| name | strategy-overture |
| version | 2.0.0 |
| description | McKinsey-grade business strategy and marketing frameworks. Loaded when agents need strategic analysis methodology — market sizing, competitive analysis, Blue Ocean, GTM, growth, pricing, business modeling. Covers Pyramid Principle, MECE, and consulting-quality deliverable standards. |
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:
- Governing thought — the "so what" answer, stated first
- Key arguments — 3-5 MECE supporting points
- 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 |
