strategic-analysis
Analyze strategic positioning and explore future scenarios. Use when user wants "SWOT analysis", "competitive forces", "scenario planning", "what if", "strategic assessment", "market forces", "porter's", or needs to evaluate strategic options and potential futures.
When & Why to Use This Skill
The Strategic Analysis skill for Claude is a comprehensive toolkit designed to help users evaluate business positioning and navigate complex market dynamics. By leveraging proven frameworks such as SWOT analysis, Porter's Five Forces, and scenario planning, it enables decision-makers to move from intuition to structured strategic thinking, identifying competitive advantages and preparing for future uncertainties.
Use Cases
- Market Entry & Expansion: Assessing industry attractiveness and competitive intensity using Porter's Five Forces before entering new markets.
- Strategic Planning: Facilitating annual business reviews or executive workshops with structured SWOT analysis to align stakeholders on goals.
- Future-Proofing: Developing multiple plausible 'what-if' scenarios to prepare the organization for technological shifts or economic volatility.
- Competitive Intelligence: Analyzing rival strengths and weaknesses to refine product positioning and identify untapped market opportunities.
- Investment Evaluation: Conducting deep-dive strategic assessments to ground investment decisions in evidence rather than opinion.
| name | strategic-analysis |
|---|---|
| description | Analyze strategic positioning and explore future scenarios. Use when user wants "SWOT analysis", "competitive forces", "scenario planning", "what if", "strategic assessment", "market forces", "porter's", or needs to evaluate strategic options and potential futures. |
| allowed-tools | Read |
Strategic Analysis - Strategy Evaluator
Assess strategic positioning, competitive dynamics, and explore alternative futures. Move from gut feeling to structured strategic thinking.
Quick Start
- Identify what strategic question you're trying to answer
- Select technique based on what kind of analysis you need
- Work through the framework systematically
Technique Selection
| Need | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Assess current strategic position | SWOT Analysis | Balanced view of internal/external factors |
| Understand competitive dynamics | Porter's Five Forces | Maps industry pressure points |
| Explore possible futures | Scenario Planning | Prepares for multiple outcomes |
| Test assumptions quickly | What-If Analysis | Rapid exploration of variables |
Default: Use SWOT for current state assessment, Scenario Planning for future uncertainty.
Techniques
SWOT Analysis
Structured assessment of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Internal vs external, positive vs negative.
Read cookbook/swot.md
Porter's Five Forces
Analyze competitive intensity through five structural forces: rivalry, suppliers, buyers, substitutes, new entrants.
Read cookbook/porters-five-forces.md
Scenario Planning
Develop multiple plausible futures and strategies that work across them. Prepare for uncertainty.
Read cookbook/scenario-planning.md
What-If Analysis
Rapidly explore how changes to key variables would affect outcomes. Test sensitivity and assumptions.
Read cookbook/what-if-analysis.md
Core Principles
- Data over opinion - Ground analysis in evidence where possible
- Multiple perspectives - One framework rarely captures everything
- So what? - Always connect analysis to actionable implications
- Challenge assumptions - The most dangerous assumptions are unstated ones
- Revisit regularly - Strategic landscape changes; analysis should too
When Strategic Analysis Works Best
- Major decisions with long-term consequences
- Entering new markets or launching new products
- Competitive landscape is shifting
- Need to align stakeholders on strategic direction
- Annual planning and strategy reviews
Common Pitfalls
- Treating SWOT as a checklist, not a thinking tool
- Analyzing in isolation (one framework, no synthesis)
- Confusing current state with desired state
- Over-confidence in single scenarios
- Analysis paralysis - never moving to action