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

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.

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"

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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