# How to Perform SWOT, PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, and Ansoff Matrix Analysis with PM-Skills

> Learn to perform SWOT, PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, and Ansoff Matrix analysis using the pm-skills repository. Generate comprehensive strategic reports with a single command.

- Repository: [Pawel Huryn/pm-skills](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-06-26

---

**The pm-skills repository provides declarative markdown skills that enable AI assistants to execute SWOT, PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, and Ansoff Matrix analyses through simple command invocations, with the `market-scan` command orchestrating all four frameworks into a single comprehensive strategic report.**

The **pm-skills** open-source project ships a collection of framework-specific skills under the `pm-product-strategy` package that transform how product managers conduct strategic analysis. Each skill lives as a standalone markdown file defining prompts, triggers, and structured output templates that guide AI assistants through classic strategic frameworks. By leveraging these declarative skills, you can generate professional-grade strategic assessments without writing code or managing complex analytics pipelines.

## Architecture of the Strategic Analysis Skills

The repository organizes each analysis framework as a **skill**—a self-contained markdown file containing a description, trigger keywords, and a prompt template. All skills reside in `pm-product-strategy/skills/` and follow a consistent schema that allows the AI to understand when to apply each framework and how to structure its response.

### Skill Structure

Every skill file contains four core components:

1. **`description`** – A human-readable summary of the analysis purpose.
2. **`triggers`** – Keywords that auto-load the skill when the conversation topic matches.
3. **Prompt template** – A "You are a..." instruction containing `$ARGUMENTS` placeholders for dynamic inputs.
4. **Framework sections** – Structured headings (e.g., "## SWOT Analysis Framework") that standardize the assistant's output.

### Available Framework Skills

| Framework | File Location | Purpose |
|-----------|---------------|---------|
| **SWOT Analysis** | [`pm-product-strategy/skills/swot-analysis/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-strategy/skills/swot-analysis/SKILL.md) | Evaluates Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats with actionable recommendations. |
| **PESTLE Analysis** | [`pm-product-strategy/skills/pestle-analysis/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-strategy/skills/pestle-analysis/SKILL.md) | Guides discovery of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental factors. |
| **Porter's Five Forces** | [`pm-product-strategy/skills/porters-five-forces/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-strategy/skills/porters-five-forces/SKILL.md) | Assesses Competitive Rivalry, Threat of New Entrants, Supplier Power, Buyer Power, and Threat of Substitutes. |
| **Ansoff Matrix** | [`pm-product-strategy/skills/ansoff-matrix/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-strategy/skills/ansoff-matrix/SKILL.md) | Generates growth strategies across Market Penetration, Market Development, Product Development, and Diversification quadrants. |

## How to Execute Individual Frameworks

You can invoke any single analysis by typing the skill trigger followed by your product context. The AI loads the corresponding markdown skill and returns a structured analysis based on the framework's specific methodology.

### Running a SWOT Analysis

Use the `/swot-analysis` command to evaluate internal capabilities and external market position:

```text
/swot-analysis
Product: MyChatApp – a cross-platform messaging service.

```

The assistant loads [`swot-analysis/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/swot-analysis/SKILL.md) and returns a structured grid containing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, plus "S+O" leverage strategies and "W+T" mitigation actions.

### Conducting PESTLE Analysis

Trigger the macro-environmental scan using the PESTLE skill:

```text
/pestle-analysis
Product: SmartHome Hub – IoT central controller for home automation.
Focus: North American market entry, 2024-2026.

```

This processes the six PESTLE factors (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) and provides trend implications for each category.

### Assessing Porter's Five Forces

Evaluate competitive dynamics with the dedicated Porter skill:

```text
/porters-five-forces
Product: Cloud-based CRM platform for SMBs.

```

The analysis produces intensity scores for each force (Competitive Rivalry, Threat of New Entrants, Supplier Power, Buyer Power, Threat of Substitutes) along with strategic implications.

### Generating Ansoff Matrix Strategies

Determine growth pathways using the matrix skill:

```text
/ansoff-matrix
Product: Enterprise analytics dashboard.
Current market: Fortune 500 companies.

```

This maps specific opportunities across the four quadrants: Market Penetration, Market Development, Product Development, and Diversification.

## Orchestrating Complete Strategic Analysis

For comprehensive strategic planning, the `market-scan` command concatenates all four frameworks into a unified workflow defined in [`pm-product-strategy/commands/market-scan.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-strategy/commands/market-scan.md).

### Using the Market-Scan Command

Execute all analyses simultaneously by invoking the orchestrator:

```text
/pm-product-strategy:market-scan
Product: MyChatApp – a cross-platform messaging service.

```

This command passes your `$ARGUMENTS` to each skill sequentially, producing a single report containing:

- **SWOT Analysis**: Internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats.
- **PESTLE Analysis**: Six-factor macro-environmental assessment.
- **Porter's Five Forces**: Competitive intensity evaluation.
- **Ansoff Matrix**: Growth strategy recommendations with specific tactics.

### Customizing Analysis Scope

Add focus parameters to narrow the strategic lens:

```text
/pm-product-strategy:market-scan
Product: B2B SaaS accounting platform.
Focus: Competitive landscape in European Union, compliance with GDPR 2.0.

```

The assistant tailors each framework's output to the specified geographic, regulatory, or competitive context.

## Extending and Modifying Skills

Because the skills are pure markdown files, you can extend functionality without touching executable code. Edit the `.md` files directly to customize prompt templates or add framework variations.

To modify output structure, edit the Framework sections in the respective SKILL.md files. To adjust trigger keywords, update the `triggers` field in the skill's frontmatter. These declarative changes take effect immediately when the AI reloads the skill context.

## Summary

- **pm-skills** provides markdown-based skills for **SWOT**, **PESTLE**, **Porter's Five Forces**, and **Ansoff Matrix** analyses located in `pm-product-strategy/skills/`.
- Individual frameworks execute via slash commands (`/swot-analysis`, `/pestle-analysis`, etc.) that load specific skill templates.
- The **`market-scan`** command in [`pm-product-strategy/commands/market-scan.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-strategy/commands/market-scan.md) orchestrates all four frameworks into a single comprehensive strategic report.
- Skills accept `$ARGUMENTS` placeholders for product names and strategic focus areas, enabling customized analysis outputs.
- All skills follow a consistent schema with descriptions, triggers, prompt templates, and structured framework sections for standardized AI responses.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the difference between running individual skills versus the market-scan command?

Individual skills like `/swot-analysis` provide deep, focused analysis on one specific framework, ideal when you need detailed examination of a particular strategic dimension. The **`market-scan`** command concatenates all four skills—SWOT, PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, and Ansoff Matrix—into a single workflow, passing the same arguments to each skill and returning a unified strategic overview suitable for comprehensive planning sessions.

### Can I modify the analysis prompts without changing the repository code?

Yes. Because the skills are declarative markdown files, you can edit the prompt templates in files like [`swot-analysis/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/swot-analysis/SKILL.md) or [`ansoff-matrix/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/ansoff-matrix/SKILL.md) directly. Changes to the `description`, `triggers`, or framework sections take effect immediately when the AI assistant reloads the skill context, requiring no compiled code modifications or deployment processes.

### How does the skill system handle custom product contexts and focus areas?

Each skill template includes `$ARGUMENTS` placeholders that accept your specific product name and optional focus parameters. When you invoke `/swot-analysis Product: MyChatApp Focus: North American market`, the assistant injects these values into the skill's prompt template, tailoring the analysis to your specific competitive landscape, geographic constraints, or temporal scope (e.g., "2024-2026").

### Where are the skill files located in the repository?

The four strategic framework skills reside in the `pm-product-strategy/skills/` directory with the following paths: [`swot-analysis/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/swot-analysis/SKILL.md), [`pestle-analysis/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pestle-analysis/SKILL.md), [`porters-five-forces/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/porters-five-forces/SKILL.md), and [`ansoff-matrix/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/ansoff-matrix/SKILL.md). The orchestrating `market-scan` command is located at [`pm-product-strategy/commands/market-scan.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-strategy/commands/market-scan.md).