Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
Thoroughly review the four quadrants of a SWOT analysis. Then, examine the supplemental checklist and tools. Each tool gives additional context for understanding how to use a SWOT analysis in your organization.
When Do You Use SWOT?
A SWOT analysis can offer helpful perspectives at any stage of an effort. You might use it to:
- Explore possibilities for new efforts or solutions to problems.
- Make decisions about the best path for your initiative. Identifying your opportunities for success in the context of threats to success can clarify directions and choices.
- Determine where change is possible. If you are at a juncture or turning point, an inventory of your strengths and weaknesses can reveal priorities as well as possibilities.
- Adjust and refine plans mid-course. A new opportunity might open wider avenues, while a new threat could close a path that once existed.
SWOT also offers a simple way of communicating about your initiative or program and an excellent way to organize information you've gathered from studies or surveys.