ashermahonin Competitive Analysis
Purpose
Prevent the team from building in a vacuum. Compare the proposed product against real alternatives and translate that comparison into product choices, not generic market commentary.
Inputs
- Define the comparison category: direct competitors, substitutes, internal tools, manual workflows, or adjacent products.
- Pick comparison criteria that matter to the target user.
- Separate table-stakes features from differentiators.
- Name the positioning question the analysis must answer.
Decision process
- Build a short list of alternatives with why each matters.
- Compare them on user workflow, capability, pricing, trust, onboarding, integrations, and switching cost when relevant.
- Call out gaps and over-served areas.
- Identify a wedge: the narrow reason this product should exist first.
- Translate findings into scope recommendations and product risks.
Decision boundaries
- Use Context7 MCP for current library, framework, platform, API, CLI, and configuration documentation whenever the task depends on external technology behavior.
Decision record
- Alternative list
- Feature and workflow matrix
- Differentiation notes
- Opportunity and risk summary
- Scope recommendations
Ready when
- Do not confuse feature count with product strength.
- Prefer user workflow comparison over marketing-copy comparison.
- Call out uncertainty when evidence is thin.
- End with decisions the next skill can use.
Handoff
Hand off the wedge, table stakes, differentiators, and scope cautions to requirements and architecture.
References
references/matrix.md: Use this matrix format for competitor or alternative analysis.