minto 2
Are benchmark, process, staffing, delay, and overtime observations below the actions?
without No; the staffing chain is omitted
with Minto No; staffing is in the complication
Was irrelevant comparison/opinion material omitted with an explicit note?
without No
with Minto No
Is the reader's question stated literally?
without No
with Minto No

Judge’s check	without	with Minto
Answer first	yes	yes
First-level elements	2	2
First-level kind matches the gold	yes	yes
Invented facts	no	yes
Source lost without a note	yes	yes
Mode respected	yes	yes
Reader’s question stated literally	no	no
Order type named	no	no
SCQ introduction present	no	yes

How the test was built

Claude Haiku 4.5 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 14 under blind labels and did not know which one had the skill.

Prompt without Minto 2 516 B

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

<!-- Faithful paraphrase of Minto (2010), Chapter 3, the TTW composing-room
     memorandum before restructuring. Original wording for this fixture. -->

# Fixture 02: TTW composing costs

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

## Context

TTW is a printing company in Aylesbury. A junior consultant spent two weeks
examining composing-room costs. The engagement manager already knows that
composition accounts for roughly 40% of hardback cost and 50-55% of paperback
cost, that TTW is uncompetitive on simple work, and that TTW does not know
whether its composing costs are actually excessive.

## Before

```text
To:
From:
Subject: TTW

This note records the information gathered during the past two weeks.

Composition is the largest production cost. Industry comparisons suggest weak
productivity and high cost at TTW. Every title, whether a complex reference
book or a simple novel, passes through essentially the same quality-control
stages.

People in Aylesbury want to understand the causes. I spoke with Roy Walter,
Brian Thompson, and George Kennedy. Kennedy is willing to test whether some
stages can be removed and why measured productivity trails the benchmark.

The department is overloaded. Manual composition is especially short of
capacity. TTW pays below local market rates, struggles to hire and retain
compositors, has just lost two employees, and now runs most jobs late.
Overtime is more than 50% over budget, while the union is pressing a new claim.

Conclusions

1. Costs may be reduced by:
   a. simplifying the process for inexpensive titles;
   b. increasing productivity by changing the composing method.

2. To simplify the process, TTW should test selected jobs and measure the
   effect of fewer or differently timed checks on quality and customers. The
   saving might reach 10% of total composing cost. A separate methods study
   could identify further productivity improvements because TTW trails the
   benchmark by 20-50%.

3. Comparisons with three other printers might provide useful context, although
   I doubt a simple comparison will settle the issue.

4. Managers disagree about whether costs are high, but all are willing to
   investigate.
```

## Task

Rewrite the report using the Minto Pyramid Principle. Keep the useful facts,
remove or demote material that does not support the recommendation, and state
what was omitted.

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

Prompt with Minto five parts, in order · 30 089 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 02: TTW composing costs

Mode: write
Language: en

Context

TTW is a printing company in Aylesbury. A junior consultant spent two weeks
examining composing-room costs. The engagement manager already knows that
composition accounts for roughly 40% of hardback cost and 50-55% of paperback
cost, that TTW is uncompetitive on simple work, and that TTW does not know
whether its composing costs are actually excessive.

Before

To:
                From:
                Subject: TTW
                
                This note records the information gathered during the past two weeks.
                
                Composition is the largest production cost. Industry comparisons suggest weak
                productivity and high cost at TTW. Every title, whether a complex reference
                book or a simple novel, passes through essentially the same quality-control
                stages.
                
                People in Aylesbury want to understand the causes. I spoke with Roy Walter,
                Brian Thompson, and George Kennedy. Kennedy is willing to test whether some
                stages can be removed and why measured productivity trails the benchmark.
                
                The department is overloaded. Manual composition is especially short of
                capacity. TTW pays below local market rates, struggles to hire and retain
                compositors, has just lost two employees, and now runs most jobs late.
                Overtime is more than 50% over budget, while the union is pressing a new claim.
                
                Conclusions
                
                1. Costs may be reduced by:
                   a. simplifying the process for inexpensive titles;
                   b. increasing productivity by changing the composing method.
                
                2. To simplify the process, TTW should test selected jobs and measure the
                   effect of fewer or differently timed checks on quality and customers. The
                   saving might reach 10% of total composing cost. A separate methods study
                   could identify further productivity improvements because TTW trails the
                   benchmark by 20-50%.
                
                3. Comparisons with three other printers might provide useful context, although
                   I doubt a simple comparison will settle the issue.
                
                4. Managers disagree about whether costs are high, but all are willing to
                   investigate.

Task

Rewrite the report using the Minto Pyramid Principle. Keep the useful facts,
remove or demote material that does not support the recommendation, and state
what was omitted.

The judge’s gold gold.md

Gold 02: TTW composing costs

Source structure: Minto (2010), Chapter 3, TTW analysis and rewritten memo.

Expected structure

Element	Expected value
Reader question	How can TTW reduce composing cost?
Top	TTW can reduce composing cost substantially
Key-line kind	Actions
Order	Two independent changes, each followed by its causal support

Key line

Eliminate unnecessary stages from the composing process for simple work.
Raise wages to competitive levels.

The source's "simplify the process" and "increase productivity by changing the
method" are overlapping descriptions of the same process intervention. They
must not survive as two separate first-level branches. The missing second
branch is embedded in the observations: low wages cause vacancies, delays, and
overtime cost.

Levels

Under eliminating stages: every job follows the same process; TTW trails the
benchmark by 20-50%; run a controlled experiment; potential saving up to 10%.

Under raising wages: below-market pay; hiring and retention difficulty; two
departures; understaffing; late work; overtime more than 50% over budget; union
pressure.

Names, conflicting opinions, and generic competitor comparisons do not answer
the reader's question. They may be omitted with one explicit note.

Judge gpt-5.6-sol, effort high · Claude Haiku 4.5, effort low · skill from commit f4813ce · run v1.7.0-final