Apply Moore's business ecosystem framework to analyze how firms co-evolve through four stages (birth, expansion, authority, renewal) and occupy different ecosystem roles.
SkillScore87Maintained
Automatic
◆Product Management pack
Last verified 8/28/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 23 test cases with the skill, and 7 of 23 without it.
Without skill30%
With skill87%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Identifies the lifecycle stage as authority.
Identifies the future trajectory as authority.
Evaluates current ecosystem stage as expansion.
and 16 more in the full report
13 fixed7 passed either way3 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+57 pp
Tokens
+10%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-20%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/28/2026v120 of 23 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 13 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 13
Prompt
We are mapping the Shopify e-commerce merchant ecosystem. In the Ecosystem Definition section, our analyst listed 'Shopify' as the platform, 'Sellers and App Developers' as participants, but left out the core value proposition. Provide the complete Ecosystem Definition block following standard requirements.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Includes Core value proposition, Focal firm/platform, and Key participants in the ecosystem definition.
Passed
Passed
Places the definition under the header '### Ecosystem Definition'.
Missed
Passed
case-16 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/28/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md101 linessingle file
Business Ecosystems (Moore)
Overview
Moore's business ecosystem framework conceptualizes industries as co-evolving communities of firms, customers, and other stakeholders that collectively create and capture value. Ecosystems progress through four stages (birth, expansion, authority, renewal), and participants occupy distinct roles — keystone, dominator, or niche player — each with different strategies and implications for ecosystem health.
When to Use
Analyzing platform-based markets or multi-firm value creation networks
Evaluating strategic positioning within an industry ecosystem
Assessing why an ecosystem is thriving, stagnating, or collapsing
Planning entry strategy into an existing ecosystem or designing a new one
When NOT to Use
When the industry is best modeled as atomistic competition (no co-evolution)
When the analysis focuses on a single firm's internal strategy (use RBV or dynamic capabilities)
When formal supply chain analysis with contractual specificity is needed
Assumptions
IRON LAW: Ecosystem health depends on DIVERSITY and PRODUCTIVITY — a
dominant player that extracts too much value destroys the ecosystem
it depends on.
Key assumptions:
Firms co-evolve — strategy is shaped by and shapes the broader ecosystem
Value is created collectively and distributed among ecosystem participants
Ecosystem leadership requires nurturing the ecosystem, not just capturing value
Ecosystems have life cycles — what works in birth stage fails in renewal stage
Methodology
Step 1: Define the Ecosystem Boundary
Identify the ecosystem: core value proposition, platform or focal firm, and key participant categories (suppliers, complementors, customers, competitors).
Apply Consumer Culture Theory to analyze consumption as a cultural practice shaped by identity, marketplace cultures, and ideology. Use this skill when the user needs to interpret consumer behavior through cultural lenses, analyze brand communities or subcultures of consumption, decode marketplace ideologies, or when they ask 'why do consumers behave this way culturally', 'what does this consumption mean', or 'how does identity shape buying'.