Market Research: MBB-Grade Analysis & PPTX Deliverables

Execute professional market research using proven methodologies from top consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain). This skill generates hypothesis-driven analysis structured as a four-level pyramid: Segment/Market → Customers → Competitors → Your Company, culminating in a presentation-ready PPTX artifact.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user requests:

• Market sizing and industry analysis
• Competitive landscape assessment
• Customer needs and behavioral research
• Strategic positioning evaluation
• Business intelligence gathering
• Client-ready market research presentations

Quality Standard

Work must demonstrate master-level execution typical of top consulting firms:

• Every insight backed by solid numbers and cited sources
• Strategic rigor matching McKinsey/BCG/Bain standards
• Professional-grade visual design (avoid AI slop: no purple gradients, no centered-everything layouts, no generic templates)
• CRAAP-validated sources only
• Multi-source triangulation for critical findings

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Three-Phase Workflow

Phase 1: Research Philosophy (30 minutes)

Create the strategic foundation using hypothesis-driven methodology.

Execute these steps:

1. Define the problem using SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
2. Build hypothesis tree applying MECE principle (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)
   • Reference: references/MBB_METHODOLOGY.md for MECE framework details
3. Identify source strategy prioritizing free, high-credibility resources
   • Reference: references/FREE_SOURCES_GUIDE.md for Tier 1-3 source hierarchy
4. Generate research brief using template: templates/research-brief.md
5. Establish success metrics and validation criteria

Deliverable: Research brief document (4-6 paragraphs) articulating:

• Core research question and decision context
• Hypothesis structure (MECE-validated)
• Source identification strategy
• Success criteria and timeline

Standard: Brief must demonstrate "strategic clarity typical of top consulting firms" - clear problem definition, structured thinking, actionable scope.

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Phase 2: Pyramídová Analýza (1-2 days)

Systematically collect and validate data across four analytical levels, building from broad market context (bottom) to specific company positioning (top).

Level 4 (Pyramid Bottom): Segment & Market Analysis

Analyze:

• Market size (TAM, SAM, SOM)
• Growth rate (CAGR, historical trends)
• Key market drivers and trends
• Development opportunities and threats

Source priority:

• Tier 1: Government statistics (Eurostat, US Census Bureau, national statistical offices)
• Tier 1: Academic journals (Google Scholar, JSTOR)
• Tier 2: Industry associations, trade publications
• Tier 2: World Bank, OECD, IMF datasets

Validate: Apply CRAAP test to each source (reference: references/VALIDATION_FRAMEWORKS.md)

Level 3: Customer Insights

Investigate:

• Customer segments and demographics
• Needs, motivations, pain points
• Purchase barriers and decision-making process
• Behavioral patterns and preferences

Source priority:

• Consumer survey data (academic research, government consumer reports)
• Industry white papers and market research reports
• Academic studies on consumer behavior
• Trade association consumer research

Triangulate: Minimum 2-3 independent sources per critical finding

Level 2: Competitive Landscape

Profile top 3-5 competitors:

• Market positioning and differentiation
• Product/service offering analysis
• Communication strategy and brand messaging
• How they address customer needs
• Strengths and vulnerabilities

Source priority:

• Company websites and press releases
• News articles and media coverage
• Crunchbase, LinkedIn, public filings
• Industry analyst reports
• Academic case studies

Cross-validate: Compare competitor claims against independent sources

Level 1 (Pyramid Top): Your Company Position

Assess:

• Current strategy and business model
• Organizational culture and capabilities
• Core strengths and unique advantages
• Brand positioning potential
• Strategic fit with market opportunities

Synthesize:

• Internal documentation analysis
• Competitive benchmarking against Level 2 findings
• Gap analysis (market needs vs. company capabilities)
• Strategic recommendations

Continuous synthesis: Create "Day 1 draft" insights immediately, refine continuously. Never accumulate analysis until the end.

Data Collection Standards

For each pyramid level:

1. Source tracking: Document every source in templates/source-bibliography.md
2. CRAAP validation: Score Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose
3. Triangulation: Validate critical findings with 2-3 independent sources
4. Documentation: Capture methodology, limitations, confidence levels

Output: Completed pyramid analysis using templates/pyramid-analysis.md structure

McKinsey principle: "Any solution not backed by solid numbers carries heavy burden of proof"

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Phase 3: PPTX Artifact Generation (1-2 hours)

Transform analysis into presentation-ready PPTX using professional design standards.

Execute these steps:

1. Prepare HTML slides using templates/slide-deck.html:

   • Dimensions: 720pt width × 405pt height (16:9 aspect ratio)
   • ALL text must be in <p>, <h1>-<h6>, <ul>, or <ol> tags (html2pptx requirement)
   • Use professional color scheme from assets/color-scheme.json
   • Apply pyramid visual from assets/pyramid-diagram.svg

2. Generate slide content (7-9 slides):

   • Slide 1: Title - Project name, client, date
   • Slide 2: Executive Summary - 3-5 key findings
   • Slide 3: Segment & Market Analysis (Pyramid Level 4)
   • Slide 4: Customer Insights (Pyramid Level 3)
   • Slide 5: Competitive Landscape (Pyramid Level 2)
   • Slide 6: Your Company Position (Pyramid Level 1)
   • Slide 7: Strategic Recommendations - Action items with ownership
   • Slide 8: Next Steps - Timeline and priorities
   • Slide 9: Appendix: Sources Bibliography

3. Invoke PPTX generation:

   • Option A: Use scripts/generate-slides.js wrapper for document-skills/pptx
   • Option B: Directly invoke the pptx skill with generated HTML
   • Follow html2pptx workflow (see document-skills/pptx/html2pptx.md)

4. Quality validation:

   • Verify all text is visible (check no text in plain <div> or <span>)
   • Confirm professional visual design (no AI slop patterns)
   • Validate source citations on every data point
   • Check slide flow and narrative coherence

Deliverable: market-research-report.pptx - Professional presentation matching MBB standards

Standard: "Museum-quality execution" with "meticulous attention to craft" - every slide should appear professionally designed, every insight substantiated.

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Helper Scripts

Initialize New Research Project

bash scripts/init-research.sh <client-name> <industry>

Creates project structure with pre-populated templates.

Automated Source Validation

python scripts/validate-sources.py <bibliography-file>

Runs automated CRAAP scoring on all documented sources, outputs validation report.

Generate PPTX from Analysis

node scripts/generate-slides.js <pyramid-analysis-file>

Converts completed pyramid analysis to HTML slides, invokes document-skills/pptx for final PPTX generation.

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References

Detailed methodologies are in references/ for deep consultation:

• MBB_METHODOLOGY.md - McKinsey 7-step problem-solving process, MECE principle, Pyramid Principle, Issue Trees, 80/20 rule
• FREE_SOURCES_GUIDE.md - Comprehensive guide to Tier 1-3 data sources with focus on free government and academic resources
• VALIDATION_FRAMEWORKS.md - Complete CRAAP test framework, Six Essential Questions, triangulation methods

Grep these files when needing specific framework details during analysis.

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Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Accepting sources at face value → Apply systematic CRAAP evaluation
2. Cherry-picking data → Use comprehensive search, document all relevant sources
3. Ignoring original context → Understand data collection purpose and limitations
4. Over-reliance on single database → Multi-source triangulation mandatory
5. Outdated information → Check publication dates, verify currency
6. Unclear methodology → Only use sources with transparent methodology

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Integration with document-skills

This skill requires the pptx skill from Anthropic's document-skills suite for Phase 3 PPTX generation.

Setup option 1 (recommended): Add document-skills as git submodule:

git submodule add https://github.com/anthropics/skills document-skills

Setup option 2: Ensure the pptx skill is available in your Claude environment and invoke it when Phase 3 requires PPTX generation.

Reference: https://github.com/anthropics/skills/tree/main/document-skills/pptx

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Success Checklist

Before delivering research to client, verify:

✓ Research brief demonstrates clear hypothesis-driven approach ✓ All four pyramid levels analyzed with CRAAP-validated sources ✓ Critical findings triangulated with 2-3 independent sources ✓ Every quantitative claim backed by cited source ✓ Source bibliography complete with validation scores ✓ PPTX presentation follows professional design standards ✓ No AI slop patterns (generic layouts, purple gradients, etc.) ✓ Slide narrative flows logically from market to company ✓ Recommendations are specific, actionable, and prioritized ✓ Final deliverable matches McKinsey/BCG/Bain quality standards