| name | consulting-market-competition-analysis |
| description | Analyze market size and competitive dynamics with consulting-grade rigor. Use when decisions require TAM/SAM/SOM triangulation, competitor mapping, positioning implications, and uncertainty-aware recommendations. |
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.
When not to use this skill
- Do not use it for generic company strategy without a defined market boundary or customer segment.
- Do not use it as a substitute for live source gathering when current external evidence is required.
Required inputs
- Market definition and geographic scope.
- Decision to support and required depth.
- Available internal/external data and timeline.
- Currency, price basis, unit of analysis, and source freshness requirements.
Workflow
- Define market boundary, customer segments, and time horizon.
- Triangulate TAM/SAM/SOM using top-down and bottom-up methods with units, currency, period, and reconciliation.
- 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.
- Cite external claims with source and date, then 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.
- Never present stale, uncited, or single-point market data as current truth.
Output contract
Always produce these sections in order:
- Context
- Decision or Recommendation
- Analysis
- Risks
- Next Actions
- Assumptions
- Every external claim includes source, publication date, access date, and confidence where available.
- Every action includes an owner, due date, and success signal.
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.
- Show the method and units behind every market-size range.
Handoffs
- Use
research-evidence-synthesis when source collection, freshness, or conflicting evidence is the main work.
- Use
decision-analysis-under-uncertainty when the market analysis must decide between entry options.
- Use
consulting-portfolio-growth-strategy when the output must allocate resources across multiple units.
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
