STRATEGY, INNOVATION & IMPACT | VISION BUILDING

SWOT Analysis

30-60 Min

The SWOT analysis is a simple tool used to assess a company or programme's current activity by looking at internal and external forces influencing it.

USE CASES

Assess the overall strategic and operational well being of a product or programme.
Identify specific priorities to act on.
Compare performance with competition.

LIMITATIONS

The SWOT tool is used to undertake an overarching analysis of a business, product, service or system. It accounts for both internal (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external (Opportunities and Threats) forces that impact strategy and decision making.

SWOT Analysis | Ducere Global Business School

UNDERSTANDING THE TOOL

Use the ‘Strengths’ section to highlight what the product or business does best. This can be features, pricing, process, team, partnerships, etc.
‘Weaknesses’ should cover internal shortcomings of the team or product. These could be pointed out by, both users and internal teams.
‘Opportunities’ should be used to make a note of external trends and forces that provide a positive chance for the organisation to benefit.
‘Threats’ are the external factors that pose a risk and could create potential loss for the organisation.

STEP BY STEP

Discuss the business: Discuss how your startup or business is doing as you go through each of the four quadrants.
Populate the matrix: Start adding notes into each quadrant, and add any questions or doubts that come to mind.
Summarise and review: Highlight priorities and other key points on each quadrant. Discuss how you could potentially address these priorities.

HOW TO FOR FACILITATORS

At the start: Make sure the participants understand the goal of the activity and the direction. Refer to facilitation questions if they are feeling stuck.
During the exercise: Start with participants’ personal understanding of their businesses and offerings to create a first version, and then dig deeper.
At the close: Have participants walk you through the 2x2 they have created. Probe them on their priorities and how they intend to approach them.

FACILITATORS QUESTION BANK

Which parts of your business are you most proud of?
What are the things that the organisation is most worried about?
Are internal factors likely to bother you, or do externalities worry you more?
What do you think you can improve as an organisation or business?
Did you face any new challenges in the past few months? Are those likely to persist?
Are there inherent risks and threats in the domain you are in? What are some evolving trends?
How is the competitive landscape evolving? What does it mean for your business?

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