04 · Competitors
WHAT TO CHECK
Competition is not limited to firms in the same category. It includes any option that can solve the same problem, absorb the same budget or make postponement acceptable. The map records the decision context before assigning labels.
Direct competitors, indirect alternatives, new entrants, internal processes and manual work should not be treated as equivalent. For each one, distinguish an observed offer from an inferred threat and preserve the source and date.
A competitor map is revised when an offer, route to market, segment focus or dependency changes. The review asks which evidence would alter the boundary of the competitive universe, not merely which brand is most visible.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Use the question “Which actors and substitutes compete for the same budget, use or outcome?” as a contract: name the owner, deadline, scope and alternatives before collecting more material. A competitive map starts from the customer problem, then distinguishes active alternatives from visible names and potential threats. Record what is deliberately outside scope, who can challenge the framing and what consequence follows from postponement. This prevents an attractive framework, actor list or market story from silently replacing the decision that the analysis is meant to support.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
For every material statement, retain the original source, publication date, observation period, method, unit and relevant population. Distinguish observed facts, calculated estimates, interview judgements and assumptions. Connect the register to the promised output: A sourced competitive universe filterable by segment, need and period. Missing or contradictory evidence remains visible with a responsible owner and a collection action; it is never converted into certainty merely to complete the page.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Define the rules before applying the analysis: inclusion criteria, identifiers, comparison set, calculation or coding convention, treatment of missing values and version date. Reproduce the same convention across every option or actor. Use the page checks as acceptance tests, beginning with “Define competition from the customer's problem and choice criterion.” A conclusion is usable only when another practitioner can reconstruct how the inputs became the displayed result and identify where judgement entered.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Challenge the preferred interpretation with at least one plausible alternative, contradictory observation and sensitivity test. Separate association from prediction and never infer intent, power or causality from a position, score or visual proximity alone. The standing limit remains: A list of brands shows neither relationships, substitutes nor the intensity of competition. State which uncertainty is most likely to reverse the conclusion and what additional observation would discriminate between the competing explanations.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Turn the analysis into a dated decision record rather than a static page. Preserve the selected option, rejected alternatives, objections, accepted risks and first reversible action. Name the signal, numerical or qualitative threshold, review owner and review date that will confirm, adapt, pause or reopen the decision. Link every later update to its author and reason so that the history remains understandable when evidence or market conditions change.
LIMIT
