Toggle navigation Toggle navigation. Decision Support Tools. A strength is a resource or capacity the organisation can use effectively to achieve its objectives. A weakness is a limitation, fault, or defect in the organisation that will keep it from achieving its objectives. The most common users of a SWOT analysis are team members and project managers who are responsible for decision-making and strategic planning.
An individual or small group can develop a SWOT analysis, but it will be more effective if you take advantage of many stakeholders. Each person or group offers a different perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of your program and has different experiences of both.
Likewise, one staff member, or volunteer or stakeholder may have information about an opportunity or threat that is essential to understanding your position and determining your future. A SWOT analysis is often created during a retreat or planning session that allows several hours for brainstorming and analysis. The best results come when the process is collaborative and inclusive.
When creating the analysis, people are asked to pool their individual and shared knowledge and experience. The more relaxed, friendly and constructive the setting, the more truthful, comprehensive, insightful, and useful your analysis will be.
More ideas on conducting successful meetings can be found in Community Tool Box resources on conducting public forums and listening sessions , conducting focus groups , and organizing a retreat. Better understanding the factors affecting your initiative put you in a better position for action.
This understanding helps as you:. As you consider your analysis, be open to the possibilities that exist within a weakness or threat.
Likewise, recognize that an opportunity can become a threat if everyone else sees the opportunity and plans to take advantage of it as well, thereby increasing your competition. Finally, during your assessment and planning, you might keep an image in mind to help you make the most of a SWOT analysis: Look for a "stretch," not just a "fit. Therefore one drawback is that it might not encourage openness to new possibilities.
You can use SWOT to justify a course that has already been decided upon, but if your goal is to grow or improve, you will want to keep this in mind. A realistic recognition of the weaknesses and threats that exist for your effort is the first step to countering them with a robust set of strategies that build upon strengths and opportunities. A SWOT analysis identifies your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to assist you in making strategic plans and decisions.
David, F. Strategic Management , 4th Ed. Jones, B. Skip to main content. Toggle navigation Navigation. Assessing Community Needs and Resources » Section Chapter 3.
Chapter 3 Sections Section 1. Understanding and Describing the Community Section 3. Collecting Information About the Problem Section 5. Analyzing Community Problems Section 6. Conducting Focus Groups Section 7.
Conducting Needs Assessment Surveys Section 8. Identifying Community Assets and Resources Section 9. Developing Baseline Measures Section Conducting Concerns Surveys Section Perhaps your people are your greatest strength. If not, consider implementing a training program to raise them to a level that transforms them into a strength. The opposite of a strength might be a weakness. Our example company makes low-cost products that meet the needs of low and middle income buyers.
It enjoys a large market share, but may not be able to attract high-end buyers with either its products or its store appearance. In the SWOT analysis this is considered a weakness.
The Center for Simplified Strategic Planning cautions against over-correction when analyzing strengths and weaknesses. A weakness may be and should be accepted in some cases.
Putting an actionable plan together may even seem impossible to accomplish given the unpredictability of time. Yet the truth is that the simplest strategies see the most sustainable success. Using a SWOT analysis helps make framing your strategy much less complicated. It offers a categorical way to capture present and anticipated conditions that matter. In our last newsletter we talked a bit about the importance of recognizing your internal Strengths and Weaknesses for strategic planning.
Opportunities refer to favorable conditions that if acted upon properly could produce rewards. Threats refer to conditions or barriers that may prevent desired achievement. The way to differentiate between a strength or weakness internal states from an opportunity or threat external states is to ask: Would this issue exist if the company did not exist?
If the answer is yes, it should be considered external to the firm. As you can see, understanding the external environment is a necessity for best chartering strategy. The world is indeed a complex place, but employing a SWOT analysis consistently over time will give you clarity to simplify the conversation.
Focus on your strengths.
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