Competitive Landscape Mapping
Systematically map competitive positioning, scorecards, moat assessment, and market share trends with strict prompt fidelity and data integrity.
Skill is documentation-only, no dangerous operations or data exfiltration. Promotes data-flow transparency via source-file primacy and citation requirements. However, lacks user-confirmation mechanisms and no detail on sensitive-data handling (e.g., if non-public info is involved). Dependencies on external services (financial data APIs) are not specified in the skill, and external effects are largely governed by prompt fidelity. Version, provenance, and license (derived from anthropics plugin, Apache-2.0) are attributed. Deducted for lack of user confirmation or containment.
Skill provides self-consistent workflow with analysis steps, quality checklist, and reference files. Dependencies declared at repo level, not directly linked to skill, and no tests specific to this skill. Error handling is thin - just instructions to not proceed, but no explicit failure messages. Deducted for no execution and thin error handling per static review limits.
Skill fits real needs for competitive analysis in finance, with clear audience and scenarios. Boundaries are not explicitly stated but implied via STRICT vs FLEXIBLE table. No mention of Chinese-language support or reachability from mainland China; relies on external data services (FMP, Yahoo) which may be inaccessible. Deducted for environment fit and language coverage.
Good structure: clear IA with reference files, detailed instructions, quality checklist. License present, but version and changelog not directly present. Maintenance responsibility not explicit, but repo has CI workflows and active pyproject. Deducted for missing version/changelog or clear maintenance info.
Skill provides detailed methodology and templates that should effectively support competitive analysis. However, output (e.g., PPTX) depends on external tools (pptx skill) that may be unavailable. Value proposition clear, but lack of example outputs means marginal value unverified. Deducted for lack of evidence of direct usability.
Key claims are methodological; no tests or execution evidence provided. Repo has CI workflows, but not for this skill. Static review cannot verify. Deducted for lack of verifiable execution evidence.
- This skill depends on external data sources (e.g., FMP, Yahoo Finance) which may be inaccessible from mainland China. Verify data accessibility.
- No user confirmation step is mentioned in the skill; consider adding confirmation mechanism if handling sensitive financial data.
- The skill relies on external tools (e.g., pptx skill) to generate deliverables; ensure required skills are installed and available.
- As this is a static review, actual output quality cannot be verified; consider testing before use.
What does this skill do, and when should you use it?
This skill provides a structured, multi-phase workflow for comprehensive competitive analysis—covering market context, industry economics, target company profile, competitor mapping, positioning visualization, deep dives, comparative analysis, strategic context, and a synthesized moat assessment. It enforces strict adherence to source file numbers (no recalculation) and to user-specified exact titles, data series, and formatting. The skill includes specific guidance for presentation outputs, such as real embedded charts, insight-driven slide titles, and strict spacing requirements. It references a references folder for templates, but that folder is not included in this file.
The skill guides the user through a phased analysis process from clarifying requirements to final deliverable. It defines a 9-step analysis workflow (Steps 0-9) that guides the user through identifying industry key metrics, sizing the market, mapping value flows, building a target company profile, grouping competitors, selecting a positioning visualization, conducting deep dives and comparisons, analyzing strategic context, and synthesizing durable advantages via moat types (network effects, switching costs, scale economies, intangible assets). It strictly enforces source file data extraction and ensures user prompt specifications are followed exactly in slides and charts.
- An investment analyst needs to prepare a competitive landscape report for an investment committee and wants a structured method to ensure consistent coverage of key dimensions.
- An equity research associate is asked to produce a competitor comparison slide deck and must strictly follow given data points and chart formats.
- A portfolio manager wants to assess competitive moats of companies in an industry, categorizing their durable advantages using a standardized framework.
- An investment banking analyst needs to evaluate market positioning and relative share trends of potential M&A targets, ensuring key financial data is consistent with latest 10-K filings.
- A consultant needs to build a 2x2 positioning matrix for a client based on key metrics defined for the industry.
What are this skill's strengths and limitations?
- Highly detailed and structured approach to competitive analysis.
- Strict adherence to source file data fidelity ensures accurate financials.
- Includes rigorous guidelines for slide layout, charts, and typography, leading to professional presentations.
- Offers multiple visualization frameworks (2x2 matrix, radar, tier diagram) for presenting competitive positioning.
- Provides a standardized framework for evaluating moat types (network effects, switching costs, etc.)
- Does not include actual code for generating PowerPoint; it assumes a separate 'pptx skill' exists for creating embedded charts.
- No test suite or list of verified platforms is visible; may require manual integration for non-Claude Code environments.
- Reference files (schemas.md, frameworks.md) are referenced but not provided in this file.
- Can be overly prescriptive; when user doesn't specify, it marks as 'flexible', but guidelines may be too strict when not specified.
How do you install this skill?
This skill is part of the LangAlpha repository's skill collection (located at skills/competitive-analysis/). To install, clone the repository and ensure the skills/competitive-analysis/ folder is placed in your agent environment's skills directory. This folder should be recognized as a skill according to the Agent Skills specification.
How do you use this skill?
Activate the skill by providing prompts such as "Analyze the competitive landscape of [industry]." During the interaction, provide any relevant source files (Excel/CSV) and specify the exact output desired (e.g., "Generate a PowerPoint presentation with an 'Overview and Competitive Scope' slide and an embedded chart in the 'Segment Mix' section"). Follow the workflow phases: clarify requirements first, then research and outline before creating the final output. Use the quality and formatting checklists to validate the output.