| name | competitive-analysis |
| type | workflow |
| family | workflow |
| rigor | full |
| description | Use when performing a structured teardown of a specific competitor's activity system, moat, or vulnerability profile—requires at least one named rival to analyze. |
| keywords | competitors, market-positioning, strategy, analysis, alternatives, teardown, activity-system, moat-audit, competitor-teardown |
| compatibility | Claude Code and compatible agent products |
| requires | ["problem-framing"] |
| enhances | ["strategy-clarity","devils-advocate","market-context"] |
| sources_pdf | ["Playing to Win (Lafley)","Zero to One (Thiel)","The Personal MBA (Kaufman)","Lessons from the Titans (Davis)","Dear Chairman (Gramm)"] |
| sources_web | ["Stratechery: Aggregation Theory","Stratechery: The Bill Gates Line","Stratechery: What Christensen Got Wrong","Stratechery: Shopify & Platforms"] |
Overview
Competitive analysis is not a list of features; it is a forensic audit of a rival's "Activity System" to find where their internal logic is brittle. This skill prevents the "Arrogance Trap" identified in the GE and Boeing collapses by forcing an evidence-based assessment of moats and vulnerabilities.
Iron Law
NO COMPETITIVE CLAIM WITHOUT EVIDENCE FROM AT LEAST TWO INDEPENDENT SOURCES
Unverified claims about being "10x better" or having "no competitors" are the primary signals of impending strategic failure.
State Machine
digraph competitive_analysis_flow {
"Start" [shape=doublecircle];
"Step 1: Activity Mapping" [shape=box];
"Gate: Moat Audit" [shape=diamond];
"Step 3: Vulnerability Check" [shape=box];
"Step 4: Evidence Gate" [shape=diamond];
"Done" [shape=doublecircle];
"Start" -> "Step 1: Activity Mapping";
"Step 1: Activity Mapping" -> "Gate: Moat Audit";
"Gate: Moat Audit" -> "Step 3: Vulnerability Check" [label="moat verified"];
"Gate: Moat Audit" -> "Step 1: Activity Mapping" [label="unclear value"];
"Step 3: Vulnerability Check" -> "Step 4: Evidence Gate";
"Step 4: Evidence Gate" -> "Done" [label="2+ sources found"];
"Step 4: Evidence Gate" -> "Step 3: Vulnerability Check" [label="hearsay only"];
}
When to Use This Skill
- When drafting a PRD or Business Case that claims a "unique advantage."
- When a new rival enters the market with a "modular" or "platform" approach.
- When an incumbent appears "invincible" but shows signs of arrogance or bloat.
- During a "Devil's Advocate" stress test of a proposed strategy.
When NOT to Use This Skill
- For pure internal process optimization that does not affect the customer.
- In a "Zero-to-One" phase where no direct competitors exist (use
problem-framing instead).
Core Process
Step 1: Map the Activity System
Do not compare features. Compare the system of reinforcing activities. (Source: Lafley, Playing to Win, Ch. 5)
- Identify the "Winning Aspiration": Are they playing to win or playing to play?
- Deconstruct the Reinforcing Loop: How do their activities (e.g., low cost + high volume + limited SKUs) make it harder for you to copy them without breaking your own model?
- Identify the "Limiting Step": What is the one thing they cannot change without destroying their current profitability?
Step 2: Perform the Monopoly Audit
Verify if the competitor (or you) has the four characteristics of a true moat. (Source: Thiel, Zero to One, Ch. 5)
