Introduction

When tasked with industry analysis in a domain completely unfamiliar to you, the common approach is to search for a pile of materials and then compile a report based on intuition. The problem is that data collection becomes aimless, often resulting in a collection of scattered points rather than structural认知 (cognition).

The “Industry Analysis Expert” Skill aims to solve this problem. It employs a fixed methodology to transform “rapidly grasping a陌生 (unfamiliar) industry” into a repeatable process: first determining the industry’s current stage, then expanding the analysis across six dimensions, and finally outputting a structured PDF research report. The following introduces its positioning, methods, and usage.

What is This

Industry Analysis Expert is a community-contributed Skill located at @user_69076b28/industry-research-expert. The current version is 1.0.4, categorized as professional, sourced from the community, and published by user_69076b28. It does not require an API key (tag requires_api_key=false).

In one sentence: It helps establish a systematic understanding of an unfamiliar industry within 1-3 days and outputs a structured PDF research report.

It is driven by two sets of methodologies:

  • Four-Dimensional Lifecycle Analysis Framework: Different stages of the industry lifecycle require different analytical focuses, rather than applying equal effort to everything. This answers “which dimensions to look at.”
  • McKinsey Information Preparation Method: Hypothesis-driven rather than data-driven; start with conjectures and then seek evidence to verify them. This answers “how to conduct research.”

Core Methods

Lifecycle Positioning

Quickly determine whether the industry is in the introduction, growth, or maturity stage through three indicators:

  1. Penetration rate
  2. Competitive landscape of top players
  3. Policy intensity

The role of this layer is to determine the focus of subsequent analysis. For the introduction stage, look at potential; for the growth stage, look at growth rates; for the maturity stage, look at the market structure. Effort is not distributed equally.

Six-Dimensional Analysis Engine

After positioning the lifecycle, expand the analysis across six dimensions:

  • Feasibility: Examine sales, profit, and innovation in layers.
  • Scale: TAM/SAM/SOM three-tier market sizing with cross-validation.
  • Defensibility: Four categories of moat screening plus dynamic testing.
  • Profitability: Value chain mapping, profit distribution, and bargaining power.
  • External Factors: PEST four-element scan.
  • Prosperity: Tracking of high-frequency core indicators.

These six dimensions cover the major aspects of an industry ranging from market size to competitive barriers and the external environment. Combined with lifecycle positioning, they form a relatively complete analytical skeleton.

Hypothesis-Driven Data Collection

First, propose 3-5 initial hypotheses, break them down into verification checklists, and then collect evidence in a targeted manner. This step corresponds to the McKinsey Information Preparation Method: instead of aimlessly searching for data first, you go looking for evidence with conjectures in mind to verify or refute hypotheses.

The benefit of doing this is to avoid data overload and avoid being misled by noise in search results.

SCQR Report Output

The report is organized in a four-part structure of “Empty-Rain-Wet-Umbrella” (Situation-Complication-Question-Resolution) and dynamically adjusts detail based on the audience:

  • Bosses: Focus on conclusions and decision-making recommendations.
  • Clients: Focus on market opportunities and value propositions.
  • Peers: Focus on analytical frameworks and data details.

This structure is the SCQR narrative framework commonly used by McKinsey, giving the report a clear logical progression rather than being a pile of data.

Automatic PDF Generation

After the report is completed, the pdf skill is called to generate a complete research report including a cover, table of contents, main body, and appendix. This means the final deliverable is not Markdown, but a PDF file ready for distribution.

Installation and Activation

This Skill is based on the universal SKILL.md format and can be activated in Agent environments that support this format (Cursor, Codex CLI, Claude Code, etc.).

The installation method is subject to the SkillHub platform page. Official addresses:

https://api.skillhub.cn/user_69076b28/industry-research-expert

SkillHub Page:

https://www.skillhub.cn/skills/user_69076b28/industry-research-expert

Specific installation commands were not provided in the retrieved data; please refer to the pages above. This Skill does not require an API key and can be triggered in conversations once activated.

Typical Usage

This Skill is triggered when you say phrases like “Help me research the XX industry,” “Analyze the XX industry,” “XX Industry Research Report,” “Quick industry research,” “Industry survey report,” etc. Chinese and English trigger words include: Industry Research, Industry Analysis, Quickly understand an industry, Industry Survey, Industry Report, Market Research, industry analysis, market analysis, etc.

A reproducible workflow is:

  1. Tell the Agent “Help me research the humanoid robot industry.”
  2. The Skill first performs lifecycle positioning, then expands to six-dimensional analysis.
  3. Hypothesis-driven data collection to verify 3-5 initial hypotheses.
  4. Organize the report according to the SCQR structure, adjusting detail based on the audience.
  5. Call the pdf skill to output a complete PDF.

Use Cases and Notes

Who it is suitable for:

  • Researchers or analysts who need to quickly enter an unfamiliar industry and establish systematic cognition.
  • Practitioners who need to produce industry research reports in a short time.
  • Agent users who want to use a fixed framework instead of organizing materials based on intuition.

Limitations and pitfalls:

  • It relies on the Agent’s own data collection capabilities. The quality of hypothesis-driven verification depends on the evidence the Agent can find; accuracy of conclusions is not guaranteed.
  • PDF generation depends on the pdf skill; that skill must be available.
  • Rating and download data are snapshots at the time of retrieval and will change over time.

Conclusion

The value of the Industry Analysis Expert lies in transforming “quickly understanding an industry” from relying on personal experience into a repeatable process: lifecycle positioning sets the focus, six-dimensional analysis builds the skeleton, hypothesis-driving controls the direction, SCQR defines the structure, and finally outputs a PDF. For users who frequently deal with unfamiliar industries, this saves the time of re-exploring analytical frameworks.

Official Address: https://api.skillhub.cn/user_69076b28/industry-research-expert