How to do a SWOT analysis

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Strategic planning must start with a base: understanding the resources available (or lack thereof), identifying possible development paths, and eliminating unsuitable options. One way to create such a base is through SWOT analysis, a tool that allows you to analyze what a company does best and build a successful strategic plan. It will also help you identify those areas that are holding back business development and those areas where competitors can gain an advantage if this is not prevented.

What is SWOT analysis
This tool is based on identifying four key factors that influence taiwanese phone numbers business: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is on the basis of the English names of these four factors that the acronym was formed, which gave the name to this method.

Its origin is often associated with the name of Albert Humphrey, a management consultant from the Stanford Research Institute, who proposed a similar method of business analysis in the 60s of the last century. However, some sources say that it originated in the early 50s, as part of research at the Harvard Business School. Regardless of this, it is safe to say that in the early 60s, SWOT analysis was already being discussed in business and scientific circles, and this method gained popularity in the 80s, becoming an almost integral part of strategic planning and management in most organizations.

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What is SWOT analysis for?
The main purpose of SWOT analysis is to create an environment for successful brainstorming and to better see the factors that can influence business decisions or strategy formation. SWOT analysis is most often used in organizations, but it can be used to assess the personal qualities of a person, individual initiatives, products or projects - for example, to analyze the prospects of a key employee or a planned marketing campaign.

This approach evaluates both internal and external factors—in other words, what’s happening inside and outside the company. Some of these factors can be influenced, some cannot, but understanding them will help paint a clearer, more precise picture of the current state of affairs, and thus identify potential “growth areas.”


A SWOT analysis of an enterprise can point out dangerous “blind spots” in the company’s work, give new insights and develop the right strategy for any situation. For example, a company can perfectly understand a number of its strengths, but only when they are written down next to weaknesses and threats, it will be possible to see errors in their assessment and their potential unreliability. On the other hand, even being aware of its weaknesses, a company can conduct a systematic analysis of its activities and see opportunities that can compensate for these weaknesses.

SWOT analysis can also identify a market niche where a company has a competitive advantage and suggest ways to develop in that direction. For example, a textile manufacturing company may see opportunities in the hotel business by offering hotel chains exclusive, high-quality bed linen with a unique design.

Advantages and Disadvantages of SWOT Analysis
Like any method, SWOT analysis has its "yes" and "no". Among the advantages are:

The ability to see the bigger picture. The daily routine can sometimes be too overwhelming - SWOT analysis allows you to "step back" and look at your business, project or idea from a new angle.
Cross-functional vision. By involving representatives from different departments, a much more comprehensive picture can be created that takes into account a wide variety of aspects.
A clear analysis of the factors that influence a company, project, idea or person; their visual representation. This allows you to systematize the existing base and build on it when drawing up development plans.
The ability to see hidden problems and find creative ideas to help solve them.
However, the method also has its limitations:

It is not always possible to discover all the important factors influencing development. Some strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats may be missed or misinterpreted.
Subjectivity. All factors are usually generated based on personal experience or perceptions of the working group members, and this can leave an imprint on the result, taking it away from reality.
Limited "shelf life". SWOT analysis is a current snapshot that does not take into account possible changes in factors in the future, and after some time the results obtained may lose their relevance.

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