competitive-analysis

What this skill does

# Competitive Analysis

You perform autonomous competitive analysis. You research industry data and competitors yourself — do not ask the user for data they would need to look up. Only ask the user for decisions and confirmations.

## Phase 1 — Setup

### Input handling

Follow shared foundation §7 — interview mode. When input is missing or insufficient, interview to gather at minimum:

| Dimension | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| **Subject** (company, product, or business unit) | Yes | — |
| **Industry/market** (sector, segment) | Yes | — |
| **Geographic scope** | No | Global |
| **Competitors** | No | Will be researched |
| **Analysis depth** | No | Standard |
| **Strategic context** (why the analysis is needed) | No | General competitive assessment |
| **Focus areas** (pricing, technology, distribution, etc.) | No | All covered |

**Exit interview when**: Subject and industry are clear enough to research. Do not over-interview — the skill researches data itself.

### 1. Collect input

Accept one of:
- A company or product name/description
- A file path to a business case document
- Pasted business case content
- No input or vague input → enter interview mode

### 2. Detect scope

From the input (or interview results), identify:
- **Subject**: The company, product, or business unit to analyze
- **Industry/market**: The sector and market segment
- **Geographic scope**: Region or global (default: global)
- **Named competitors**: Any competitors explicitly mentioned
- **Strategic context**: Why the analysis is needed (if gathered)
- **Focus areas**: Specific aspects to emphasize (if gathered)

### 3. Confirm scope

Present the detected scope to the user for confirmation:

```
**Subject**: [name]
**Industry**: [industry/segment]
**Geographic scope**: [scope]
**Competitors**: [listed or "will be researched"]
**Analysis depth**: [quick scan / standard / deep dive]
```

Ask the user to confirm or adjust.

Ask diagram render mode and output path per the `diagram-rendering` and `autonomous-research` mixins.

## Phase 2 — Research

Use WebSearch and WebFetch per the `autonomous-research` mixin.

### 2a. PESTEL context scan

Research macro-environmental factors affecting the industry:
- **Political**: Regulation, trade policy, government stability
- **Economic**: Growth rates, inflation, exchange rates, market size
- **Social**: Demographics, trends, consumer behavior
- **Technological**: Innovation, disruption, adoption curves
- **Environmental**: Sustainability, climate impact, regulations
- **Legal**: Industry-specific laws, IP, data protection

Produce a summary table with key factors per category.

### 2b. Competitor identification

If competitors were not provided, research and identify 3-5 key competitors. For each competitor, gather:
- Company overview and market position
- Key products/services
- Estimated market share (if available)
- Known strengths and weaknesses
- Recent strategic moves

Present the identified competitors to the user for confirmation before proceeding.

### 2c. Industry data gathering

Research data needed for Porter's Five Forces:
- Entry barriers, capital requirements, regulatory hurdles
- Supplier landscape and concentration
- Buyer characteristics and switching costs
- Substitute products and alternatives
- Competitive intensity and market dynamics

## Phase 3 — Porter's Five Forces

Assess each force and rate its intensity.

### Rating scale

| Rating | Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `++` | Very favorable | Force is very weak — benefits the subject |
| `+` | Favorable | Force is weak |
| `0` | Neutral | Force has balanced impact |
| `-` | Unfavorable | Force is strong |
| `--` | Very unfavorable | Force is very strong — threatens the subject |

### Assessment table

| Force | Rating | Key factors | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threat of new entrants | [rating] | [2-3 factors] | [sources] |
| Supplier power | [rating] | [2-3 factors] | [sources] |
| Buyer power | [rating] | [2-3 factors] | [sources] |
| Threat of substitutes | [rating] | [2-3 factors] | [sources] |
| Competitive rivalry | [rating] | [2-3 factors] | [sources] |

Each force must have at least 2 supporting data points with sources.

### Porter's Five Forces diagram

Generate a Mermaid flowchart:

```mermaid
flowchart TB
    NE["Threat of New Entrants\n[rating]"]
    SP["Supplier Power\n[rating]"]
    CR["Competitive Rivalry\n[rating]"]
    BP["Buyer Power\n[rating]"]
    SU["Threat of Substitutes\n[rating]"]

    NE --> CR
    SP --> CR
    CR --> BP
    CR --> SU
```

### Industry attractiveness conclusion

Synthesize the five forces into an overall industry attractiveness rating: **Attractive** / **Moderately attractive** / **Neutral** / **Moderately unattractive** / **Unattractive**. Justify with the dominant forces.

## Phase 4 — SWOT Analysis

Build SWOT matrices for the subject AND each key competitor.

### Rules

- 3-5 items per quadrant — no more, no less
- Every item must be specific and fact-based (e.g., "42% market share in EU" not "strong market position")
- Every item must reference a source or evidence
- Strengths/Weaknesses = internal factors
- Opportunities/Threats = external factors (shared across the industry, but impact varies per player)

### Subject SWOT matrix diagram

Generate a Mermaid quadrant chart:

```mermaid
quadrantChart
    title SWOT Analysis — [Subject]
    x-axis Internal --> External
    y-axis Negative --> Positive
    quadrant-1 Opportunities
    quadrant-2 Strengths
    quadrant-3 Weaknesses
    quadrant-4 Threats
    [Item 1]: [x, y]
    [Item 2]: [x, y]
```

Plot each item as a point. Position reflects relative importance (further from center = higher impact).

### Subject SWOT table

| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| S1. [item] | W1. [item] |
| S2. [item] | W2. [item] |
| S3. [item] | W3. [item] |

| Opportunities | Threats |
|---|---|
| O1. [item] | T1. [item] |
| O2. [item] | T2. [item] |
| O3. [item] | T3. [item] |

### Competitor SWOT comparison

For each competitor, produce the same SWOT table. Then produce a side-by-side comparison:

| Dimension | [Subject] | [Competitor 1] | [Competitor 2] | ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top strength | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Top weakness | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Top opportunity | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Top threat | ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Phase 5 — TOWS Strategy Matrix

Cross-reference the subject's SWOT to generate strategies. Each quadrant must contain 2-3 concrete, actionable strategies.

| | Strengths (S) | Weaknesses (W) |
|---|---|---|
| **Opportunities (O)** | **SO strategies**: Use strengths to capitalize on opportunities | **WO strategies**: Address weaknesses to unlock opportunities |
| **Threats (T)** | **ST strategies**: Use strengths to mitigate threats | **WT strategies**: Minimize weaknesses to avoid threats |

### TOWS diagram

Generate a Mermaid quadrant chart:

```mermaid
quadrantChart
    title TOWS Strategy Matrix — [Subject]
    x-axis Strengths --> Weaknesses
    y-axis Threats --> Opportunities
    quadrant-1 WO Strategies
    quadrant-2 SO Strategies
    quadrant-3 ST Strategies
    quadrant-4 WT Strategies
    [Strategy 1]: [x, y]
    [Strategy 2]: [x, y]
```

## Phase 6 — Competitive Positioning Map

Generate a 2-axis positioning map plotting the subject and all competitors. Choose the two most strategically relevant dimensions from the analysis (e.g., price vs. quality, innovation vs. market share, breadth vs. depth).

```mermaid
quadrantChart
    title Competitive Positioning — [Industry]
    x-axis Low [Dimension 1] --> High [Dimension 1]
    y-axis Low [Dimension 2] --> High [Dimension 2]
    quadrant-1 [Label]
    quadrant-2 [Label]
    quadrant-3 [Label]
    quadrant-4 [Label]
    [Subject]: [x, y]
    [Competitor 1]: [x, y]
    [Competitor 2]: [x, y]
```

Explain the choice of dimensions and what the positioning implies strategically.

## Phase 7 — Industry Attractiveness Radar

Generate a radar visualization of the