competitor-signal-tracker

Competitor Signal Tracker Skill

Turn scattered competitor information into structured strategic intelligence — not just "what they did" but "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).

• Competitor name(s) and the signals/updates to analyse
• Your product's current roadmap or strategic priorities (to assess relevance)
• Time period the signals cover (this week, this month, etc.)

Signal Categories to Track

• Product signals: New features, removals, UX changes, beta programmes
• Pricing signals: Changes to tiers, free limits, enterprise terms
• Hiring signals: Job postings that reveal strategic bets (e.g., hiring ML engineers = AI investment)
• Partnership signals: Integrations, acquisitions, ecosystem moves
• Messaging signals: Changes in positioning, target audience, value proposition

Process

1. For each competitor update provided, categorise the signal type
2. Assess: Is this reactive (responding to market) or proactive (setting direction)?
3. Rate strategic threat level: High / Medium / Low / Watch
4. Connect to your roadmap: does this accelerate, validate, or challenge any of your bets?
5. Recommend a response: Accelerate existing initiative / Deprioritise / Monitor / Investigate further
6. Validate — Confirm every High threat has a specific recommended response with an owner. "Monitor" is not an acceptable response for High-rated threats.

Output Structure

Competitive Intelligence Report — [Date]

[Competitor Name]

Signal: [What they did] Signal Type: [Product / Pricing / Hiring / Partnership / Messaging] Reactive or Proactive: [assessment] Threat Level: [High / Medium / Low / Watch] Implication for Us: [Specific connection to our roadmap or strategy] Recommended Response: [Action + owner + timeline]

Strategic Summary

[2-3 sentences on the overall competitive landscape shift this period]

Anti-Patterns

• Do not rate a signal as High threat without explaining the specific roadmap item or customer segment it threatens — unjustified threat ratings lose credibility over time
• Do not treat a hiring signal as definitive proof of a strategic bet — hiring signals require corroboration from product, messaging, or pricing signals before acting on them
• Do not conflate a competitor's announcement with a competitor's shipped capability — press releases and blog posts often describe aspirations, not production features
• Do not recommend "accelerate existing initiative" for every High signal — sometimes the right response is to differentiate harder in an adjacent area rather than race the competitor directly

Quality Checks

• Every signal is categorised (not just described)
• Threat level is justified — not assigned arbitrarily
• High-threat signals have specific recommended responses (not "monitor")
• Implications connect to specific roadmap items or strategic bets
• Strategic summary gives a landscape-level view, not just a list of individual signals

Example Trigger Phrases

• "A competitor just launched this feature: what does it mean for us?"
• "Analyse this competitor's price change."
• "What does their new partnership signal?"
• "Write this month's competitive intelligence report."