Steps to Conducting a SWOT Analysis?

To reap the full benefits of a SWOT analysis it is important to use the tool correctly. The first thing to remember is that the analysis should provide you with information that helps in making decisions. As such, laundry lists of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are not unto themselves helpful. It is only when the potential implications of this information on the unit are conducted that you start to get any really meaningful analysis.

1. Begin the facilitation with a presentation and discussion of the driving forces (Environmental Scan data).
a. This will later help participants to focus on opportunities and threats external to the organization.

2. Explain basic rules of brainstorming:
a. Don't evaluate the idea; defer judgment
b. Quantity is the goal
c. Record each card verbatim
d. Tagging on or combining ideas is okay

3. Brainstorm a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
a. Strengths: What do we do well?
b. Weaknesses: What is done badly? What could be improved? What should be avoided?
c. Opportunities: What are the interesting trends? What are the opportunities available to us?
d. Threats: What obstacles do we face? How are our competitors fairing? Could changes in technology threaten my position? Budget problems?

4. Clarify the SWOT's if necessary.

5. After all ideas have been storyboarded and the time limit is up, categorize ideas into thematic groupings

6. Take the SWOT's within each category, prioritize, and reduce them to the top 5 to 10 ideas (per category)

7. Review each category separately and discuss each of these ideas and the potential implications to the unit.

8. Complete the SWOT/TOWS Analysis by identifying SO, WO, ST, and WT strategies.

Worksheets for your use:
i. TOWS Analysis and Strategy Development
ii. Strategies