Small business owners must create products and services the customer values, and produce and deliver them in exceptional ways compared to the competition. To meet the challenge, a company must define its current business and operational objectives and goals, while considering factors that impact the same. Companies engage in structured brainstorming, which can be supported by a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The SWOT methodology advantages, such as its use to address a variety of business issues, makes it a desirable tool to support some brainstorming sessions. However, the tool's disadvantages, such as the subjective analysis of an issue, make it less desirable for others.
SWOT Analysis Application
The SWOT method serves as a tool to structure brainstorming sessions. As a result, a problem or process that's addressed using the SWOT tool may be thought of in terms of phases or a life cycle. For example, the strategic planning process consists of multiple steps or phases.
However, the SWOT analysis itself, like a brainstorming session, simply functions as a reusable tool to gain a collection of ideas regarding a particular issue or problem. For example, a business determines on each occasion, if a brainstorming session makes sense to address a strategic plan or competitive analysis. If so, the business then decides if it will use the SWOT method or an alternative tool to facilitate the session.
Advantage: Problem Domain
SWOT analysis can be applied to an organization, organizational unit, individual or team. In addition, the analysis can support a number of project objectives. For example, the SWOT method can be used to evaluate a product or brand, an acquisition or partnership, or the outsourcing of a business function. In addition, SWOT analysis can be beneficial in evaluating a particular supply source, a business process, a product market or the implementation of a particular technology.
Advantage: Application Neutrality
SWOT analysis is conducted by specifying an objective and conducting a brainstorming session to identify internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to the objective's achievement. This approach remains the same whether the analysis supports strategic planning, opportunity analysis, competitive analysis, business development or product development processes.
Advantage: Multi-Level Analysis
You can gain valuable information about your objective's chances by viewing each of the four elements of the SWOT analysis – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats – independently or in combination. For example, identified threats in the business environment, such as new government regulations regarding a product design or the introduction of competing products, might alert the business owner that a proposed investment in a new manufacturing production line should be more carefully evaluated.
In addition, an awareness of a company weakness such as a lack of qualified employees might suggest a need to consider outsourcing particular functions. In turn, opportunities such as the availability of low-interest loans for startups might encourage the entrepreneur to pursue the development of a new product to meet a rising customer demand. In contrast, identified strengths, such as extensive experience in an industry experiencing rapid international growth, might suggest the need to partner with foreign companies.
Advantage: Data Integration
SWOT analysis requires the combination of quantitative and qualitative information from a number of sources. Access to a range of data from multiple sources improves enterprise-level planning and policy-making, enhances decision-making, improves communication and helps to coordinate operations.
Advantage: Simplicity
SWOT analysis requires neither technical skills nor training. Instead, it can be performed by anyone with knowledge about the business in question and the industry in which it operates. The process involves a facilitated brainstorming session during which the four dimensions of the SWOT analysis are discussed. As a result, individual participants’ beliefs and judgments are aggregated into collective judgments endorsed by the group as a whole. In this way, the knowledge of each individual becomes the knowledge of the group.
Advantage: Cost
Because SWOT analysis requires neither technical skills nor training, a company can select a staff member to conduct the analysis rather than hire an external consultant. In addition, SWOT is a somewhat simple method that can be performed in a fairly short time.
Disadvantage: No Weighting Factors
SWOT analysis leads to four individual lists of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. However, the tool provides no mechanism to rank the significance of one factor versus another within any list. As a result, it's difficult to determine the amount of any one factor's true impact on the objective.
Disadvantage: Ambiguity
SWOT analysis creates a one-dimensional model which categorizes each problem attribute as a strength, weakness, opportunity or threat. As a result, each attribute appears to have only one influence on the problem being analyzed. However, one factor might be both a strength and a weakness. For example, locating a chain of stores on well-traveled streets that grant easy access to customers might be reflected in increased sales. However, the costs of operating high-visibility facilities can make it difficult to compete on price without a large sales volume.
Disadvantage: Subjective Analysis
To significantly impact company performance, business decisions must be based on reliable, relevant and comparable data. However, SWOT data collection and analysis entail a subjective process that reflects the bias of the individuals who collect the data and participate in the brainstorming session. In addition, the data input to the SWOT analysis can become outdated fairly quickly.
