Analysis: Conducting a SWOT Analysis #
The Analysis tab provides a collaborative workspace for completing a SWOT Analysis—evaluating your organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
A SWOT Analysis helps leadership teams better understand the current state of the business before finalizing strategic priorities, milestones, and initiatives. Many organizations complete this exercise early in the planning process to ensure their strategy is grounded in real opportunities and challenges.
Accessing the Analysis Tab #
Navigate to:
Plan → Analysis
The Analysis tab is organized into four categories:
- Strengths – Internal capabilities or advantages that support success.
- Weaknesses – Internal challenges or limitations that need improvement.
- Opportunities – External trends or situations the organization can capitalize on.
- Threats – External risks or obstacles that could impact future success.
Adding SWOT Items #
Every user with access to the Analysis tab can contribute ideas.
To add an item:
- Navigate to the appropriate SWOT category.
- Click Add.
- Enter your observation or idea.
- Save the entry.
Team members can add as many items as needed in each category, creating a collaborative view of the organization’s current position.
Editing and Managing Entries #
Each SWOT entry is associated with the user who created it.
By default:
- The author can edit their own entries.
- Company Admins can edit or delete any entry.
- Other users cannot modify entries created by someone else.
This helps preserve accountability while allowing leadership to maintain and organize the analysis.
Using SWOT to Shape Your Strategy #
The Analysis tab is most valuable when used alongside the Strategy tab.
Insights gathered during the SWOT Analysis can help your leadership team:
- Validate or refine your BHAG.
- Identify meaningful annual milestones.
- Prioritize the most impactful initiatives.
- Recognize risks that should be addressed in the strategic plan.
- Build goals based on both internal capabilities and external opportunities.
Using SWOT before finalizing your strategic plan helps ensure your strategy reflects the realities of your business.
Best Practices #
- Encourage input from leaders across multiple departments to gain diverse perspectives.
- Focus on objective observations rather than opinions whenever possible.
- Use the completed SWOT Analysis as a discussion tool during annual planning sessions.
- Review existing entries before adding new ones to avoid duplicates.
- Revisit the SWOT Analysis annually to capture changes in your business and market conditions.
A well-developed SWOT Analysis provides valuable insight that helps leadership build a stronger, more informed strategic plan and align initiatives with the organization’s greatest opportunities.