Juegos.com Use This Sample SWOT Analysis For Your Strategic Plan – Strategic Planning

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 at 10:53 am

Resource Author Francisco Rodriguez Higueras
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What is a SWOT analysis (also known very simply as a SWOT) and why is doing one important to your business? Use this sample SWOT analysis to help you do your own SWOT. All small businesses need to include a SWOT in their strategic planning. SWOT is a key element of successful strategy development.

The definition of SWOT analysis is that it is an acronym for the strengths, and weaknesses of the internal organization and the opportunities and threats of the environment external to the organization. The importance of doing a SWOT is that it provides an opportunity for small business owners to identify and analyze the strengths of, and opportunities available to, the business. It also helps to identify and minimize internal weaknesses and develop management strategies for external threats.

The most effective use of a SWOT analysis is within the planning process. But analysis and plans must be followed with actions. Develop your SWOT and build an action plan that includes who, what, where, when, why and how to deal with the strategies.

The sample SWOT analysis below will help you develop your own. The best approach is to include key members of your organization in the process. If you are a one-person business; then do it on your own or try to do it within your network of business acquaintances.

In another example, a non-profit organization I worked with wanted to restart a thrift store. They said their mission was to provide a place where people could sell their used and unwanted items. I asked what the proceeds from those sales would be used for and was told the store’s profits supported several local charities. So, I asked if, considering overhead expenses and very generous consignment policies, they would be willing to forgo the charitable gifts as long as people had a place to bring their used and unwanted items. At that point the light went on and the organization developed a mission statement spelling out that their prime reason for being was to raise money for charities. The manager then called all the workers together and explained the true mission. There was a noticeable change in the store and the next two years were the most successful in recent history.

In 1968, Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and delivered what has become one of the most famous speeches in American history. His “I have a dream…” speech clearly illustrated his vision. King saw what needed to be done. He knew what the mission was, but so did many others. He was a major leader in the civil rights movement because he had a vision of what should be…he had a dream and he was able to articulate that dream to the masses. His vision touched a chord and led to real change.

Simply speaking, the failure to plan is planned failure. Without an action plan to begin to guide a business or even an individual, the end result is usually walking down the wrong path along with a lot of spraying and praying going on.

A mission statement on the other hand must be more concrete and define specifically what the organization does. It must be short and succinct. I was surprised to see a large corporation’s mission statement that was several pages long. How many employees actually read that mission statement? Many times, when I ask what their mission is, employees can’t answer. A few years ago, I was assigned to lead an organization with a mission statement that attempted to cover everything they did. No one really knew what it meant, but it took up a lot of space on the website! I gathered my leadership team and we created a new statement, clearly focusing us on what was important. Then we made sure everyone knew it. We even sent it to our customers and told them to tell us if we weren’t living up to our own mission statement. What had been a disjointed group quickly became a focused team, able to complete several projects which had languished for quite some time.

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