List of Analytical Tools And Techniques For Competitive Intelligence

by Octopus Intelligence Octopus Competitive Intelligence

This article is a list of analytical tools and techniques for Competitive Intelligence. Before you start you must understand where you are going to start. And there a number of tools for this:

Issue Redefinition
Chronologies and Timelines
Sorting
Ranking, Scoring, Prioritising

Interestingly, traffic analysis is an excellent tool to find out who is talking to who in your market and competitors. As you know, people tend to interact with certain people and organisations for a reason. You may not know what they are saying but you will be able to build a very interesting picture.

Idea Generation

Structured Brainstorming
Virtual Brainstorming
Nominal Group Technique
Starbursting
Cross-Impact Matrix
Morphological Analysis
Quadrant Crunching

Hypothesis generation and testing

Multiple Hypotheses Generator
Quadrant Hypothesis Generation
Diagnostic Reasoning
Analysis of Competing Hypotheses
Argument Mapping
Deception Detection

Challenge Analysis

Premortem Analysis
Structured Self-Critique
What If? Analysis
High Impact/Low Probability Analysis
Devil’s Advocacy
Red Team Analysis
Delphi Method

Competitive Analysis

Benchmarking
BCG Growth Matrix
Competitive Positioning
Customer Segmentation and needs Analysis
Customer Value Analysis
GE Business Screen
Porter Five Forces (Industry Analysis)
Nine Forces (Industry Analysis)
Strategic Group Analysis

What is Competitive Intelligence?

Competitive intelligence is the finding, sorting and critical analysis of information. To make sense of what’s happening and why. Predict what’s going to happen and give the options to help you control the outcome. Competitive intelligence offers certainty, competitive advantage, insight, growth & security.

Enterprise Analysis

Blindspot Analysis
Secondly, Business Model Analysis
Competitor Analysis
Functional Capability and Resource Analysis
Management Profiling
McKinsey 7s Analysis
Product Line Analysis
Servo Analysis
Shadowing
Supply Chain Analysis
SWOT Analysis
Value Chain Analysis
Win / Loss Analysis

Environmental Analysis

Then there is environment analysis using tools and techniques like:

Country Risk Analysis
Corporate Reputation Analysis
Critical Success Factor Analysis
Driving Force Analysis
Issue Analysis
Macro-environmental (STEEP) Analysis
Political and Country Risk Analysis
Scenario Analysis, including:
Alternative Futures Analysis
Multiple Scenario Generation Indicators
As well as, Indicator Validators
Stakeholder Analysis
Strategic Relationship Analysis

Evolutionary Analysis

Event and Time Line Analysis
Experience Curve Analysis
Growth Vector Analysis
Historiographical Analysis
Indications and Warning Analysis
Patent Analysis
Product Life Cycle Analysis
S-Curve Analysis (Technology Life Cycle)
Technology Forecasting
War Gaming

Financial Analysis

Competitor Cash Flow Analysis
Financial Ratio and Statement Analysis (inc. Disaggregated Financial Ratio Analysis)
Interpretation of Statistical Analysis
Linchpin Analysis
Strategic Funds Programming
Sustainable Growth Rate Analysis

Cause and effect assessment

Key Assumptions Check
Structured Analogies
Role-Playing
Red Hat Analysis
Outside-In Thinking

Conflict management

Adversarial Collaboration
Structured Debate

Making a decision

Decision Trees
Complexity Manager
Decision Matrix
Force Field Analysis
Pros-Cons-Faults-and-Fixes
And, of course, SWOT Analysis

List of analytical tools and techniques for Competitive Intelligence

This article was calledList of analytical tools and techniques for Competitive Intelligence. Finally, information sources for this page includes the excellent book entitled Structured Analytical Techniques for Intelligence analysis by Richards J Heuer JR and also Randolph H Person. And, of course the definitive Business and Competitive Analysis by the excellent Babette Bensoussan and Craig S. Fleisher.

Art by Mike Kenneally