{"id":1439,"date":"2015-04-24T14:30:03","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T14:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/csm210469\/?p=1439"},"modified":"2017-06-06T15:34:17","modified_gmt":"2017-06-06T15:34:17","slug":"swot-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/swot-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do a SWOT Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2933\" src=\"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/swot-matrix1.gif\" alt=\"Conducting a SWOT analysis can help you plan for the future\" width=\"120\" height=\"60\" \/><strong>Learn how to do a SWOT analysis using the SWOT matrix and become an effective strategic planner, achieving your goals.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s Strategic Planning Anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Strategic planning is just management speak for long term future planning. Strategic planning concerns anything that will bring results in anything from 1 year to 5 years or beyond. It\u2019s good management practice to raise your head above the daily grind every now and then, and take action now to positively affect your future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Definition of SWOT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As with most management models, the clue is in the name.<\/p>\n<p><strong>S = Strengths<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> W = Weaknesses<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> O = Opportunities<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> T = Threats<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The SWOT Matrix Explained<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All the best management models have four quadrants, and the SWOT matrix is no exception. You use each of the four quadrants in turn to analyze where you are now, where you want to be, and then make an action plan to get there.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2934\" src=\"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/swot1.gif\" alt=\"SWOT Matrix\" width=\"414\" height=\"271\" \/>\n<p>Regardless of whether you or your team are future planning for specific products, work, personal goals or any other area, the SWOT analysis process is the same.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 1 \u2013 In the here and now\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>List all strengths that exist now. Then in turn, list all weaknesses that exist now. Be realistic but avoid modesty!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 2 \u2013 What might be\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>List all opportunities that exist in the future. Opportunities are potential future strengths. Then in turn, list all threats that exist in the future. Threats are potential future weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 3 \u2013 Plan of action\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Review your SWOT matrix with a view to creating an action plan to address each of the four areas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In summary;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Strengths need to be maintained, built upon or leveraged.<\/li>\n<li>Weaknesses need to be remedied or stopped.<\/li>\n<li>Opportunities need to be prioritised and optimised.<\/li>\n<li>Threats need to be countered or minimised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>SWOT Analysis Example<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s one I prepared earlier\u2026<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2935\" src=\"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/SWOT-analysis1.gif\" alt=\"SWOT Analysis\" width=\"443\" height=\"513\" \/>\n<p><strong>Sow the seeds and reap the benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s it! Not too complicated, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll agree. The SWOT matrix is a useful tool for strategic planning and achieving your goals, individually or with a team. It\u2019s easy to learn how to do a SWOT analysis \u2013 just try one out for yourself and reap the benefits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lyndsay Swinton is owner of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mftrou.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8216;Management for the rest of us<\/a>&#8216;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to do a SWOT analysis using the SWOT matrix and become an effective strategic planner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1439"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2939,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439\/revisions\/2939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}