Market and Competition Analysis
Use $ARGUMENTS as initial context.
When to use this skill
- Market entry or expansion decisions.
- Competitive positioning or response planning.
- Product or GTM strategy requiring market evidence.
- Cases where market assumptions must be made explicit and testable.
Required inputs
- Market definition and geographic scope.
- Decision to support and required depth.
- Available internal/external data and timeline.
Workflow
- Define market boundary, customer segments, and time horizon.
- Triangulate TAM/SAM/SOM using top-down and bottom-up methods.
- Build competitor set including substitutes and adjacent threats.
- Compare value propositions, pricing, channels, and capability signals.
- Rate uncertainty of assumptions and develop base vs stressed scenarios.
- Deliver implications, risks, and next analytical moves.
Ask-first questions
Ask up to 3 questions before sizing:
- Which strategic decision must this analysis support?
- What market definition is non-negotiable for this decision?
- Which data sources are considered reliable by stakeholders?
Assumption policy
- Proceed with assumptions when data is incomplete.
- Mark each key assumption with confidence and sensitivity.
- Separate observed facts from inferred estimates.
Output contract
Always produce these sections in order:
- Context
- Decision or Recommendation
- Analysis
- Risks
- Next Actions
- Assumptions
Guardrails
- Do not present single-point market size without method disclosure.
- Include at least one substitute threat in competitor mapping.
- Distinguish strategic implication from raw market observation.
- Flag scenario sensitivity when assumptions materially shift conclusion.
Resources
references/market-frameworks.md- Framework selection and triangulation rules.references/competitor-profile.md- Competitor signal checklist.templates/market-competition-analysis.md- Decision-ready output template.examples/market-competition-example.md- Golden example with uncertainty tagging.
Keywords
market sizing, TAM SAM SOM, competition analysis, positioning, strategy, Porter, substitutes