Competitive Analysis Process in the pm-market-research Plugin: A 5-Step Workflow

The pm-market-research plugin executes a deterministic five-step competitive analysis workflow that transforms user prompts into structured markdown reports through the /competitive-analysis command and the underlying competitor-analysis skill.

The competitive analysis process in the pm-market-research plugin provides product managers with a systematic approach to mapping market landscapes and identifying strategic opportunities. This open-source tool, maintained in the phuryn/pm-skills repository, separates user interface concerns from analytical logic to deliver reproducible competitive intelligence. By invoking the /competitive-analysis command, users trigger a structured pipeline that progresses from context clarification to actionable strategic recommendations.

How the Competitive Analysis Process Works

The workflow defined in pm-market-research/skills/competitor-analysis/SKILL.md follows a deterministic pipeline: invoke → clarify context → discover competitors → deep-dive research → structured synthesis → actionable recommendations.

Step 1: Invocation and Context Clarification

Users initiate the competitive analysis process by issuing the /competitive-analysis command documented in pm-market-research/commands/competitive-analysis.md. The command accepts a product or market description as its primary argument.

/competitive-analysis AI-powered project management tools

Upon invocation, the plugin executes the Understand the Competitive Context phase. This step prompts clarifying questions regarding the product category, specific competitors to include or exclude, the analytical lens (features, pricing, positioning, or market share), and the intended use case for the final output. This scoping ensures subsequent research targets the correct strategic questions.

Step 2: Competitor Discovery and Classification

The competitor-analysis skill directs the model to perform structured market mapping through web research. According to the skill definition, the analysis must identify:

• 5 direct competitors targeting the same buyer persona and use case
• 2-3 indirect competitors solving the same job-to-be-done through alternative approaches
• Emerging or disruptive players when market signals indicate potential category shifts

This classification distinguishes between immediate market threats and adjacent innovators, providing a complete view of the competitive landscape.

Step 3: Deep-Dive Competitor Profiling

For each identified competitor, the skill gathers standardized intelligence across five dimensions:

1. Positioning – Brand messaging, target audience definitions, and core value propositions
2. Strengths and Weaknesses – Product capabilities, market perception, and documented user complaints
3. Pricing – Revenue models, specific price points, and tiered structure complexity
4. Market Traction – Funding history, team size metrics, and customer base signals
5. Recent Strategic Moves – Product launches, partnership announcements, and pivot indicators

This standardized data collection ensures comparability across competitors and eliminates gaps in the analysis.

Step 4: Structured Report Synthesis

The skill assembles findings into a comprehensive markdown report following the template defined in the command documentation. The output structure includes:

• Market Overview – Category definition and growth dynamics
• Competitive Set Summary – Market share estimates and positioning maps
• Detailed Competitor Profiles – Individual deep-dives on business models and capabilities
• Competitive Threats and Advantages – Direct comparison matrices
• Differentiation Opportunities – White space identification for the target product
• Positioning Recommendations – Strategic narrative suggestions
• 12-18 Month Outlook – Risk and opportunity forecasting

The commands/competitive-analysis.md file provides the concrete markdown template that the plugin populates with research findings.

Step 5: Actionable Next Steps

Following delivery of the analysis, the workflow enters an iterative loop by suggesting concrete follow-up actions. These recommendations typically include creating competitive battlecards, refining product positioning statements, or identifying specific feature gaps requiring development resources. This step transforms research into execution.

Command and Skill Architecture

The pm-market-research plugin maintains clean separation between interface and logic. The /competitive-analysis command in pm-market-research/commands/competitive-analysis.md serves as the user-facing entry point, while the competitor-analysis skill in pm-market-research/skills/competitor-analysis/SKILL.md contains the reasoning and data-gathering logic.

The plugin registration occurs in pm-market-research/.claude-plugin/plugin.json, which exposes the command to Claude. This architecture allows teams to modify output templates without altering the underlying research methodology, or vice versa.

Running a Competitive Analysis

To execute the competitive analysis process, invoke the command with a specific product description:

/competitive-analysis AI-powered project management tools

The plugin returns a structured markdown document resembling the following partial output:

## Competitive Analysis: AI-powered project management tools

**Date**: 2026-07-10  
**Analyzed**: 5 competitors  

### Market Overview

The project-management SaaS market is growing ~12% YoY, driven by remote-work adoption...

### Competitive Landscape

| Competitor | Category | Target | Positioning | Strength | Weakness |
|-----------|----------|--------|------------|----------|----------|
| Notion    | Collaboration | Teams & individuals | All-in-one workspace | Flexibility, strong community | Steep learning curve |
| Asana     | Project Management | Enterprises | Structured work tracking | Robust integrations | Limited free tier |
| Monday.com| Work OS | Mid-market | Visual workflows | Customizable boards | High pricing |

### Differentiation Opportunities

1. **Integrated AI assistance** – competitors lack real-time smart suggestions.  
2. **Transparent pricing** – simplify tiered plans to lower churn.

### Recommendations

- **Double down on** AI-driven task automation.  
- **Close the gap on** native Gantt charts.

Summary

• The competitive analysis process follows a deterministic 5-step workflow from invocation to strategic recommendations.
• The /competitive-analysis command triggers the process, while the competitor-analysis skill defines the research methodology.
• Analysis requires identification of 5 direct and 2-3 indirect competitors with standardized profiling across positioning, pricing, and market traction.
• Output follows a structured markdown template with sections for market overview, competitor profiles, and 12-18 month strategic outlook.
• Source files are located at pm-market-research/commands/competitive-analysis.md and pm-market-research/skills/competitor-analysis/SKILL.md.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I initiate the competitive analysis process in the pm-market-research plugin?

Invoke the /competitive-analysis command followed by your product or market description. For example: /competitive-analysis cloud-based CRM solutions. The plugin will immediately begin the context clarification phase to scope the research parameters.

What types of competitors does the skill identify?

The competitor-analysis skill categorizes competitors into three groups: 5 direct competitors serving the same buyer with similar solutions, 2-3 indirect competitors addressing the same job-to-be-done through different means, and emerging disruptive players when relevant. This taxonomy ensures comprehensive market coverage.

Where is the output template defined for the competitive analysis report?

The markdown template and output structure are defined in pm-market-research/commands/competitive-analysis.md under the Generate Competitive Analysis block. The skill logic in pm-market-research/skills/competitor-analysis/SKILL.md determines what content populates each section of this template.

Can I customize the number of competitors analyzed?

The skill definition specifies 5 direct and 2-3 indirect competitors as the default research scope. To modify these parameters, you would need to edit the competitor-analysis skill file at pm-market-research/skills/competitor-analysis/SKILL.md and adjust the competitor discovery instructions accordingly.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}