Everyone knows it and uses it in projects, the SWOT-Analysis. The letters SWOT are an abbreviation for “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats”. It is often used for analyzing the current situation and deriving actions being performed through a project or programme. A SWOT-Analysis can be performed before starting into a project, during the project as well as at the end of it. The strengths and weaknesses are typically an analysis of the own situation at present compared to another party such as the main competitor. The considerations regarding the opportunities and threads are looking ahead, providing answers to “what if the project was performed?”.

Using the SWOT-Analysis seems to be pretty simple, but there are some traps to consider. Firstly, it should be a team effort to fill the SWOT, not only one person, because the perspective of one person would be too limited. Secondly, the SWOT needs to be based on a balanced view. In Germany for example, the people like to criticize a lot and thus the “weaknesses” would be overemphasized compared to the strengths. In Asian countries it might be the opposite. Cultures with focus on the present situation might have more difficulties looking ahead, whilst long-term oriented cultures would rather focus on the opportunities and threats than the current situation with strengths and weaknesses. Thirdly, it is a dynamic team process to fill the SWOT-Analysis. Killer phrases might disturb that process, or power and politics between individuals or sub-groups involved. Therefore, a proper facilitation is needed, capturing all views, visualizing the results and trying hard to showing the “true picture”. The more the process is transparent, the more people trust in the results.

What can be done with the results of a SWOT-Analysis? Certainly we can build on the strengths and pursue to achieve the opportunities mentioned. The weaknesses can be turned around into strengths and the threats should be taken care of with mitigation measures. All these activities can be performed through a project or form the basis for its planning.