What is a SWOT Analysis Template?
A SWOT analysis template is a pre-formatted document designed to assess an organization’s or individual’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). This structured tool helps systematically capture these internal and external factors, providing clear insights into elements that can influence success and decision-making.
What to Include in a SWOT Analysis Template
A SWOT analysis is performed to identify a company’s or an individual’s Strengths and Weaknesses, the Opportunities they have or can have, and the Threats they may face. With this, it is essential that SWOT analysis templates used include the complete components needed to perform the analysis efficiently.
Components of a SWOT Analysis
Strengths – For internal factors, list out the strengths of the individual or company, such as the specialization, unique selling points, resources, and assets.
Weaknesses – Also, for internal factors, enumerate the weaknesses, including limitations, weak points, and areas for improvement.
Opportunities – Now for external factors, include aspects such as new markets, strong economic conditions, and emerging technologies that can help the company/individual succeed.
Threats – Another external factor to consider is threats they may face, like competitors, market volatility, and ever-changing regulations for the industry.
How to Do a SWOT Analysis (With a Template)
Before everything, a SWOT analysis is often done with a goal in mind. This can be related to improving processes or operations, or to increasing sales and productivity of the business.
Typically, a SWOT analysis is done by analyzing one’s self or company in the following order:
Step 1: Assess strengths
Doing a SWOT analysis is about examining internally first before moving outwards. For organizations, this often means assessing their internal strengths before comparing themselves with other competitors or key leaders.
Step 2: List down weaknesses
After identifying strengths, it’s also essential to determine which are the weak points and areas for improvement. This way, it would be easier to strategize and take action to overcome said weaknesses.
Step 3: Identify opportunities
Shift focus outward to external factors. Look for market trends, emerging customer needs, partnerships, or technologies that the organization can leverage. Spotting these opportunities helps guide growth, innovation, and proactive moves.
Step 4: Acknowledge threats
Finally, evaluate external threats — competitive pressures, market shifts, regulatory changes, or potential risks that could negatively impact success. Awareness of these threats ensures better preparation and risk management.
After the analysis, strategies must be developed based on them. This involves using each aspect of SWOT to identify points of improvement or discussion. Ideally, the strategies must be related to the overall goal that prompted the analysis. However, in some cases, new ideas and goals are formulated during the SWOT analysis, which may take precedence.
Why Use a Template for SWOT Analysis?
Often, a SWOT analysis is done in a table format. However, others choose to use a checklist instead. Using a checklist, specifically, a digital one, to conduct a SWOT analysis provides many benefits, such as:
Ease of use on the go with cloud storage
Little to no paper to carry around, as everything can is online
Accessible from any device with the ability to connect to the internet
Easier to create templates and repurpose them constantly
SWOT Analysis Example
To assist in understanding the concept of creating your own SWOT analysis, here’s an example of a completed SWOT analysis report in PDF format.
SWOT Analysis Template Sample PDF Report | Mitti (by SafetyCulture)
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