SWOT Analysis Overview
SWOT analysis (alternatively SWOT Matrix) is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry, or person. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey.
Setting the objective should be done after the SWOT analysis has been performed. This allows achievable goals or objectives to be set for the organization.
Strengths
- Characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage over others
- Reputation in the marketplace
- Expertise at the partner level in HRM consultancy
Weaknesses
- Characteristics that place the team at a disadvantage relative to others
- Shortage of consultants at the operating level rather than the partner level
- Unable to deal with multi-disciplinary assignments because of size or lack of ability
Opportunities
- Elements that the project could exploit to its advantage
- Well-established position with a well-defined market niche
- Identified market for consultancy in areas other than HRM
Threats
- Elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project
- Large consultancies operating at a minor level
- Other small consultancies looking to invade the marketplace
Identification of SWOTs is important because they can inform later steps in planning to achieve the objective. First, the decision-makers should consider whether the objective is attainable, given the SWOTs. If the objective is not attainable, a different objective must be selected, and the process repeated.
Users of SWOT analysis need to ask and answer questions that generate meaningful information for each category (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) to make the analysis useful and find their competitive advantage.
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