Basics of a SWOT Analysis

One of the most useful tools that companies can use to assess their strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats is a SWOT analysis. This analysis helps businesses figure out the advantages and disadvantages of all business decisions, as well as forecast future events by considering the most important factors that surround every decision.

Strengths

The S in SWOT analysis stands for the strengths of the company, and the things it does well. Those are all the things that the company does that sets it apart from its competitors and attracts consumers.

Weaknesses

The W in SWOT analysis is for the weaknesses of a business. Understanding its weaknesses help companies understand what business operations they need to improve upon. It’s important to document a company’s weaknesses to better understand them. Having an inaccurate depiction of a company’s weakness won’t give the desired results of the overall SWOT analysis, which can negatively impact a company’s success.

Opportunities

The opportunities element of a SWOT analysis gives the company a chance to document any opportunities that the business will produce if it makes a particular decision. This element allows companies to predict the future positions that the company might be facing if it makes that decision.

Threats

The last element of a SWOT analysis is identifying threats to a business, which include the negative effects the business will face as a result of a specific decision. This last element helps companies understand the obstacles they’ll have to deal with while going through a business decision. In this element, it’s also important to outline the external hazards that the business might face by making the decision. Understanding all the different things a company might face when making a decision can help navigate vulnerable states a lot better when the time comes.