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Competitive Analysis

A competitive analysis provides structured insight into the competitive landscape, helping product teams understand where they stand relative to alternatives and identify opportunities for differentiation. Rather than exhaustively cataloging every competitor, an effective analysis focuses on actionable insights that inform product strategy.

When to Use

• Before entering a new market or launching a new product
• When planning differentiation strategy for an existing product
• During quarterly or annual strategic planning reviews
• When evaluating build vs. buy decisions
• After losing deals to understand competitive positioning
• When onboarding new product team members to the market context

When NOT to Use

• You need market size rather than competitor positioning -> use discover-market-sizing
• You are stress-testing strategic differentiation across the whole business model -> use foundation-lean-canvas, or tool-foundation-sprint-differentiation inside a Foundation Sprint
• You want to understand why customers switch products -> use define-jtbd-canvas; it examines competing solutions through the job lens
• The landscape is already mapped and you need the problem framed -> use define-problem-statement

Instructions

When asked to create a competitive analysis, follow these steps:

1. Define the Scope Clarify what you're analyzing: a specific feature area, overall product positioning, or pricing strategy. Identify 3-5 key competitors: direct competitors (same solution), indirect competitors (different solution to same problem), and potential disruptors.

2. Gather Intelligence Research each competitor through public sources: websites, pricing pages, G2/Capterra reviews, press releases, job postings, and customer testimonials. Note what you can verify vs. what you're inferring.