Competitive intelligence is a systematic process for gathering, analyzing, and managing external information that can impact a company's plans, decisions, and operations. It relies on 80-90% of information being publicly available and believes business decisions should be based on analyzed information from the company's perspective. The competitive intelligence process involves defining questions, gathering and organizing data, synthesizing and filtering the data, analyzing it, preparing findings and recommendations, and following up to update the process. Specific skills needed for effective competitive intelligence include creativity, persistence, communication abilities, analytical skills, and business acumen.