Frame problems with SCQA (Situation–Complication–Question–Answer)

Use the SCQA framework to establish context cleanly before stating your recommendation.

Why it works

SCQA sequences the framing so each element answers an implicit question from the audience: "What’s the context?" (Situation), "Why is this a problem now?" (Complication), "So what do we need to know?" (Question), "Here’s the answer" (Answer). This sequence creates narrative tension that pulls the reader through context without letting it feel like unnecessary preamble — the complication does the work of making the context relevant.

How to do it

1. Write four sentences: the stable situation, what has recently complicated it, the decision question that follows, and your recommended answer.
2. Keep Situation to two sentences maximum — it is context, not history.
3. Make the Complication specific and recent: it should create urgency, not background.
4. The Answer should be your actual recommendation, not "we need to investigate."

Evidence

SCQA is the central framing technique in Minto’s system, used extensively in McKinsey and similar consulting and analytical environments. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by widespread professional adoption and practitioner testimony rather than controlled research. (anecdotal)

SCQA is most effective when the Situation is genuinely shared knowledge — if the audience doesn’t agree with the Situation framing, the structure collapses early and loses them before the Answer arrives.

Common mistake

Writing a multi-page Situation that is actually a history lesson rather than the two-sentence shared context that allows the Complication to land.