Competitive Analysis

Purpose

Produce a structured competitive analysis: who competes, how they compare, where gaps exist, and what differentiation strategy to pursue.

Input: Product idea or category, target customer segment, known competitors (optional), geography
Output: Competitive Analysis Report with landscape map, feature matrix, SWOT per player, and strategic recommendations
Examples: See examples.md for worked input/output.

Workflow

Step 1: Define market scope

Clarify:

• Category — what job-to-be-done or product category
• Segment — SMB vs enterprise, geography, vertical
• Substitutes — manual workflows, spreadsheets, status quo
• Time horizon — current players vs emerging (12–18 months)

If scope is too broad, narrow to one segment before researching.

Step 2: Build competitor long list

Target 5–12 relevant players; tier into direct, indirect, substitute.

Step 3: Profile each competitor

Per competitor capture:

Mark confidence: verified (public source) vs inferred (state explicitly).

Step 4: Build feature comparison matrix

Rows = capabilities users care about (from JTBD, not vendor feature lists).
Columns = top 5–8 competitors + your product (planned).

Scoring: Strong · Partial · Missing · ? Unknown

Highlight rows where no incumbent excels — white space.

Step 5: Positioning analysis

Plot on 2 axes that matter to buyers (e.g., ease vs power, price vs depth).
Identify overcrowded quadrants and open space.

Run per-competitor SWOT (brief) and your product SWOT against the field.

Step 6: Strategic recommendations

Tie recommendations to value-proposition-designer and feature-prioritization inputs.

Step 7: Validate

Run Validation checklist.

Decision Rules

Validation

• Market scope and segment defined
• ≥5 competitors profiled with sources cited
• Feature matrix uses buyer-centric capabilities (≥8 rows)
• White-space opportunities identified
• Positioning map with labeled axes
• SWOT for your product vs field
• Actionable recommendations (differentiation + table stakes)
• Confidence labels on inferred data

Anti-patterns

• Feature laundry list — matrix rows mirror vendor marketing pages.
• Competitor worship — copying incumbents without wedge strategy.
• Stale analysis — pricing from 2022 in fast-moving AI markets.
• Ignoring status quo — "Excel + email" is often the real competitor.
• No strategic so-what — report ends at matrix without recommendations.

Best Practices

• Interview 3–5 target users: "what did you evaluate before buying X?"
• Weight matrix rows by customer priority (from discovery interviews).
• Refresh competitive snapshot quarterly for AI product categories.
• Link output to idea-validator assumptions and prd-generator non-goals.
• Separate global players from regional niche entrants.

Output Structure

# Competitive Analysis: [Category / Product]

## Scope
[Segment, geography, horizon]

## Landscape
| Tier | Players | Role |
|------|---------|------|

## Competitor Profiles
### [Name]
[Positioning, pricing, strengths, weaknesses, AI]

## Feature Matrix
| Capability | Us | A | B | C |
|------------|----|---|---|---|

## Positioning Map
[2-axis description + placement]

## White Space
[Opportunities]

## Strategic Recommendations
| Priority | Recommendation | Rationale |
|----------|----------------|-----------|

## Sources
[URLs, dates]

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