Research

Research Skill

When This Skill Activates

This skill loads automatically when you mention:

• competitor analysis, competitor intelligence
• market research, market sizing
• TAM SAM SOM analysis, industry analysis
• trend analysis, topic research, deep dive analysis
• landscape analysis, company research, person research
• thought leader research, content research
• source gathering, fact checking, data gathering
• benchmarking, competitive benchmarking
• SWOT analysis, Porter's Five Forces
• market mapping, competitive landscape
• industry report, white space analysis
• technology trends, emerging trends
• signal detection, industry trends, consumer trends
• market trends, strategic research

Research Framework

SWOT Analysis (Strategic)

Strengths — What you/company does well Weaknesses — Internal gaps vs competitors Opportunities — Market gaps, emerging demand, underserved segments Threats — Competitor moves, regulatory, market saturation

Output: 4-6 items per category, ranked by impact

Porter's Five Forces (Competitive)

1. Threat of new entrants — Barriers to entry, capital, switching costs
2. Bargaining power of suppliers — Supplier concentration, switching costs
3. Bargaining power of buyers — Customer concentration, switching costs
4. Threat of substitutes — Alternative solutions, indirect competition
5. Competitive intensity — Number of competitors, growth rate, differentiation

Output: Competitive intensity score (1-10), strategic implications

TAM/SAM/SOM (Market Sizing)

TAM (Total Addressable Market): Entire market if you captured 100% SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market): Market you can realistically reach SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market): Your realistic 3-5 year target

Method:

1. Research total market size (Statista, IBISWorld, McKinsey)
2. Apply relevant segment filters (geography, industry, use case)
3. Estimate addressable % (realistic geographic/segment penetration)
4. Project growth rate (CAGR from trends)
5. Calculate TAM → SAM → SOM

Output: Quantified market sizing with confidence bounds

Research Methodology

Data Sources Priority

1. Primary research (highest credibility)

   • Survey results, interviews, academic studies
   • Company financial reports (10-K, 10-Q)
   • Official announcements

2. Secondary research

   • Industry reports (Statista, IBISWorld, Gartner, Forrester)
   • News articles, press releases
   • Analyst reports
   • Wikipedia, company websites

3. Tertiary research (lowest credibility)

   • Blog posts, social media
   • Forums (Reddit, Hacker News)
   • YouTube commentary

Search Strategy

Phase 1: Broad discovery ("X market trends 2026")

• Get 10-15 top results
• Identify 3-5 authoritative sources

Phase 2: Deep dive (specific questions)

• "[Company] competitive advantages"
• "[Industry] regulatory landscape"
• "[Trend] adoption rate by segment"

Phase 3: Validation (cross-reference)

• Verify conflicting data
• Check publication dates (freshness)
• Note confidence levels

Output Standards

Always include:

• Research date (today's date)
• Sources cited (minimum 3 authoritative sources)
• Confidence levels (95% = 2+ academic sources; 75% = mixed sources; 50% = emerging/unvalidated)
• Assumptions made (TAM calculation methodology, geographic scope)
• Data gaps identified (what's missing, why)
• Key takeaways (3-5 actionable insights)

Never:

• Fabricate data or sources
• Claim high confidence without 3+ sources
• Ignore contradictory findings (note them)
• Skip publication dates (data freshness)
• Present opinions as facts

Common Research Deliverables

Competitive Intelligence Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- 5 key competitors analyzed
- Market leader: [Company X] with [X%] market share
- Our competitive advantage: [Y]

COMPETITOR MATRIX
- Direct competitors (same market)
- Indirect competitors (alternative solutions)
- Emerging competitors (startups)

STRENGTH/WEAKNESS ANALYSIS
- Each competitor: pricing, features, go-to-market, brand
- Our positioning: differentiation map

OPPORTUNITIES
- Feature gaps (customer complaints, unmet needs)
- Market gaps (geographic, vertical, use case)
- Pricing opportunities

Market Sizing Report

TAM/SAM/SOM ANALYSIS
- TAM: $X billion (methodology: bottom-up / top-down)
- SAM: $Y billion (realistic addressable %)
- SOM: $Z million (5-year projection)

GROWTH DRIVERS
- 1. [Trend]: +X% CAGR
- 2. [Trend]: +Y% CAGR
- 3. [Trend]: +Z% CAGR

MARKET SEGMENTATION
- By industry, geography, company size, use case
- Fastest growing: [Segment] at +X% CAGR
- Most lucrative: [Segment] at $X billion

Trend Analysis Report

TREND: [Emerging technology / consumer behavior / market shift]

EVIDENCE
- Search volume: +X% YoY (Google Trends)
- News mentions: +Y articles in past 6 months
- Job postings: +Z% YoY (LinkedIn)
- Patent filings: +N% YoY (Google Patents)

ADOPTION FORECAST
- Hype cycle phase: [Introduction / Growth / Maturity / Decline]
- Time to mainstream: [X years]
- Market impact: [$X billion opportunity]

IMPLICATIONS
- Winners: Companies positioned for [outcome]
- Losers: Companies dependent on [old model]
- Opportunities: [Use case gaps]

See Also

• frameworks.md — SWOT, Porter's Five Forces, Jobs-to-Be-Done, PESTLE
• sources.md — Authoritative research databases, academic journals, industry reports
• templates.md — Competitor analysis, market sizing, trend analysis templates
• tools.md — Firecrawl, LinkedIn MCP, web search, fact-checking tools