competitive-intelligence-monitor

Competitive Intelligence Monitor Skill

Turn scattered competitor updates into structured weekly intelligence — not just "what they did" but "what changed since last week and what it means for us."

Required Inputs

Work from what is given. If any of these is missing, still produce the complete output: fill each gap with a reasonable assumption marked (assumed, confirm) and list those assumptions at the end. Ask a question first only when the core subject itself is missing (there is nothing to write about).

• Competitors to monitor (list of company names)
• Your current roadmap or strategic priorities (to assess relevance of signals)
• Previous brief or last run summary (for diff mode — what's new vs. last time)
• Time period (this week, this month)

Signal Categories to Monitor

• Product signals: New features, removals, UX changes, beta programmes
• Pricing signals: Changes to tiers, free limits, enterprise terms
• Hiring signals: Job postings revealing strategic bets
• Partnership signals: Integrations, acquisitions, ecosystem moves
• Messaging signals: Changes in positioning, audience, value proposition

Process

First Run (Full Report)

1. For each competitor provided, scan all five signal categories
2. Categorise each signal found
3. Assess: reactive (responding to market) or proactive (setting direction)?
4. Rate threat level: High / Medium / Low / Watch
5. Connect each signal to a specific item on the provided roadmap
6. Recommend response: Accelerate / Deprioritise / Monitor / Investigate
7. Validate — Every High signal must have a specific recommended action and owner. "Monitor" is only acceptable for Low and Watch ratings.

Subsequent Runs (Diff Only)

1. Compare current signals against previous run summary
2. Output ONLY what is new or changed since last run
3. Flag if a previously Low signal has escalated to High
4. Keep output under 300 words — brevity is the point

Output Structure

Competitive Intelligence Brief — [Date]

New Since Last Run: [n signals]

🔴 High Priority

[Competitor]: [Signal] → [Implication] → [Recommended action + owner]

🟡 Watch

[Competitor]: [Signal] → [Why it matters now]

✅ No Change

[Competitors with no new signals this week]

This Week's Strategic Summary: [2 sentences max — what is the overall competitive landscape doing?]

Anti-Patterns

• Do not mark a signal as Low priority simply because it is new and unfamiliar — unknown competitive moves often deserve investigation before dismissal
• Do not provide "monitor" as the recommended response for a High-priority signal — High signals require a specific action with a named owner
• Do not include signals from competitors that are not relevant to the stated roadmap or strategic priorities — noise reduces the brief's usefulness and trains the team to ignore it
• Do not produce a diff-mode brief that is longer than the full report — if the diff output exceeds 300 words, it is a full report, not a diff

Quality Checks

• Every High-priority signal has a specific response action and owner
• Signals are categorised (not just listed as "they did X")
• Roadmap connections are specific (not "generally relevant")
• Diff mode output is under 300 words
• Strategic summary describes the landscape trend, not just repeats individual signals

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Monitor competitors."
• "Track the competitive landscape."
• "Produce a competitive briefing."
• "Understand what has changed in the market this week."