S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS

Step Three of the S.W.O.T. Analysis Process

Brainstorming

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A new approach to Brainstorming (8/24/14)

The third step in the process is an extensive brain-storming session in which all participants are encouraged to address the major concerns which have been identified in the survey documents.

I have included data-gathering documents for The Business, Marketing, The Crew, Projects, and Finances. These should be distributed to each participant as an organizational tool for all the ideas which are going to come out of the session.

BRAINSTORMING

Documenting the ideas

The moderator of the S.W.O.T. Analysis session should be using flip charts with easel, overhead projector or some other method of gathering the ideas as they are generated by the participants. I prefer the flip charts and tearing off the pages to be taped to the wall as they are filled.

You are looking for

The top five Strengths and how they might apply to the top five Opportunities.
The top five Weaknesses and how they can be turned into Strengths or how they might be eliminated or, at least, reduced in importance.
The top five Threats, and how the company can develop strategies to shield itself from the dangers posed by these Threats.

Allow the session to run as long as the ideas being generated are productive.

Typically, the sessions last a minimum of three hours. Often they will last the entire day. I have facilitated sessions that last two days, which is the reason I developed the survey instruments that are distributed pre-session. The survey should speed the idea-development phase considerably.

If this is your first time...

If this is the first time you have conducted a S.W.O.T. Analysis in your company, don't be alarmed if you run through periods of silence where participants are just thinking about the questions before them.

This is a new idea to a lot of people.... to be able to openly express their concerns about the company, what they like about the company, what their concerns are about management, and so on.

Just let it develop naturally. You'll be surprised and pleased with the results.