# Pm Company Research

> Build a company research brief focused on product strategy, executive signals, operating model, and market posture.

- Skill: `contextgo/pm-company-research` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add contextgo/pm-company-research`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/contextgo/pm-company-research/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: contextgo (https://skillmd.com/u/contextgo)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/contextgo/pm-company-research

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# PM Company Research

Use this skill to produce a strategic company brief that is useful to product thinking, not just generic corporate background.

## What this skill is trying to learn

The goal is to understand how a company thinks and operates around product:

- what markets it plays in
- how leaders describe its direction
- what product moves it is making
- how its operating model creates leverage or friction

## Use when

- You need competitor or adjacent-company insight.
- A strategy discussion needs a sharper external reference point.
- You are evaluating partnership or market-entry context.
- You want PM-relevant interview preparation grounded in real company signals.

## Do not use when

- The task is pure financial valuation.
- You need customer research rather than company analysis.
- There is not enough source material to make a meaningful brief.

## Research failures to avoid

- copying the About page and calling it analysis
- over-indexing on marketing copy
- using stale executive quotes with no date context
- confusing company aspiration with observed product behavior

## Research frame

Cover the company in six layers.

### 1. Company snapshot

Capture:

- company
- product category
- target customers
- current business model
- notable stage or inflection point

### 2. Executive signals

Look for substantive statements from:

- CEO or founder
- product leader
- business or operating leader

Prefer signals that reveal:

- strategic focus
- product philosophy
- market conviction
- operating tradeoffs

Always attach source and recency when available.

### 3. Product posture

Describe:

- flagship product bets
- recent launches or capability pushes
- packaging, pricing, or positioning moves
- the workflow or user they seem to care about most

### 4. Operating model clues

Look for evidence about:

- product and engineering collaboration
- platform versus feature investment
- ecosystem strategy
- enterprise versus self-serve motion

This layer often matters more than surface feature parity.

### 5. Risks and pressure points

Identify likely constraints:

- market saturation
- platform dependence
- quality or trust issues
- AI or regulatory pressure
- segment expansion tension

Make these reasoned observations, not invented facts.

### 6. Implications for us

Translate the research into product implications:

- what to learn from them
- where not to copy them
- what threat or benchmark they create
- what follow-up research is still needed

## Workflow

### Step 1: Set the research objective

Clarify:

- company
- why you are researching it
- top 3-5 strategic questions

### Step 2: Gather sources

Use the best available material:

- company site and launch pages
- earnings calls or public talks
- executive interviews and podcasts
- product blogs and changelogs
- third-party reporting or case studies

### Step 3: Separate signal from packaging

For every important insight, ask:

- is this a real directional signal or just a brand statement
- is there a recent concrete move backing the claim
- what behavior or product choice does this imply

### Step 4: Synthesize for PM use

Do not stop at summary. Convert the raw material into a brief that helps with product decisions.

## Output format

Return:

### 1. Research objective

- company
- reason for research
- key questions

### 2. Company snapshot

- category
- customers
- business model
- current stage

### 3. Executive and strategic signals

- signal
- source
- why it matters

### 4. Product posture

- main bets
- recent moves
- observed product philosophy

### 5. Operating model observations

- how the company appears to build, sell, and expand

### 6. Risks and watchpoints

- likely constraints or tensions

### 7. Implications for our product thinking

- lessons
- threats
- follow-up questions

## Quality bar

The brief is strong only if:

- it goes beyond generic company facts
- it uses recent and meaningful signals where possible
- it distinguishes public narrative from observed product behavior
- it ends with implications for product decisions, not just company trivia

## Use together with

- `pm-product-strategy` when external context should influence strategic choices
- `pm-roadmap-planning` when competitor or adjacent-company moves affect timing or sequencing