Claude Opus 5 on “A memo on composing costs”: better with Minto on both measures

Structure 4 → 7 of 8 +3 Quality 6 → 8 of 10 +2

The judge on the output with Minto

This is the only output to promote pay and capacity to an action with its causal evidence beneath it, although it still leaves simplification and method change as overlapping branches.

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

Structure of 8, 2 points per axis
Structure	Without Minto 4	With Minto 7	Change
Top	2	2
Key-line composition	1	1
Levels	0	2	+2
Order and kind	1	2	+1

Quality of 10, 2 points per axis
Quality	Without Minto 6	With Minto 8	Change
Top	2	2
Same-kind grouping	1	2	+1
Explainable order	1	1
MECE	0	1	+1
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-03

invented_facts

Staffing is promoted as a separate “why now” section, and the printer-mix rationale for rejecting comparison is invented.

To: Engagement Manager
From: [Consultant]
Subject: Reducing TTW composing-room costs

TTW can cut composing costs by an estimated 10% or more, and should authorise two tests to confirm it. Composition is the largest single production cost, and two independent levers are available: simplifying the process for inexpensive titles, and raising productivity by changing the composing method. Management disagrees about whether costs are high, but all parties are willing to investigate.

1. Simplify quality control on inexpensive titles

Every title passes through essentially the same quality-control stages, whether it is a complex reference book or a simple novel. TTW is uncompetitive on simple work, which suggests the stages are heavier than cheap titles require.

Recommended test: run selected jobs with fewer or differently timed checks and measure the effect on quality and on customers. George Kennedy has agreed to run this test. Potential saving: up to 10% of total composing cost.

2. Change the composing method to raise productivity

Industry comparisons put TTW 20–50% behind the benchmark on measured productivity.

Recommended test: a separate methods study to identify why productivity trails and which changes would close the gap.

3. Why the tests are necessary now

The department is overloaded, and manual composition is especially short of capacity. TTW pays below local market rates, cannot reliably hire or retain compositors, has just lost two employees, and now runs most jobs late. Overtime is more than 50% over budget while the union presses a new claim. Cost relief will not come from working the existing process harder.

What I have omitted, and why

Benchmarking against three other printers. Feasible, but a simple cost comparison will not settle whether TTW's costs are excessive, because the mix of complex and simple titles differs by printer. Not recommended as a next step.
The interview record (Roy Walter, Brian Thompson, George Kennedy) and the narrative of the two weeks' work. Available on request; only Kennedy's commitment to test bears on the recommendation.
The 40% hardback / 50–55% paperback cost shares. Already known to you; retained only as the basis for treating composition as the priority.

With Minto

prompt with the skill · blind label out-14

No hard failures

This is the only output to promote pay and capacity to an action with its causal evidence beneath it, although it still leaves simplification and method change as overlapping branches.

To: Engagement manager
From: [consultant]
Subject: Two studies will show how much of TTW's composing cost can be removed

You asked what the first two weeks of work on composing-room costs support. The evidence points to savings, but not yet to their size: TTW's own managers disagree about whether its costs are high, and the department is now losing capacity fast enough that any delay costs money. TTW should start two studies immediately and treat the staffing gap as a third, parallel action — a comparison with other printers should not be part of the programme.

1. Trial simplified quality control on inexpensive titles — up to 10% of total composing cost.
Every title today passes through essentially the same quality-control stages, whether it is a complex reference book or a simple novel, and simple work is exactly where TTW is uncompetitive. George Kennedy is willing to run the test on selected jobs, measuring the effect of fewer or differently timed checks on quality and on customers.

2. Commission a methods study of the composing operation — the productivity gap is 20–50%.
Industry comparisons place TTW that far behind the benchmark, so changing the composing method is the second route to lower unit cost. Kennedy has also agreed to examine why measured productivity trails the benchmark, which gives the study its starting point.

3. Close the capacity and pay gap in parallel, or the savings will not be realised.
The department is overloaded and manual composition is short of capacity outright. TTW pays below local market rates, cannot hire or retain compositors, has just lost two employees, and now runs most jobs late. Overtime stands more than 50% over budget while the union is pressing a new claim — so the current cost base is inflated by conditions the two studies cannot touch.

What I need: your agreement to the two studies and to naming an owner for the staffing question this week.

Omitted: the proposed comparison with three other printers — a simple comparison will not settle whether TTW's costs are excessive, and the two studies answer that question directly. Also dropped: the list of managers interviewed, and the observation that they disagree about cost levels, which is a reason to measure rather than an action; both are available in the working notes.

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	absent
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	absent
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”	present	absent
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 Yes, as a capacity-and-pay action
How many first-level elements are actions?
without 2
with Minto 3
Are benchmark, process, staffing, delay, and overtime observations below the actions?
without No; staffing becomes a separate reason branch
with Minto Yes
Was irrelevant comparison/opinion material omitted with an explicit note?
without No
with Minto No; managerial disagreement remains in the text
Is the reader's question stated literally?
without No
with Minto No

Judge’s check	without	with Minto
Answer first	yes	no
First-level elements	3	3
First-level kind matches the gold	no	yes
Invented facts	yes	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

Claude Opus 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 Opus 5, effort low · skill from commit f4813ce · run v1.7.0-final