Some of these techniques include:

PESTLE

This is used to perform an external environmental analysis by examining the many

different external factors affecting an organization.
The six attributes of PESTLE:

Political (Current and potential influences from political pressures)

Economic (The local, national and world economy impact)
Sociological (The ways in which a society can affect an organisation)
Technological (The effect of new and emerging technology)
Legal (The effect of national and world legislation)
Environmental (The local, national and world environmental issues)
MOST

This is used to perform an internal environmental analysis by defining the attributes of

MOST to ensure that the project you are working on is aligned to each of the 4 attributes.
The four attributes of MOST[3]

Mission (where the business intends to go)

Objectives (the key goals which will help achieve the mission)
Strategies (options for moving forward)
Tactics (how strategies are put into action)
SWOT

This is used to help focus activities into areas of strength and where the greatest
opportunities lie. This is used to identify the dangers that take the form of weaknesses
and both internal and external threats.
The four attributes of SWOT:

Strengths - What are the advantages? What is currently done well? (e.g. key area
of best-performing activities of your company)
Weaknesses - What could be improved? What is done badly? (e.g. key area where
you are performing poorly)
Opportunities - What good opportunities face the organisation? (e.g. key area
where your competitors are performing poorly)
Threats - What obstacles does the organisation face? (e.g. key area where your
competitor will perform well)
CATWOE

This is used to prompt thinking about what the business is trying to achieve. Business
perspectives help the business analyst to consider the impact of any proposed solution on
the people involved.
There are six elements of CATWOE[4]
 Customers - Who are the beneficiaries of the highest level business process and
how does the issue affect them?
Actors - Who is involved in the situation, who will be involved in implementing
solutions and what will impact their success?
Transformation Process - What processes or systems are affected by the issue?
World View - What is the big picture and what are the wider impacts of the issue?
Owner - Who owns the process or situation being investigated and what role will
they play in the solution?
Environmental Constraints - What are the constraints and limitations that will
impact the solution and its success?
De Bono 6Hat

This is often used in a brainstorming session to generate and analyse ideas and options. It
is useful to encourage specific types of thinking and can be a convenient and symbolic
way to request someone to “switch gear. It involves restricting the group to only thinking
in specific ways - giving ideas & analysis in the “mood” of the time. Also known as the
Six Thinking Hats.

White: Pure, facts, logical.

Green: Creative, emotional
Yellow: Bright, optimistic, positive.
Black: Negative, devil’s advocate.
Red: Emotional.
Blue: Cold, control.

Not all colours / moods have to be used

Five Why's

Five Whys is used to get to the root of what is really happening in a single instance. For
each answer given a further 'why' is asked.

MoSCoW

This is used to prioritise requirements by allocating an appropriate priority, gauging it

against the validity of the requirement itself and its priority against other requirements.
MoSCoW comprises:

Must have - or else delivery will be a failure

Should have - otherwise will have to adopt a workaround
Could have - to increase delivery satisfaction
Would like to have in the future - but won't have now
VPEC-T
Main article: VPEC-T
This technique is used when analyzing the expectations of multiple parties having
different views of a system in which they all have an interest in common, but have
different priorities and different responsibilities.

Values - constitute the objectives, beliefs and concerns of all parties participating.
They may be financial, social, tangible and intangible
Policies - constraints that govern what may be done and the manner in which it
may be done
Events - real-world proceedings that stimulate activity
Content - the meaningful portion of the documents, conversations, messages, etc.
that are produced and used by all aspects of business activity

Dimensions of market analysis

David A. Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis:[citation needed]

• Market size (current and future)

• Market growth rate
• Market profitability
• Industry cost structure
• Distribution channels
• Market trends
• Key success factors

The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market, both now and
in the future. Organizations evaluate the future attractiveness of a market by gaining an
understanding of evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to that organization's
own strengths and weaknesses.

Organizations use the findings to guide the investment decisions they make to advance
their success. The findings of a market analysis may motivate an organization to change
various aspects of its investment strategy. Affected areas may include inventory levels,a
work force expansion/contraction, facility expansion, purchases of capital equipment, and
promotional activities.

[edit] Elements
[edit] Market size

The most common measure of market size is the sum of the revenues of its participants.
The following are examples of information sources for determining market size:

• Government data
 • Trade association data
• Financial data from major players
• Customer surveys

[edit] Market trends

Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new
opportunities and threats. Moreover, they have the potential to dramatically affect the
market size.

Examples include changes in economic, social, regulatory, legal, and political conditions
and in available technology, price sensitivity, demand for variety, and level of emphasis
on service and support.

[edit] Market growth rate

A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into
the future. While this method may provide a first-order estimate, it does not predict
important turning points. A better method is to study market trends and sales growth in
complementary products. Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate
than simply extrapolating historical data.

Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by
constructing a product diffusion curve. The shape of the curve can be estimated by
studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past.

Ultimately, many markets mature and decline. Some leading indicators of a market's
decline include market saturation, the emergence of substitute products, and/or the
absence of growth drivers.

[edit] Market segments

Markets are not uniform. Therefore it is also important for investors to identify and
evaluate the various segments that make up the total market. This analysis helps
organizations determine which areas account for the greatest share of the market's growth
and are more susceptible to change. This information, in turn, helps them pinpoint the
most promising opportunities within the overall market and guides the choice of specific
investments.

[edit] Market profitability

While different organizations in a market will have different levels of profitability, they
are all similar to different market conditions. Michael Porter devised a useful framework
for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market. This framework, known as
Porter's five forces, identifies five factors that influence the market profitability:
 • Buyer power
• Supplier power
• Barriers to entry
• Threat of substitute products
• Rivalry among firms in the industry[citation needed]

[edit] Industry cost structure

The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success. To this end,
Porter's value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for
isolating the costs.

The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive
advantage. For example, in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to
develop a cost advantage over competitors.

[edit] Distribution channels

Examining the following aspects of the distribution system may help with a market
analysis:

• Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the
customer.
• Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to
develop a competitive advantage.
• Channel power structure - for example, in the case of a product having little brand
equity, retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more
margin.

[edit] Success factors

The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to
achieve its marketing objectives. A few examples of such factors include:

• Access to essential unique resources

• Ability to achieve economies of scale
• Access to distribution channels
• Technological progress

It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time, especially as
the product progresses through its life cycle.

[edit] Applications

The literature defines several areas in which market analysis is important. These include:
sales forecasting, market research, and marketing strategy. Not all managers will need to
conduct a market analysis. Nevertheless, it is important for managers that use market
analysis data to how analysts derive their conclusions and what techniques they use to do
so.