Strategic Planner

Systematic strategic planning using MBA-standard frameworks – SWOT, PEST, Porter’s Five Forces, BCG/GE Matrix, Ansoff Matrix, Business Model Canvas, and more.

No API Required

Download Skill Package (.skill) View Source on GitHub Workflow

Table of Contents

Overview

Strategic Planner supports the creation of medium-term business plans, new business proposals, and portfolio analysis reports using well-established strategic frameworks. It covers the full planning cycle from environmental scanning through to an actionable roadmap with Mermaid Gantt charts.

Key frameworks available:

Framework Purpose
PEST / PESTLE Macro-environment analysis
Porter’s Five Forces Industry competitive structure
Value Chain Internal capability assessment
SWOT / Cross-SWOT Strategy option derivation
Business Model Canvas / Lean Canvas Business model design
BCG Matrix / GE Matrix Portfolio investment allocation
Ansoff Matrix Growth strategy direction
Balanced Scorecard Strategic KPI structure

When to Use

  • Medium-term business plan – “Create a 3-year strategic plan for our manufacturing division”
  • New business proposal – “Design a business model for a new SaaS product”
  • Portfolio analysis – “Evaluate investment priorities across our 5 business units”
  • Individual framework analysis – “Run a SWOT analysis” or “Create a Porter’s Five Forces assessment”
  • Strategic roadmap – “Build a Gantt-based execution roadmap for our growth strategy”

Prerequisites

  • Claude Code with the strategic-planner skill installed
  • Knowledge of the business/industry context you want to analyze
  • No external APIs or paid services are needed

How It Works

The skill provides 7 workflows that can be used individually or combined:

  1. Strategic Context Analysis – PEST/PESTLE for macro trends, Porter’s Five Forces for industry structure, Value Chain for internal strengths. Produces an environmental scan report.
  2. SWOT Analysis & Strategic Options – Consolidate findings into a SWOT matrix, then derive strategies using Cross-SWOT (SO/WO/ST/WT quadrants). Prioritize options using weighted scoring.
  3. Vision & Strategic Objectives – Craft a vision statement, align with mission, set strategic objectives across Balanced Scorecard perspectives (financial, customer, process, learning), and build a KPI hierarchy.
  4. Business Model Design – Create a Business Model Canvas (9 building blocks) or Lean Canvas (for startups/new ventures). Design the value proposition and revenue model.
  5. Portfolio Analysis – Apply BCG Matrix (Star/Cash Cow/Question Mark/Dog), GE/McKinsey 9-cell matrix, and Ansoff Matrix. Produce investment allocation recommendations.
  6. Strategic Initiatives & Roadmap – Convert strategy options into concrete initiatives, prioritize by strategic fit / feasibility / impact / urgency, build a Mermaid Gantt roadmap, and set milestones.
  7. Medium-Term Plan Integration – Merge all analyses into a complete plan document: executive summary, financials, investment plan, risk matrix, governance structure, and KPI dashboard.

Typical deliverable combinations

Deliverable Required Workflows Optional
Medium-term business plan 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 4
New business proposal 1, 2, 4 3, 6
Portfolio analysis report 1, 5 2
SWOT analysis report 1, 2 –

Framework Selection Guide

Different situations call for different frameworks. Use the table below to pick the right starting point:

You want to… Recommended Framework Why
Understand macro trends (regulation, economy, demographics) PEST / PESTLE Scans external forces beyond the industry level
Assess industry profitability and competitive pressure Porter’s Five Forces Maps structural forces that determine margins
Identify internal strengths and weaknesses Value Chain Pinpoints where value is created or lost within the organization
Generate actionable strategy options Cross-SWOT Combines internal and external factors into four strategy quadrants
Design or redesign a business model Business Model Canvas / Lean Canvas Visualizes the full business logic on one page
Decide where to invest across multiple businesses BCG Matrix / GE Matrix Classifies business units by growth potential and competitive position
Choose a growth direction Ansoff Matrix Clarifies trade-offs between market penetration, development, product development, and diversification

Data-Backing Caveats

Strategic analysis is only as strong as the data behind it. Keep these points in mind:

  • SWOT entries should be evidence-based. Replace “strong brand” with “78% brand recognition in target segment (industry avg: 45%).” Unsupported claims weaken the analysis.
  • Porter’s Five Forces requires market data. Without industry concentration ratios, switching cost estimates, or substitute pricing data, the assessment becomes opinion. Reference industry reports or public filings where possible.
  • BCG and GE matrices depend on reliable market sizing. Growth rates and market share figures must come from credible sources (industry associations, analyst reports). Flag any figures that are estimates.
  • Financial projections in medium-term plans are hypotheses, not forecasts. Always include sensitivity analysis showing optimistic, base, and pessimistic scenarios. State assumptions explicitly.
  • Claude generates analysis based on the information you provide. If your inputs are incomplete or biased, the output will reflect that. Supplement Claude’s analysis with primary research (customer interviews, competitive intelligence, financial data).

Reference Files and Templates

The skill bundles three reference guides and three output templates:

File Type Contents
references/strategic_analysis_frameworks.md Reference Detailed PEST/Porter/Value Chain methodology
references/business_model_frameworks.md Reference BMC, Lean Canvas, Value Proposition Canvas guides
references/portfolio_matrix_frameworks.md Reference BCG, GE/McKinsey, Ansoff detailed procedures
assets/strategic_plan_template.md Template Medium-term business plan (13 sections)
assets/new_business_proposal_template.md Template New business proposal document
assets/portfolio_analysis_template.md Template Portfolio analysis report with matrices

Usage Examples

Example 1: Medium-term business plan 

Create a 3-year medium-term business plan for a mid-size manufacturer
(annual revenue: 50B JPY). Key challenge: transition from ICE to EV
components. Include PEST, Porter 5F, SWOT, portfolio analysis,
financial targets, and execution roadmap.

Example 2: New business proposal 

Design a SaaS business model for an AI-powered document management
platform targeting SMBs. Use Lean Canvas and include a value
proposition analysis, revenue model, and key metrics.

Example 3: SWOT and strategic options 

Run a Cross-SWOT analysis for our retail chain.
Strengths: strong brand, 200 locations.
Weaknesses: no e-commerce, aging IT systems.
Opportunities: online-to-offline, subscription models.
Threats: Amazon, rising rent costs.
Derive prioritized strategic options.

Example 4: Portfolio analysis for a conglomerate 

We have 4 business units:
A) Enterprise software (high growth, market leader)
B) Legacy hardware (flat growth, #1 share)
C) Cloud services (high growth, #4 in market)
D) Print services (declining, small share)
Run BCG and Ansoff analysis and recommend investment allocation.

Example 5: Business Model Canvas for a platform business 

We're building a B2B marketplace connecting manufacturers
with logistics providers. Create a Business Model Canvas
covering all 9 blocks, and identify the key revenue model
options (transaction fee, subscription, or hybrid).

Tips & Best Practices

  • Ground analysis in data. Avoid vague SWOT entries like “strong brand.” Instead use measurable statements: “Brand recognition at 78% in target segment (industry average: 45%).”
  • Cross-SWOT over plain SWOT. A plain SWOT list is descriptive; Cross-SWOT generates actionable strategy options from the intersections.
  • Limit initiatives. A plan with 20 strategic initiatives lacks focus. Aim for 5-7 high-priority initiatives.
  • Use Mermaid Gantt for roadmaps. The visual timeline helps stakeholders grasp phasing and dependencies at a glance.
  • Write the executive summary last. Complete all analysis first, then distill the key messages into a concise one-page summary.
  • Validate portfolio scoring criteria upfront. Agree on evaluation weights with stakeholders before scoring business units to avoid bias debates later.

Troubleshooting

SWOT analysis is too vague to be actionable

Symptom: SWOT entries like “good team” or “market opportunity” without specifics.

Solution: Provide Claude with concrete data points – financial metrics, market share figures, customer survey results, or competitor benchmarks. Ask Claude to rewrite each SWOT entry with a measurable indicator. If data is unavailable, label entries as “(estimate)” and plan primary research to validate them.

Strategic plan has too many initiatives

Symptom: The plan lists 15-20 initiatives with no clear prioritization.

Solution: Ask Claude to apply the weighted scoring matrix (strategic fit, feasibility, impact, urgency) and limit the output to the top 5-7 initiatives. Use the phrase: “Prioritize to no more than 7 initiatives and explain what was deprioritized and why.”

Portfolio analysis feels subjective

Symptom: BCG or GE matrix placement depends heavily on the evaluator’s judgment.

Solution: Define scoring criteria and weights before starting the analysis. Share these with stakeholders for agreement. Use quantitative data (market growth rates from industry reports, revenue share figures) wherever possible. Where estimates are necessary, flag them and run sensitivity analysis on the placement.