Who This Helps
This is for you if your team is juggling a dozen ideas but can't decide where to start. The Strategy Basics: Competitive Map course gives you a clear framework. It turns a messy list into a ranked action plan. You'll stop debating and start doing the work that matters.
Mini Case
Your team suggests 8 new features. You map them against two competitors. One idea, a simplified onboarding flow, sits in a wide-open space they've ignored. You test it. Result? A 15% lift in user activation in just two weeks. That's the power of a focused bet.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Grab your team's list of ideas, experiments, or projects.
- Draw two axes: one for customer value, one for how crowded the space is with competitors.
- Plot each idea on this simple map. Use sticky notes or a whiteboard.
- Find the idea in the high-value, low-competition quadrant. That's your winner.
- Assign your next sprint to test that one idea. Put the other 7 on the back burner.
Avoid These Traps
- Don't try to boil the ocean. Picking one thing is the hard part.
- Don't get stuck in endless research. A 30-minute map with your team is better than a perfect, lonely analysis.
- Avoid the 'shiny object' trap. The loudest idea isn't always the best one.
- Don't ignore what your competitors are *not* doing. Those gaps are gold.
- Skipping the 'customer value' axis and just copying a competitor. That's a race to the bottom.
- Letting personal opinions override the map. Let the visual do the talking.
- Forgetting to re-map every quarter. The landscape changes.
- Making the map too complex. If you need a legend, it's too complicated. Keep it simple, friend.
Your Win by Friday
By this Friday, you will have a single, clear experiment prioritized. Your team will know exactly what to build or test next. You'll swap 'what should we do?' for 'here's what we're doing.' That focus is your new superpower.