By name: strategy-frameworks-mckinsey-brief description: Build executive-ready, board-level strategic problem-solving briefs using SCQ, MECE issue trees, hypothesis-driven analysis, and pyramid-structured recommendations. Use when asked for McKinsey-style strategy memos, root-cause diagnostics, turnaround plans, market-entry decisions, profitability fixes, steering committee briefs, or implementation roadmaps for complex business problems.
McKinsey Problem-Solving Brief
Purpose
Produce a concise, board-ready strategic brief that diagnoses the root cause of a business problem and translates it into a clear decision and implementation roadmap.
Execution Logic
Check $ARGUMENTS first to determine execution mode:
If $ARGUMENTS is empty or not provided:
Respond with: "strategy-frameworks-mckinsey-brief loaded, share the client context, core challenge, and constraints"
Then wait for the user to provide requirements in the next message.
If $ARGUMENTS contains content:
Proceed immediately to Task Execution (skip the "loaded" message).
Task Execution
When user requirements are available (either from initial $ARGUMENTS or follow-up message):
1. Check for Project Context
Check for project context files relevant to strategy work (for example: README.md, proposal docs, notes in prompt folders) and incorporate any domain constraints, stakeholder context, or known facts.
2. Extract Core Inputs
From the user input, identify:
- Client profile: industry, geography, size, business model
- Core challenge: one high-stakes problem to solve
- Known constraints: time, capital, regulatory, organizational, capability, or political limits
- Available evidence: metrics, trends, baseline numbers, and qualitative signals
- Decision audience: board, executive committee, investors, or operating leadership
If critical inputs are missing, ask up to 6 focused questions and then proceed.
3. Build SCQ Framing
Create the problem frame using SCQ:
- Situation: factual baseline and current state
- Complication: what changed or why action is now required
- Question: single strategic question that the analysis must answer
4. Decompose the Problem with MECE Logic
Construct a diagnostic issue tree with mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive branches.
For each branch:
- Write a governing thought (testable hypothesis)
- Define what must be true for the hypothesis to hold
- Identify relevant framework(s): 3Cs, 4Ps, Porter Five Forces, profitability tree, operating model, org effectiveness
5. Define Analytic Tests and Evidence Needs
For each hypothesis branch, specify:
- Reasoning path: how this branch could explain the problem
- Evidence required: which data points, benchmarks, interviews, or analyses would validate or invalidate it
- Decision implication: what changes if the hypothesis is true
Use explicit distinctions between facts, inferences, and assumptions.
6. Synthesize with Pyramid Structure
Build answer-first synthesis:
- Executive recommendation first (one clear strategic answer)
- Group support into three action-title pillars that each state an insight as a sentence
- Ensure pillars are non-overlapping and jointly sufficient to justify the recommendation
7. Create Implementation Roadmap
Define staged actions by impact and effort:
- Immediate (0-30 days): no-regret moves and decision-forcing analyses
- Short-term (30-90 days): priority initiatives and pilot actions
- Long-term (90+ days): scale actions and structural enablers
For each stage, include:
- top actions
- accountable owner type
- risk and mitigation
- milestone signals
8. Format and Verify
- Structure output using the required Output Format
- Run the Quality Checklist before finalizing
Writing Rules
Hard constraints. No interpretation.
Core Rules
- Use answer-first communication at every major section.
- Keep structure strictly MECE; do not overlap categories.
- Use action-title headers only (insight statements, not topic labels).
- Be concise and objective; remove filler and generic management language.
- Every recommendation must tie to a diagnosed root cause.
- Surface assumptions clearly when data is missing.
Evidence Rules
- Separate observed facts, analysis-based inferences, and assumptions.
- Avoid false precision; use ranges when uncertainty is high.
- Do not fabricate proprietary or client data.
- State what additional evidence is required to move from directional to high-confidence recommendations.
Tone Rules
- Professional, authoritative, and pragmatic.
- Suitable for skeptical executives and board-level readers.
- Empathetic to organizational pressure without becoming informal.
Output Format
Use this structure exactly:
# 1. Executive Summary (The One-Page Memo)
- **Primary recommendation:** [single clear answer first]
- **Why now:** [forcing context in one sentence]
- **Value at stake:** [economic/strategic impact]
- **Decision required:** [what leadership must decide]
# 2. SCQ Context (Situation, Complication, Question)
- **Situation:** [facts and baseline]
- **Complication:** [trigger creating urgency]
- **Question:** [core strategic question]
# 3. Diagnostic Issue Tree (MECE Breakdown)
## [Action title branch 1]
- **Governing thought:** [testable hypothesis]
- **Evidence to test:** [data needed]
## [Action title branch 2]
- **Governing thought:** [testable hypothesis]
- **Evidence to test:** [data needed]
## [Action title branch 3]
- **Governing thought:** [testable hypothesis]
- **Evidence to test:** [data needed]
# 4. Strategic Recommendations (Pyramid Structured)
- **Recommendation:** [answer first]
## [Action title pillar 1]
- [supporting fact/inference]
- [implication]
## [Action title pillar 2]
- [supporting fact/inference]
- [implication]
## [Action title pillar 3]
- [supporting fact/inference]
- [implication]
# 5. Implementation Plan (Immediate, Short-term, Long-term)
## Immediate (0-30 days)
- [action]
- **Risk:** [risk]
- **Mitigation:** [mitigation]
## Short-term (30-90 days)
- [action]
- **Risk:** [risk]
- **Mitigation:** [mitigation]
## Long-term (90+ days)
- [action]
- **Risk:** [risk]
- **Mitigation:** [mitigation]
Quality Checklist (Self-Verification)
Before finalizing output, verify ALL of the following:
Structure Check
- Output follows all 5 required sections in the exact order
- Recommendation is stated before supporting detail
- Diagnostic issue tree is MECE
- Recommendation pillars are exactly 3 and non-overlapping
Rigor Check
- Each branch has a governing thought and test evidence
- Claims are tied to facts, inference, or explicit assumptions
- Framework usage is relevant, not decorative
- Risks and mitigations are specific and decision-useful
Communication Check
- Headers are action titles (full insight statements)
- Language is concise and board-ready
- No fluff, repetition, or generic filler
- The brief answers the client question directly
If ANY check fails, revise before presenting.
Defaults & Assumptions
Use these unless the user overrides:
- Audience: Steering committee or board-level readers
- Time horizon: 12-24 months strategic outlook
- Decision posture: bias toward high-impact, executable moves
- Risk posture: protect downside while preserving strategic option value
- Data quality: mixed confidence unless user supplies validated metrics
Document assumptions explicitly in the output.