From PRD-Driven Context Engineering
Maps the competitive landscape for PRD v0.2 Market Definition, analyzing competitors, market gaps, and feature comparisons to produce competitive intelligence and positioning rules.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/prd-ce:prd-v02-competitive-landscape-mappingThis skill is limited to the following tools:
The summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Understand market reality before defining your position.
Understand market reality before defining your position.
v0.1 Spark (Problem + Value) → Competitive Landscape Mapping → Product Type Classification
(what hurts) (who else solves it) (how we compete)
This skill requires prior work from v0.1:
This skill assumes v0.1 Spark is complete (both problem and value).
This skill creates/updates:
All CFD competitive intelligence entries should include:
confidence: 2-3/5 (based on evidence tier from public sources + user validation)Example competitive intelligence entry:
CFD-042: Competitive Intelligence — Competitor Landscape Analysis
Type: Competitive Intelligence
Date: 2026-02-01
Confidence: 3/5 (source: public-research + 3-customer-interviews)
Competitors Analyzed: 4 direct + 2 adjacent
Primary Gap: All competitors require enterprise licensing; SMB segment underserved
Feature Matrix: [Link to matrix]
1% Hypothesis: "SMB sales teams can get 80% of [Competitor A] features for 40% of price"
Evidence:
- CFD-001: 3 SMB teams paying $500/mo but using only 5 of 20 features
- CFD-015: Value hypothesis shows $12,500/year need for core 5 features only
Next Target: "Would move to 4/5 if we validate with 5+ SMB prospects willing to pay $200/mo"
| Element | Definition | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Current Behavior | How users solve this today | Observed workflow |
| Direct Competitors | Products solving same problem | Revenue/funding proof |
| Adjacent Solutions | Products solving related problems | User overlap |
| Workarounds | DIY solutions (spreadsheets, manual) | Forum/reddit mentions |
| Feature Matrix | Side-by-side capability comparison | Product documentation |
| Gap Analysis | Where competition is weak | Reviews, complaints |
| 1% Hypothesis | How we win | Evidence-anchored |
See assets/landscape.md for copy-paste template.
Before searching competitors, document what target users do TODAY.
Current Behavior: [What they do]
Tools Used: [Existing tools, if any]
Time Investment: [Hours/week on workaround]
Pain Points: [From v0.1 CFD-IDs]
| Category | Definition | Search Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | Same problem, same segment | "[problem] software" |
| Adjacent | Related problem, potential pivot | "[related workflow] tool" |
| Workarounds | DIY solutions | Reddit: "how I [task]" |
| Do Nothing | Accept status quo | Why hasn't this been solved? |
CFD-###: Competitor — [Name]
Type: Competitive Intelligence
Source: [Website, G2, Crunchbase]
Date: YYYY-MM-DD
Overview: [1-2 sentences]
Target Segment: [Who they serve]
Pricing: [Model and range]
Revenue/Funding: [If available]
Key Differentiator: [Their claim]
Weakness Signals: [Reviews, complaints]
| Industry | Competitors Serving | Gap Level |
|---|---|---|
| [Industry 1] | X of Y | None / Small / Large |
| [Industry 2] | X of Y | None / Small / Large |
| Segment | Served By | Underserved Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | [List] | [Signal or "Well served"] |
| Mid-Market | [List] | [Signal or "Well served"] |
| SMB | [List] | [Signal or "Well served"] |
| Prosumer | [List] | [Signal or "Well served"] |
Build side-by-side comparison:
| Feature | Us (Planned) | Competitor A | Competitor B | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Feature 1] | ✅/❌/🔄 | ✅/❌ | ✅/❌ | [Our advantage] |
| [Feature 2] | ✅/❌/🔄 | ✅/❌ | ✅/❌ | [Our advantage] |
Legend: ✅ = Has | ❌ = Missing | 🔄 = Planned
We can be 1% better than [Competitor X] by [specific improvement] for [specific segment].
Evidence:
- [CFD-ID]: [Supporting evidence]
- [CFD-ID]: [Supporting evidence]
Why This Matters:
- [Segment] cares about this because [reason]
- Current solutions fail at this because [reason]
Risk:
- [What could invalidate this hypothesis]
| Pattern | Signal | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor-first thinking | Started with competitor features | Document current behavior first |
| False uniqueness | "No competitors" claim | Include workarounds and adjacent |
| Feature bloat | Matrix has 20+ features | Focus on differentiators |
| Vague gaps | "Better UX" without evidence | Add specific user complaint |
| 10x claims | "10x better than X" | Start with 1% provable claim |
| Ignored workarounds | Only listed software competitors | Include spreadsheets, manual |
CFD-###: Competitive Intelligence — [Market/Segment]
Type: Competitive Intelligence
Date: YYYY-MM-DD
Competitors Analyzed: [Count]
Primary Gap: [Description]
Evidence Tier: [1-5]
Feature Matrix: [Link or inline]
1% Hypothesis: [Statement]
BR-###: Positioning Rule — [Title]
Type: Business Rule
Source: CFD-###
Date: YYYY-MM-DD
Rule: [Specific constraint derived from landscape]
Rationale: [Why this matters]
Applies To: [Scope]
references/research-prompts.md — Deep research templates for competitor discovery and gap analysis.references/examples.md — Good/bad competitive analysis examples.assets/landscape.md — Copy-paste template for landscape mapping.assets/feature-matrix.md — Feature comparison matrix template.Competitive landscape complete when quality gates pass. Landscape map informs:
Next: Product Type Classification (How should we compete based on landscape?)
npx claudepluginhub mattgierhart/prd-driven-context-engineering --plugin prd-ceCreates a structured competitive analysis comparing features, positioning, and strategy across competitors. Use when entering a market, planning differentiation, or understanding the competitive landscape.
Conducts deep competitive gap analysis on product concepts, generating feature matrices, per-competitor reviews, gap identification, and positioning recommendations with update suggestions.
Map existing solutions, alternatives, and competitive positioning to understand the problem space.