A SWOT analysis is a technique for documenting internal strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) in your organisation as well as external opportunities (O) and threats (T). You can utilise this information in your business planning in order to help reach your goals. To work out if an issue is an internal or external aspect, ask yourself if it would exist even if your company didn’t. If it would, then it is an external factor (e.g. new technology).
Here is a taste of how to do a SWOT analysis.
How To Perform A SWOT Analysis
1. Choose a leader or group facilitator who has good listening as well as group process skills. In addition, he or she must be able to keep things moving as well as on track.
2. Designate a recorder to support the leader if your group is big. Utilise newsprint on a flip chart or a large board in order to record the analysis as well as discussion points. You can later rewrite these notes, in a more polished fashion, so that you can share these with stakeholders.
3. Present You the SWOT method and its purpose in your company. This can be as straightforward as asking, “Where are we and where can we go?” If you have the time, you could go through a quick example based on a shared experience or familiar public issue (even the new TV season).
4. Depending upon the nature of your group and the time that is available, let all participants introduce themselves. Then split your stakeholders into smaller groups.
- If your retreat or meeting draws a number of groups of stakeholders together, make sure that you mix the small groups in order to get a range of perspectives as well as to give them the chance to introduce themselves.
- The size of these groups depends on the size of your entire group-breakout; groups can range from three to 10. If the size gets much larger, some may not take part.