What is a PESTLE Analysis Template?

A PESTLE analysis template is a digital tool used by organizational leaders and business analysts in listing and documenting relevant factors to be considered as a result of macro-environmental scanning and how they impact an organization’s goals and objectives using the PESTLE analysis method. Based on the acronym Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental, the PESTLE template also has other forms such as PEST and PESTEL templates which also serve the same purpose of helping those who use it to streamline their process of performing the analysis.

Benefits

Commonly, organizations that are able to monitor and adapt to changes that come from or are caused by external factors or the macro-environment can work on improving their competitive advantage over others. One way to do this is through conducting regular PESTLE analysis, which is considered one of the most common tools of environmental analysis.

Often, the ones responsible for this are business analysts, whether internal or external, as well as leaders and managers in charge of strategic decision-making in an organization. For most industries, this kind of analysis is repeated every 6 months on an ideal basis. This is to ensure that organizations are well up-to-date with what’s happening outside their organization and how it can affect their operations or processes. On the other hand, businesses in industries that are more fast-paced and ever-changing can opt to conduct PESTLE analysis as frequently as they deem fit to properly prepare for any changes and major decisions they must make.

Using straightforward, easy-to-use templates while conducting PESTLE analysis helps cut down the time it takes to list all factors and details under each consideration. Since such factors can be quite complicated, being able to streamline processes of identifying and addressing PESTLE factors using smart tools and platforms will be helpful toward a sustainable system of business growth planning. Hence, having a standard template can help reduce the need to repeat tasks and processes when preparing for PESTLE analysis sessions especially when it’s conducted regularly.

What to Include in a PESTLE Analysis Template

The main key components of a PESTLE Analysis revolves around the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental factors. It’s best to organize all questions and answers about one area on one separate page. Here’s a quick guide on how to create a PESTLE analysis template and some common guide questions under each PESTLE factor you must consider.

Political Factors

• When are the country’s next local and national elections? How will these impact state or regional laws and policies?

• Is there any possibility that pending legislation or bills can affect the current policies of the business?

Economic Factors

• What are the specific and general economic factors most likely to affect our business in the long run?

• How does the current economic environment of the country and/or of the international market impact the business?

Social Factors

• What purchasing motivators best represent our customers’ behavior?

• How do we qualify our leads and prospects based on how their values and beliefs relate to our business?

Technological Factors

• How do we keep track of technological advancements?

• What are the emerging technologies that are highly relevant to our business?

Legal Factors

• What are the most relevant laws and regulations that apply to our business?

• How should we align our global campaigns to ensure we’re complying with regional laws and regulations?

Environmental Factors

• How does our workplace location affect the growth of the business?

• Are there any other physical environment-related factors we need to consider as we conduct our business strategy planning?

Include a completion page.

The last page of your PESTLE analysis template must also include a section or one whole page to account for the following:

• Other notes or reminders

• Recommendations and next steps

• Analysis facilitator sign-off

Sample PESTLE Analysis Template

Here’s an example of a PESTLE analysis template when used in Mitti (by SafetyCulture):

PESTLE Analysis Template Sample Report | Mitti (by SafetyCulture)