| name | pestel-analysis |
| description | Use when market, policy, macro, or operating context may materially affect strategy or risk. Use when applying the PESTEL Analysis consulting method and when a user asks for PESTEL Analysis, method execution, structured diagnosis, or action planning. |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
PESTEL Analysis
Use this skill to run PESTEL Analysis as a practical consulting method, not as a generic framework explanation.
Method Notes
- Scan Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal forces.
- Keep only external forces that can change the decision.
Required Inputs
Collect or infer these inputs before execution:
- market or situation
- geography
- time horizon
- known external trends
If an input is missing, do not block automatically. Mark it as missing, state the assumption used, and add a validation action.
When Not To Use
Do not use PESTEL to assess internal capability or to collect trends with no decision consequence. Use it for external macro factors that could change a strategic choice, assumption, timing, or risk.
Adjacent Methods
porter-five-forces: industry structure and profit pressure.competitive-positioning: buyer-facing choice versus alternatives.
Step-by-Step Execution
| Step | Required input | How to execute | Output |
|---|
| Set horizon and geography | Market, geography, industry, time horizon. | Define external environment boundary. | PESTEL scope. |
| Scan six categories | Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal evidence. | List external forces under each category with source or confidence. | PESTEL factor list. |
| Filter material forces | Factor list, decision objective. | Keep only factors that can change opportunity, risk, cost, demand, or feasibility. | Material external forces. |
| Assess impact and timing | Material factors. | Rate direction, magnitude, likelihood, timing, and uncertainty. | Prioritized PESTEL table. |
| Define responses | Prioritized table. | Recommend adaptation, watch items, hedges, or validation needs. | External-context action plan. |
Output Template
### 1. Scope And Horizon
Market / geography:
Decision:
Time horizon:
Source cut-off:
### 2. External Forces
| Category | Force | Evidence / source | Direction | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |
### 3. Material Implications
| Force | Impact | Uncertainty | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
### 4. Response And Signposts
| Response | Owner | Leading sign | Revisit trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
### Evidence And Next Decision
- Confirmed facts:
- Assumptions:
- Missing evidence:
- Next action, owner, and timing:
- Expected signal and decision threshold:
Quality Gate
- Produce the method-specific outputs for Scope And Horizon, External Forces, Material Implications; do not substitute a generic framework summary.
- Tie every material score, causal claim, or stakeholder judgment to evidence or label it as an assumption.
- Include at least one disconfirming check, sensitivity, alternative explanation, or failure condition appropriate to the method.
- Convert the result into a named action or decision with an owner or stakeholder, timing, and observable signal.
- State missing inputs and the smallest validation action instead of inventing precision.
- Keep wording professional and plain enough that a smart non-specialist can use the output directly.
