competitive-brief

name	competitive_brief
description	Research competitors and generate a structured competitive intelligence brief
metadata	{"openclaw":{"tags":["product-management","competitive-intelligence","research","strategy"]}}

Competitive Brief

Research one or more competitors and generate a structured competitive intelligence brief. This skill combines web research with internal knowledge to produce a comprehensive view of the competitive landscape.

When to Use

Activate this skill when the user wants to:

• Research a specific competitor's recent moves, features, or positioning
• Prepare a competitive landscape overview for a strategy meeting
• Understand how the user's product compares to alternatives
• Monitor competitor activity and identify threats or opportunities
• Brief stakeholders on competitive dynamics before a planning session

Workflow

Step 1: Define the competitive scope

Clarify the brief's focus:

• Competitors: Which specific companies or products to research?
• Focus areas: Product features, pricing, positioning, go-to-market, funding, team?
• Comparison frame: Against the user's product specifically, or a general landscape?
• Audience: Product team, leadership, sales team?
• Depth: Quick snapshot or deep analysis?

If the user names one competitor, produce a focused single-competitor brief. If they ask for a landscape view, cover 3-5 competitors in comparison format.

Step 2: Research competitors on the web

For each competitor, use capability_execute with the following parameters:

• capabilityId: research.web_search
• packId: product-management
• args:
  • query: "{competitor name} product features pricing news {current year}"
  • maxResults: 15

Then perform a second search focused on recent developments:

• capabilityId: research.web_search
• packId: product-management
• args:
  • query: "{competitor name} announcement launch update"
  • maxResults: 10
  • recency: "last 90 days"

From the results, extract:

• Product positioning and value proposition
• Key features and recent feature releases
• Pricing model and tiers (if publicly available)
• Funding or financial news
• Customer sentiment and reviews
• Strategic moves (partnerships, acquisitions, market expansion)

Step 3: Search internal knowledge

Use capability_execute with the following parameters:

• capabilityId: docs.search_files
• packId: product-management
• args:
  • query: competitor names and "competitive" or "comparison"
  • maxResults: 15

Look for:

• Previous competitive analyses or briefs
• Win/loss reports that mention the competitor
• Sales battle cards
• Feature comparison documents
• Customer feedback mentioning the competitor

Step 4: Search internal discussions

Use capability_execute with the following parameters:

• capabilityId: chat.search_messages
• packId: product-management
• args:
  • query: competitor names
  • maxResults: 15
  • dateRange: last 90 days

Look for:

• Sales team mentions of competitive deals
• Product team discussions about competitive features
• Customer-facing team reports on competitor encounters
• Strategic discussions about competitive positioning

This capability is optional. Proceed without chat data if unavailable.

Step 5: Check email for competitive mentions

Use capability_execute with the following parameters:

• capabilityId: mail.read_inbox
• packId: product-management
• args:
  • query: competitor names
  • maxResults: 10
  • dateRange: last 90 days

Look for:

• Customer emails mentioning competitor comparisons
• Internal emails discussing competitive strategy
• Industry newsletters or alerts about competitors

This capability is optional. Proceed without email data if unavailable.

Step 6: Compile the competitive brief

Output Format

For a single-competitor brief:

## Competitive Brief: {Competitor Name}

**Date:** {current date}
**Analyst:** {user or "Product Team"}
**Confidence:** {high / medium / low based on data availability}

---

### Company Overview

| Attribute | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Company | {name} |
| Founded | {year} |
| Headquarters | {location} |
| Funding / Revenue | {known info} |
| Employees | {estimate} |
| Target Market | {description} |

### Product Overview

{2-3 paragraphs describing the competitor's product, positioning,
and value proposition.}

**Core Features:**
- {feature 1}: {brief description}
- {feature 2}: {brief description}
- {feature 3}: {brief description}

**Recent Releases (last 90 days):**
- {date}: {release or announcement}
- {date}: {release or announcement}

### Pricing

| Tier | Price | Key Features |
|------|-------|-------------|
| {tier} | {price} | {features} |
| {tier} | {price} | {features} |

### Feature Comparison

| Capability | Our Product | {Competitor} | Notes |
|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------|
| {capability} | {status} | {status} | {notes} |
| {capability} | {status} | {status} | {notes} |
| {capability} | {status} | {status} | {notes} |

### Strengths

1. {strength 1}: {explanation}
2. {strength 2}: {explanation}
3. {strength 3}: {explanation}

### Weaknesses

1. {weakness 1}: {explanation}
2. {weakness 2}: {explanation}
3. {weakness 3}: {explanation}

### Market Positioning

{2-3 paragraphs on how the competitor positions themselves, who they
target, and how their messaging compares to ours.}

### Internal Intelligence

{Summary of what the organization already knows about this competitor
from internal docs, sales interactions, and team discussions.}

### Threats

- {threat 1}: {description and potential impact}
- {threat 2}: {description}

### Opportunities

- {opportunity 1}: {description and how to capitalize}
- {opportunity 2}: {description}

### Recommended Actions

1. {action}: {rationale}
2. {action}: {rationale}
3. {action}: {rationale}

---

*Sources: {count} web sources, {count} internal docs, {count} internal discussions.*
*Data gaps: {note what could not be determined}.*

For a landscape comparison covering multiple competitors, use a matrix format with competitors as columns, and include a separate section for each competitor's strengths and weaknesses. Add a "Positioning Map" section that describes where each competitor sits relative to key dimensions (e.g., enterprise vs. SMB, feature-rich vs. simple).