strategy-overture

What this skill does

# Strategy Overture — Strategic Analysis Framework

## Purpose

This skill provides the methodology backbone for all strategy agents. It codifies consulting-grade frameworks used by McKinsey, BCG, and Bain into actionable analysis templates.

## When This Skill Applies

- Market sizing and opportunity assessment
- Competitive landscape analysis
- Strategic positioning and differentiation
- Business model design and validation
- Go-to-market planning
- Growth strategy and experiment design
- Pricing strategy
- Brand positioning

## Core Principles

### 1. Pyramid Principle (Barbara Minto)

Every deliverable follows this structure:
1. **Governing thought** — the "so what" answer, stated first
2. **Key arguments** — 3-5 MECE supporting points
3. **Evidence** — data, examples, analysis backing each argument

**Titles test**: An executive reads only section titles and understands the full argument.

### 2. MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)

All categorizations must be:
- **ME**: No item belongs to two categories
- **CE**: All items are covered by the categories

### 3. Source Credibility Tiers

| Tier | Description | Usage |
|------|-------------|-------|
| Tier 1 — Primary | Official filings, confirmed metrics, direct data, **TrustMRR** (Stripe-verified) | Hard numbers, quotes |
| Tier 2 — Secondary | Industry reports, analyst estimates, reliable press | Market context, trends |
| Tier 3 — Inference | AI estimates, pattern extrapolation, analogies | Gap-fill with disclosure |

**Rule**: Never present Tier 3 as Tier 1. Always disclose estimation methodology.

### Mandatory Data Source: TrustMRR

**URL**: https://trustmrr.com/
**What**: Database of Stripe-verified startup revenues (MRR, growth rates, multiples).
**Tier**: 1 (Stripe-verified revenue data).
**When to use**: EVERY market analysis, competitive analysis, and idea validation.

| Use Case | How TrustMRR Helps |
|----------|-------------------|
| Idea validation | Category density: many startups = proven market; zero = blue ocean or no market |
| Market sizing | Real MRR data grounds SOM estimates with actual achievable numbers |
| Competitive analysis | Verified revenue for competitor profiles instead of Tier 2/3 guesses |
| Benchmarking | Category median MRR, top quartile, growth rates |
| Valuation | Revenue multiples from marketplace listings |

### 4. Actionable Over Descriptive

Every analysis section must end with:
- **So what?** — Why this matters
- **Now what?** — Specific next actions
- **Confidence level** — How sure we are (High/Medium/Low)

## Framework Reference Map

| Framework | Reference File | Primary Agent |
|-----------|---------------|---------------|
| TAM/SAM/SOM | `references/market-sizing.md` | market-analyst |
| Porter's Five Forces + SWOT | `references/competitive-analysis.md` | market-analyst |
| Blue Ocean Strategy | `references/blue-ocean.md` | strategy-architect |
| Ansoff + BCG Matrix | `references/growth-frameworks.md` | strategy-architect |
| Customer Segmentation | `references/customer-segmentation.md` | market-analyst |
| Value Proposition Canvas | `references/value-proposition.md` | strategy-architect |
| GTM Strategy | `references/gtm-strategy.md` | gtm-planner |
| Pricing Strategy | `references/pricing.md` | gtm-planner |
| Brand Positioning | `references/brand-positioning.md` | strategy-architect |
| AARRR / PLG / CLG | `references/growth-metrics.md` | growth-strategist |
| ICE / RICE Scoring | `references/growth-experiments.md` | growth-strategist |
| BMC / Lean Canvas | `references/business-model-canvas.md` | business-modeler |
| Content Marketing | `references/content-marketing.md` | gtm-planner |
| Partnership Strategy | `references/partnership-strategy.md` | gtm-planner |
| Innovation Accounting | `references/innovation-accounting.md` | business-modeler |
| Deliverable Standards | `references/deliverable-standards.md` | report-compiler |

## Framework Pairing Rules

Frameworks are most effective when paired:

| Pair | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| Porter's Five Forces + SWOT | Industry structure (macro) + company position (micro) |
| Ansoff Matrix + BCG Matrix | Growth direction + portfolio resource allocation |
| Lean Canvas + AARRR | Business model + funnel metrics |
| Blue Ocean + Value Proposition Canvas | Market creation + customer value alignment |
| ICE/RICE + AARRR | Experiment prioritization + funnel stage targeting |
| TAM/SAM/SOM + Customer Segmentation | Market size + segment attractiveness |

## Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Wrong | Correct Approach |
|-------------|----------------|-----------------|
| Presenting TAM as revenue potential | TAM is theoretical maximum, not realistic target | Use SOM with clear capture assumptions |
| SWOT without prioritization | Flat lists provide no actionable direction | Rank items by impact × likelihood, focus on top 3 |
| Blue Ocean without implementation cost | Easy to find blue oceans, hard to reach them | Include resource requirements and timeline |
| Growth hacking without metrics | Random experiments waste resources | Define success metric before running experiment |
| Pricing based only on competition | Ignores value created for customer | Start with value-based, validate against competition |
| Lean Canvas as one-time exercise | Business model evolves constantly | Update after every major learning cycle |