Check every important message for SCQA: Situation, Complication, Question, Answer
Before sending any important communication, apply the SCQA test—verify the message includes Situation (what reader knows), Complication (what changed), Question (what this raises), and Answer (your point)—adding any missing layer before transmission.
Why This Is a Rule
Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle identified SCQA as the structure that matches how readers process information. Messages that follow this structure are understood faster and remembered better because each layer builds naturally on the previous:
Situation — shared context the reader already knows. This orients them without re-explaining what they already understand. Complication — what changed or went wrong. This creates tension — the reader now needs resolution. Question — what this raises. This focuses the reader's attention on the specific issue. Answer — your point. This resolves the tension and delivers your message.
Most failed communications are missing one or more layers. A message that jumps to the Answer without Situation and Complication feels arbitrary ("Why are you telling me this?"). A message with Situation and Complication but no clear Answer is venting, not communicating. The SCQA test catches these structural gaps before transmission.
When This Fires
- Before sending emails, Slack messages, or documents that inform decisions
- When preparing presentations, reports, or proposals
- Before any communication where being understood correctly matters
- When a draft message feels "right" but you want to verify it's structurally complete
Common Failure Mode
Leading with the Answer because you already know the context: "We should switch to PostgreSQL." The reader, who doesn't share your context, asks "Why?" Adding SCQA: "Our current database handles 10K daily queries (Situation). Traffic grew to 50K and response times tripled (Complication). How do we restore performance without rebuilding the application? (Question). Migrate to PostgreSQL, which handles our query patterns 5x more efficiently (Answer)." Same recommendation, entirely different comprehension.
The Protocol
Before sending important communications: (1) Scan for four elements: S (what does the reader already know?), C (what changed?), Q (what does this raise?), A (what's your point?). (2) If any element is missing → add it. Most commonly missing: Situation (you assumed shared context) and Complication (you jumped to the answer). (3) Verify the order: S before C before Q before A. The reader needs to be oriented before they can understand the complication, and they need the complication before the answer makes sense.