qa-aman/ppt-maker

ppt-maker

Builds .pptx decks using the brand template, with structured slide content and speaker notes. Applies the Pyramid Principle (Barbara Minto) - the top of the pyramid is the one answer, below it are the supporting arguments, below each argument is the evidence. State the conclusion first, then prove it.

Framework: Pyramid Principle and SCQA

The Pyramid Principle

Ideas form a pyramid. The deck title is the one overarching recommendation or answer. Below it are 3-5 supporting arguments (the sections). Below each argument is the data and evidence that proves it.

Top-down rule: state the conclusion first, then prove it. Never build to a reveal. Never make the audience wait for the answer.

SCQA Structure

Complete this before building any slide:

SITUATION: what the audience already knows and accepts as true. Sets the context. COMPLICATION: what changed, what went wrong, what tension exists. Creates the "so what?" QUESTION: the question the complication raises in the audience's mind. ANSWER: the deck answers this question. State it on slide 2 or 3 - before any evidence.

The SCQA opening creates immediate relevance. The audience understands WHY they're in this meeting before seeing the first data slide.

Action Titles (Slide-Level Pyramid Principle)

• Slide title = the conclusion of that slide (not the topic)
• BAD: "Q3 Results"
• GOOD: "Q3 pipeline missed by 22% due to top-of-funnel drop"
• Maximum 3 supporting points per slide. If you need more than 3, you have two slides.
• The audience should be able to read only the slide titles and understand the full argument.

Pyramid Check

Deck title -> section titles -> slide titles must form a coherent argument. Test: read only the titles in order. Does the argument hold? If not, the structure is wrong.

When to use

• "Build a pitch deck for X"
• "Make a sales deck for <product>"
• "Draft slides for the board update"
• "Create a customer QBR deck"
• "Turn this article into a 10-slide presentation"

Deck types this skill handles

| Type | Slide count | Structure | |---|---|---| | Pitch deck (investor) | 10-12 | Sequoia format: problem, solution, market, model, traction, team, ask | | Sales deck | 8-12 | Hook, problem, agitate, solution, proof, pricing, next step | | Board deck | 12-20 | KPIs, wins, misses, asks, plan | | QBR (customer) | 6-10 | Recap, results, learnings, plan, asks | | Conference talk | 15-30 | Hook, framework, evidence, application, takeaway | | Internal update | 5-10 | Goal, progress, blockers, next steps |

Inputs needed

• Deck type (from table above) or "custom"
• Audience and goal: who is this for, what action should they take after?
• Source material: notes, document, article, data points, or "build from scratch"
• Length: number of slides (default per type)
• Brand template: confirm templates/<brand>.pptx exists. If not, ask the user to drop one in.

Process

1. Load context. Read knowledge/brand/voice.md (for slide copy) and knowledge/brand/visual.md (for color, type, image style references). Read knowledge/markets/positioning.md for any positioning slides. Confirm a .pptx template exists in templates/.

2. Complete the SCQA pre-work. Before touching slides:

   SITUATION: [what the audience already knows]
   COMPLICATION: [what changed or what the tension is]
   QUESTION: [what the complication makes the audience ask]
   ANSWER: [the one-sentence answer the deck delivers]
   

   The ANSWER becomes the deck title. The deck is the proof for that answer.

3. Pyramid check. Draft the deck structure as a pyramid:

   DECK TITLE (= the Answer from SCQA)
   ├── Section 1: [supporting argument 1]
   │   ├── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 1]
   │   └── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 1]
   ├── Section 2: [supporting argument 2]
   │   └── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 2]
   └── Section 3: [supporting argument 3]
       └── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 3]
   

   Read the titles top to bottom. Does the argument hold without the body content? If not, restructure.

4. Outline first. Show the user the slide-by-slide outline as a numbered list, with action titles:

   1. Title slide: [deck title = the SCQA Answer]
   2. The answer: [SCQA Answer restated as the key recommendation - slide 2, before evidence]
   3. [Section 1 header: argument 1]
   4. [Slide title = conclusion of slide 4]
   ...
   

   Wait for the user to confirm or edit before building the file.

5. Build the deck. For each slide, generate:

   • Slide title (action title - the conclusion, 5-9 words, sentence case)
   • Body content (3 supporting points max OR one big number OR one pull quote OR one diagram description)
   • Speaker notes (2-4 sentences, what the presenter says out loud)
   • Visual recommendation (the visual type: "screenshot of dashboard", "chart: bar, MRR by month", "icon grid: 4 logos")

6. Use python-pptx to write the file. Pseudocode the script if you do not have execution access; otherwise run it. The script should:

   • Open templates/<brand>.pptx as the base
   • Add slides using existing layouts (Title, Title+Content, Section Header, etc.)
   • Insert title and body text into the layout placeholders, not free-floating text boxes
   • Add speaker notes via slide.notes_slide.notes_text_frame
   • Save to output/ppt/<DD-MM-YYYY>-<slug>.pptx

   If the user does not have python-pptx installed, fall back to:

   • Generate output/ppt/<DD-MM-YYYY>-<slug>.md with the full slide-by-slide content
   • Tell the user how to install python-pptx and rerun

7. Slide design rules:

   • One idea per slide. If you have two, split.
   • 6 words max per bullet
   • 3 bullets max per slide (Pyramid Principle: no more than 3 supporting points)
   • Numbers > words ("$2.4M" beats "significant revenue")
   • Title states the conclusion, not the topic (Pyramid Principle action title rule)

8. Self-check:

   • SCQA completed before slides were built
   • Slide 2 states the answer (SCQA-A) before any evidence slides
   • Every slide title is a conclusion, not a topic label
   • Reading only the slide titles tells the full story - test this explicitly
   • Pyramid holds: deck title -> section titles -> slide titles form a coherent argument
   • Title slide includes presenter name, date in DD-MM-YYYY, audience name
   • Every slide has speaker notes
   • Closing slide has one clear CTA or ask
   • Voice matches knowledge/brand/voice.md
   • Brand template applied (no default Office theme)

9. Save the .pptx and a parallel .md outline to output/ppt/.

Building the file

Use python-pptx inline:

from pptx import Presentation
from pathlib import Path

template = Path("templates") / "brand.pptx"
prs = Presentation(str(template))
# Use existing layouts, do not create new ones
title_layout = prs.slide_layouts[0]
content_layout = prs.slide_layouts[1]
# ... add slides
prs.save("output/ppt/DD-MM-YYYY-deck-name.pptx")

Rules

• Never put a slide together without first completing the SCQA and showing the user the outline.
• Never use the default PowerPoint theme. If no template is in templates/, stop and ask the user to drop one in.
• Speaker notes are not optional. A deck without notes is half-done.
• Slide titles are conclusions, not topics. If a title does not contain a verb or a clear claim, it is a topic label - rewrite it.
• For pitch decks, confirm the financial numbers (ARR, runway, ask) with the user before building. Do not pull from old knowledge/kpis.md without confirming they are current.
• "What does the audience need to DO?" must be answerable from the deck title alone. If it is not, the deck title is wrong.