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Product-org-os bcg-matrix

'Analyze product or feature portfolio using the BCG Growth-Share Matrix for investment allocation decisions. Activate when: "BCG matrix", "growth share", "stars cash cows", "portfolio matrix",

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/yohayetsion/product-org-os
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/yohayetsion/product-org-os "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/bcg-matrix" ~/.claude/skills/yohayetsion-product-org-os-bcg-matrix && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/bcg-matrix/SKILL.md
source content

Document Intelligence

This skill supports three modes: Create, Update, and Find.

Mode Detection

SignalModeConfidence
"update", "revise", "refresh" in inputUPDATE100%
File path provided (
@path/to/bcg-matrix.md
)		UPDATE100%
"create", "new", "plot portfolio" in inputCREATE100%
"find", "search", "list BCG"FIND100%
"the BCG", "our portfolio matrix"UPDATE85%
Just a portfolio or product setCREATE60%

Threshold: >=85% auto-proceed | 70-84% state assumption | <70% ask user

Mode Behaviors

CREATE: Plot all products/features on the growth-share matrix, assess portfolio balance, and recommend investment strategy per quadrant.

UPDATE:

  1. Read existing BCG analysis (search if path not provided)
  2. Preserve product list, update market data and share positions
  3. Re-plot products if positions have shifted
  4. Show diff summary: "Moved: [products that changed quadrant]. Portfolio balance: [assessment]."

FIND:

  1. Search paths below for BCG matrix documents
  2. Present results: portfolio name, date, path
  3. Ask: "Update one of these, or create new?"

Search Locations

  • strategy/
  • product/
  • portfolio/
  • planning/

Gotchas

  • Market growth rate and relative market share must come from data, not assumptions
  • BCG matrix is for portfolio analysis — don't apply it to individual features or products without market data
  • Star/Cash Cow/Question Mark/Dog labels should inform strategy, not just categorize

Vision to Value Phase

Phase 2: Strategic Decisions - The BCG Matrix informs portfolio-level investment allocation decisions, determining where to invest, harvest, or divest.

Prerequisites: Portfolio of products/features/business units identified with relative market share and market growth data Outputs used by: 

/strategic-intent
(investment priorities), 
/decision-record
(investment decisions), 
/product-roadmap
(resource allocation), 
/business-case
(investment justification)

Methodology

<!-- Source: BCG Growth-Share Matrix — Bruce Henderson, founder of Boston Consulting Group, "The Product Portfolio" (1970), BCG Perspectives series. Henderson created the matrix as a tool for conglomerate corporations to decide how to allocate cash among their business units. The framework was revolutionary in its simplicity: only two variables (market growth rate and relative market share) could indicate which businesses deserved investment. --> <!-- Source: Theoretical foundation — The matrix rests on two economic principles: (1) The Experience Curve (BCG, 1966): unit costs decline predictably as cumulative production increases, so high market share = lower costs = higher margins. (2) The Product Life Cycle: markets grow rapidly then mature, so growth rate indicates lifecycle stage and future cash needs. These principles explain why market share in growing markets is so valuable. --> <!-- Source: The Four Quadrants — Henderson's original naming: Stars (invest), Cash Cows (harvest), Question Marks (invest selectively or divest), Dogs (divest or reposition). The key portfolio insight: a balanced portfolio uses cash generated by Cash Cows to fund Stars and selected Question Marks. Dogs should be divested unless they serve a strategic purpose (e.g., blocking a competitor). --> <!-- Source: Modern criticism and limitations — The matrix has been criticized for oversimplification: (1) only two dimensions, (2) market share is not the only determinant of profitability, (3) market growth rate is not the only measure of attractiveness, (4) synergies between business units are ignored. See "The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning" by Henry Mintzberg (1994). Despite limitations, the framework remains useful as a discussion tool for portfolio resource allocation conversations. The GE-McKinsey Matrix (9-box) was developed as a more nuanced alternative. --> <!-- Source: Inspiration — deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills BCG matrix implementation contributed to skill structure and activation pattern design. -->

The Growth-Share Matrix

High Relative Market ShareLow Relative Market Share
High Market GrowthStarsQuestion Marks
Low Market GrowthCash CowsDogs

Stars (High Growth, High Share)

  • Market leaders in fast-growing markets
  • Generate significant revenue but also require heavy investment to maintain position
  • Future cash cows if market share is maintained as growth slows
  • Strategy: Invest to maintain or grow market share

Cash Cows (Low Growth, High Share)

  • Market leaders in mature, slow-growing markets
  • Generate more cash than they need for maintenance
  • Fund investments in Stars and Question Marks
  • Strategy: Harvest (maximize cash generation with minimal investment)

Question Marks (High Growth, Low Share)

  • Low share in fast-growing markets
  • Require significant investment to gain share, uncertain outcome
  • Must decide: invest aggressively to become Stars, or divest
  • Strategy: Invest selectively in the most promising, divest the rest

Dogs (Low Growth, Low Share)

  • Low share in slow-growing markets
  • May generate enough cash for break-even but rarely more
  • Can sometimes serve strategic purposes (blocking, complementing portfolio)
  • Strategy: Divest, liquidate, or reposition

Measurement Guidelines

MetricHow to Assess
Relative market shareYour share / largest competitor's share. >1.0 = high, <1.0 = low
Market growth rateAnnual market growth %. Use industry average as dividing line (typically ~10%)
Revenue/sizePlot as bubble size to show relative importance in portfolio

Portfolio Balance Assessment

A healthy portfolio includes:

  • Stars: Enough to ensure future cash flow as they mature into Cash Cows
  • Cash Cows: Generating enough cash to fund Stars and promising Question Marks
  • Question Marks: A pipeline of growth options (but not too many draining resources)
  • Dogs: Minimal; divesting those without strategic purpose

Output Structure

# BCG Growth-Share Matrix: [Portfolio Name]

**Date**: [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Owner**: [Who owns this analysis]
**Portfolio scope**: [What products/features/BUs are included]
**Market growth dividing line**: [X% — the threshold between high and low growth]

## Executive Summary

[Overview of portfolio balance, key investment recommendations, and strategic implications]

## Portfolio Inventory

| Product/BU | Revenue/Size | Market Growth Rate | Relative Market Share | Quadrant |
|-----------|-------------|-------------------|----------------------|----------|
| [Product 1] | [Revenue/indicator] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | Star/Cash Cow/Question Mark/Dog |
| [Product 2] | [Revenue/indicator] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | Star/Cash Cow/Question Mark/Dog |
| [Product 3] | [Revenue/indicator] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | Star/Cash Cow/Question Mark/Dog |
| [Product 4] | [Revenue/indicator] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | Star/Cash Cow/Question Mark/Dog |

## Matrix Visualization


                HIGH MARKET GROWTH
                |
 STARS          |    QUESTION MARKS
 [Products]     |    [Products]
                |

──────────────────┼────────────────── | CASH COWS | DOGS [Products] | [Products] | LOW MARKET GROWTH

 HIGH SHARE ──────────── LOW SHARE


## Quadrant Analysis

### Stars

| Product | Market Growth | Relative Share | Investment Need | Strategic Role |
|---------|-------------|---------------|-----------------|----------------|
| [Product] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | High/Med | [Role in portfolio] |

**Analysis**: [Why these are Stars, what investment they need, trajectory]
**Recommended investment**: [Maintain/Increase share investment]

### Cash Cows

| Product | Market Growth | Relative Share | Cash Generation | Strategic Role |
|---------|-------------|---------------|-----------------|----------------|
| [Product] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | High/Med | [Role in portfolio] |

**Analysis**: [Why these are Cash Cows, how much cash they generate, sustainability]
**Recommended strategy**: [Harvest approach, where to direct cash]

### Question Marks

| Product | Market Growth | Relative Share | Investment Decision | Rationale |
|---------|-------------|---------------|---------------------|-----------|
| [Product] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | Invest / Divest | [Why] |

**Analysis**: [Which Question Marks to invest in and why, which to divest]
**Recommended strategy**: [Selective investment criteria]

### Dogs

| Product | Market Growth | Relative Share | Action | Rationale |
|---------|-------------|---------------|--------|-----------|
| [Product] | [X%] | [X.Xx] | Divest / Reposition / Keep (strategic) | [Why] |

**Analysis**: [Which Dogs to divest, any with strategic value to retain]
**Recommended strategy**: [Divestiture plan or repositioning approach]

## Portfolio Balance Assessment

### Current Balance

| Quadrant | Count | % of Revenue | % of Investment | Assessment |
|----------|-------|-------------|-----------------|------------|
| Stars | [N] | [X%] | [X%] | [Healthy/Concern] |
| Cash Cows | [N] | [X%] | [X%] | [Healthy/Concern] |
| Question Marks | [N] | [X%] | [X%] | [Healthy/Concern] |
| Dogs | [N] | [X%] | [X%] | [Healthy/Concern] |

### Balance Diagnosis
[Is the portfolio balanced? Common imbalances:]
- Too many Question Marks: Spreading investment too thin
- No Stars: No future cash flow pipeline
- Over-reliance on Cash Cows: Vulnerable when they decline
- Too many Dogs: Draining resources with low returns

### Cash Flow Analysis
[Cash Cows generate -> funds Stars and selected Question Marks. Is the math working?]

## Investment Recommendations

| Priority | Product | Current Quadrant | Action | Investment Change | Expected Outcome |
|----------|---------|-----------------|--------|-------------------|-----------------|
| 1 | [Product] | [Quadrant] | [Action] | [Increase/Maintain/Reduce/Divest] | [Expected result] |
| 2 | [Product] | [Quadrant] | [Action] | [Increase/Maintain/Reduce/Divest] | [Expected result] |
| 3 | [Product] | [Quadrant] | [Action] | [Increase/Maintain/Reduce/Divest] | [Expected result] |

## Portfolio Evolution (12-Month Outlook)

| Product | Current Quadrant | Expected Quadrant (12mo) | Driver of Change |
|---------|-----------------|--------------------------|-----------------|
| [Product] | [Current] | [Expected] | [Why it will move] |

## Limitations & Caveats

- Market share data sources: [Where data comes from, confidence level]
- Market growth rate basis: [Source, time period]
- Synergies not captured: [Cross-product synergies the matrix ignores]
- Strategic considerations beyond the matrix: [Brand, platform effects, etc.]

## Next Steps

- [ ] Make investment decisions via `/decision-record`
- [ ] Build business cases for Question Mark investments via `/business-case`
- [ ] Update product roadmap based on allocation via `/product-roadmap`
- [ ] Frame Star investments as strategic bets via `/strategic-bet`
- [ ] Review portfolio quarterly; re-plot positions

Instructions

  1. Identify all products/features/business units in the portfolio scope
  2. Gather market growth rate data and relative market share data (or proxies)
  3. Be transparent about data quality: if share data is estimated, say so
  4. Plot all items on the matrix before making recommendations
  5. Assess portfolio balance holistically, not just individual product positions
  6. Consider 12-month trajectory: where are products moving?
  7. Acknowledge the framework's limitations (simplistic, ignores synergies)
  8. Use WebSearch for market growth data when available
  9. Save output as markdown file
  10. Offer 
    /decision-record
    for investment allocation decisions or 
    /business-case
    for Question Mark evaluation

Integration

  • Links to 
    /decision-record
    (document investment allocation decisions)
  • Links to 
    /business-case
    (evaluate Question Mark investments)
  • Links to 
    /product-roadmap
    (allocation informs roadmap priorities)
  • Links to 
    /strategic-bet
    (Stars and Question Mark investments as bets)
  • Links to 
    /ansoff-matrix
    (growth direction for each quadrant)
  • Links to 
    /context-save
    (save portfolio analysis for quarterly reviews)