- Each entry is a fact or a dated observation, not an adjective such as good or strong.
- Strengths and weaknesses describe things the organisation controls. Opportunities and threats describe conditions it does not.
- No quadrant holds more than five entries, and the most important ones come first.
- Each entry names a source a colleague could check, such as a sales record, a complaint log or a published price.
- Each entry is written from one point of view, so a customer's view is not blended with a staff view.
- At least one threat has a named early warning sign that someone is responsible for watching.
- The analysis ends with actions, owners and a review date, not with the four lists alone.
General BusinessContent Creator
SWOT analysis: evidence in each box, and an action for each
A SWOT analysis sorts the situation into strengths and weaknesses, which the organisation controls, and opportunities and threats, which come from outside. Its value depends on each entry being backed by evidence and on at least one entry in the grid leading to a named action, because a grid of opinions does not change what anyone does next.
What people search
SWOT analysis: 90,500 average monthly searches.Google Ads Keyword Planner · 2026-10-09 · United States
Weekly Google Trends values for swot analysis, from October 2025 through October 2026, peak in early February and bottom out in late December.Google Trends · 2026-10-09 · United States
Example excerpt
A filled example for a repair shop
Sample section
Sample analysis for a fictional repair shop, Fenwick Cycle Works. All figures are invented for illustration. Strengths - Two mechanics with more than five years each in the shop, so most standard repairs are finished the same day. - A group of regular customers who book the same slot each month. Weaknesses - No online booking. Most requests come by phone during opening hours, when the mechanics are on the shop floor. - Parts for two common brands are ordered one at a time, which adds a day to some repairs. Opportunities - Two apartment buildings nearby are adding secure bike storage and may want a maintenance arrangement. Threats - A chain store opening two blocks away may lower prices on basic tune-ups. Actions The owner will test a simple online booking page for two months from October 21 and report the change in phone calls. The owner will ask both apartment buildings for a meeting by the end of October. The price threat stays on the list, to be reviewed when the chain actually opens.
Section outline
The grid and the decision it feeds
Scope and evidence date
What the analysis covers, such as one product line, one team or one local market, and the date the evidence was gathered. An analysis of an unclear scope cannot be checked.
80 wordsStrengths
Internal advantages you control, each with the evidence that shows it. Use facts such as delivery times, retention or cost per unit, not adjectives.
150 wordsWeaknesses
Internal limits you control, including the ones a customer or competitor would name first. A weakness with no owner or no plan is still useful, because it tells you where to look next.
150 wordsOpportunities
External conditions you could use. For each one, state the trigger that would make it real, such as a planning approval or a change in a regulation.
150 wordsThreats
External conditions that could harm the work. For each one, note the early warning sign you would watch and how much it would matter if it happened.
150 wordsActions, owners and review date
For the most important items, the action that uses a strength, fixes a weakness, takes an opportunity or reduces a threat. Each action has one owner and a date when the grid will be reviewed.
180 words
Total: 860 words
Quality checklist
Test the grid before you share it
Mistakes to avoid
Where a SWOT stops being useful
Filling every box with generic entries
A phrase such as good team or strong brand could describe almost any business. Replace it with the specific evidence that makes it true, or remove it.
Placing external facts under strengths
A competitor's price is a threat. The price you set is a decision you control. Listing an external condition as a strength hides the way your position depends on it.
Writing only the flattering quadrants
Four strengths and one weakness tell a reader very little. Ask someone outside the team to challenge the weaknesses, and ask a customer which part of the work they would change first.
Stopping at the grid
Lists do not allocate time or money. Pair each important entry with the decision it affects, the person who owns it and the date it will be reviewed.
Share the finished page
Share the analysis with the people who will act
Team link
Share the grid by team link with the people who will carry out the actions. Link each entry to its source where the source can be shared, so the group can check the evidence before it debates the conclusion.
Public link
A public SWOT can show weaknesses to competitors, customers and lenders. Publish only a version checked for that audience, and remove any entry that names a supplier, a person or a negotiation still under way.
HTML download
Download the HTML file at each review date and label it with that date. A set of dated files shows how the assessment changed over time, which a single updated page does not.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free SWOT analysis template?
The four-box grid is simple to draw yourself. What a template cannot supply is evidence. Before you write an entry, note where it came from, and remove any entry you cannot source.
Can I make a SWOT analysis in Word, Excel or PowerPoint?
Those tools are outside Content Creator's output, which is a single HTML page holding the grid and your text. Share that page by link or download it as HTML. Keep the working draft in whichever application your team already uses.
What does a good SWOT analysis example look like?
A good example names a specific fact in each box and links the important entries to an action with an owner. The filled example in this guide shows a repair shop's analysis and the decisions that follow from it, with the figures invented for illustration.
Does a SWOT analysis replace a strategic plan?
No. A SWOT summarises the situation, while a strategic plan chooses priorities and measures. Use the SWOT as the evidence behind the context section of a plan, and keep its actions in the plan's priorities.
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