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SWOT AND PESTEL / Understanding your external and internal context for better planning

and decision-making /

WHAT ARE SWOT AND PESTEL? SWOT and PESTEL are analytical tools that help identify the key external and internal factors that should be taken into account in order to achieve success in a project or initiative. They are usually used together, and are applied in a group setting to support effective strategic planning, decision-making and action planning. SWOT and PESTEL are cost- and time-efficient means for highlighting key issues relating to the context of a project or initiative which, if not identified and addressed, could critically affect the chances of success. They also offer the benefit of framing these issues in a way that is easy for participants to understand and discuss.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SWOT:

 Experienced facilitator

 Rapporteur.

 Flip chart with plenty of paper and marker pens.

 Optional: Laptop and projector.

 8 - 12 participants representing diverse relevant roles and ideally including decision- makers. (Alternatively, up to 40 participants if using subgroups; see Variations below.)

 1 hour for quick SWOT; 2 hours for normal SWOT, or up to a half-day SWOT workshop for major initiatives; plus preparation time.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS, IF ADDING PESTEL:

 1 - 6 persons with good research/analysis skills, to conduct initial research on the six PESTEL domains before the meeting and also participate at the meeting (they do count against the suggested limit of 12 participants).

 1 - 2 hours to review, expand and rank PESTEL inputs from research, before continuing with SWOT.

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WHEN AND WHY

TO USE

SWOT: Turning around the order for

better results

The term ‘SWOT’ refers to Strengths,

Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors:

they exist inside the organization (or within the

partnership, if relevant to the project being

analysed). Opportunities and threats are

external: They exist outside the organization.

SWOT is a widely used and fairly well-known

tool; the method described here incorporates a

couple of changes from the ordinary SWOT,

intended to produce the strongest possible

results.

SWOT has often been done in the order

implied by the name: first examining strengths,

then weaknesses, opportunities and finally

threats. However, it is recommended instead

to first examine the external factors –

opportunities and threats – and then

proceed to the internal ones. This helps keep

a stronger focus on results, and helps you

identify which threats are ‘critical threats’ (i.e.

those that are compounded by corresponding

weaknesses) and which opportunities are

‘promising opportunities’ (i.e. those that are

matched by corresponding strengths). Those

who have changed the order of work in SWOT,

by examining opportunities and threats first,

often report being amazed at the improvement in

the value of the SWOT process. 1

Any project/initiative that is to be assessed using

SWOT must have clearly defined objectives which

are well understood by participants. Clear

objectives are a kind of lens, through which the

various external and internal factors relevant to

your project can be identified as Strengths or

Weaknesses, Opportunities or Threats. If the

objectives seem to be unclear, then have them

clarified and agreed before embarking on a SWOT.

The SWOT framework can be thought of as a

matrix. Here it is presented with external factors

first. Favourable for

achieving the objectives

Unfavourable for achieving the objectives

External origin Opportunities Threats

Internal origin Strengths Weaknesses

PESTEL: A powerful complement to SWOT

PESTEL, a complementary tool to SWOT,

expands on the analysis of external context by

looking in detail at specific types of issues that

frequently have an impact on implementation of

project/ initiatives. The term ‘PESTEL’ refers to the

domains it considers: Political, Economic, Social,

Technological, Environmental and Legal. PESTEL

involves identifying the factors in each of these six

domains that are relevant for the project being

considered. A special focus of PESTEL is

identifying trends. Thus it is helpful for thinking

proactively and anticipating change, rather than

being overtaken by it.

It is recommended to use PESTEL and SWOT

together. PESTEL complements SWOT by

1 For example, see Michael Watkins, “From SWOT to TOWS: Answering a Reader’s Strategy Question”, in Harvard Business Review online, https://hbr.org/2007/03/from-swot-to-tows- answering-a-readers-strategy-question/

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SWOT and PESTEL / Tools / UNICEF KE Toolbox | 3

identifying specific relevant factors (such as

economic trends, social attitudes, technological

developments, etc.) that are significant for the

project being considered, and SWOT then

classifies them as either Opportunities or

Threats. The more complex your context or

operating environment is, the more value

PESTEL can offer, by identifying factors that

would be missed by SWOT alone.

Applying PESTEL is fairly simple: Of the nine

steps to do a SWOT described below, only

steps 2 and 5 are done differently when using

PESTEL. An extensive set of PESTEL

questions is provided in Annex 2 (see below),

to help participants identify more quickly and

easily the relevant factors in each of its six

domains. If you’re short of time, you can just do

a SWOT. But if time permits, then applying

PESTEL and SWOT together results in a

stronger analysis, a better understanding of the

current situation, and the potential for improved

decision-making.

Applications and benefits

SWOT (and, where possible, PESTEL) can be

applied for the following purposes:

 Creating, or helping create, a strategic plan or an action plan when launching a

project/initiative. This is perhaps the most

common application of SWOT.

 Weighing the pros and cons of major decisions. For example, use them to help

decide on whether to create or join in a new

initiative, to establish a significant new

partnership, to implement new methods or

tools (technological or non-technological), to

help plan a reorganization, to assess use of

resources and decide on how to improve

operational efficiency, etc.

 Reviewing positioning on an ongoing project/initiative at a key moments of reflection,

identifying needed change in the approach or

methods being used, and making adjustments.

SWOT and PESTEL are flexible: They can be

applied for planning or decision-making concerning

an entire project/initiative, or alternatively it can be

used to focus on specific stages or components of

a project. For example, if you are working on an

immunization campaign, you could address all the

various programmatic aspects (supply and cold

chain, any needed training of health workers,

collaboration with government and partners, public

communication, etc.) in a single SWOT, or you

could break out the public communication aspect

and deal with that separately from the other

aspects.

Similarly, SWOT and PESTEL can be applied to

large or small (but significant) projects or

decisions. If time is very limited, or for small

projects, do a quick SWOT in an hour

(remembering to identify the Opportunities and

Threats first, and then the Strengths and

Weaknesses). With more time, or for

projects/decisions with larger implications, do a full

SWOT and PESTEL in about 3 hours, plus

preparation time. With even more time, or for very

significant projects/decisions, expand the time

accordingly, up to a full day workshop.

For a simple issue or question, SWOT and

PESTEL may provide sufficient basis for making

final decisions or creating an action plan. For

complex questions, SWOT and PESTEL will at

least lay a solid foundation, at low cost, for any

further in-depth research and analysis that may be

required. Prioritization of the issues in a PESTEL

and SWOT is typically quick and may need to be

refined when dealing with a really complex

challenge.

The fact that SWOT and PESTEL are group

processes means that they also offer the following

benefits:

 The breadth of perspectives in the group will make the analysis broader and deeper than what .

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an individual could produce in the same time,

and will help overcome individual bias and

limited viewpoints.

 The process will help get a team onto the same page by creating a shared

understanding of the project context and key

external and internal factors. SWOT

participants often report being surprised by the

views of others on even simple issues and

challenges. It is best to surface those surprises

early before they can impede effective action.

 The process will also start the key conversations that are needed to achieve

project success. The connections and

conversations can continue as needed after the

SWOT concludes, throughout the duration of

the project.

HOW TO APPLY

The following are the steps for a SWOT. The

more time you have for the SWOT, the more

time you should spend on the analysis and

discussion steps (steps 5-9 below). If you are

doing PESTEL, a little additional preparatory

research will be needed before the session.

Prepare in advance

1. Prepare a clear, brief draft statement of the project objectives/decision to be

analysed in the SWOT. The statement should

consist of only a few sentences. If you already

have a project plan or proposal that is longer

than one page, shorten it for purposes of the

SWOT. You don’t need to capture every detail:

include only the essence of the project objectives

and expected outcomes or of the decision that is

under consideration.

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2. Invite participants (about 8-12 for a normal SWOT) who will be directly involved in the project,

or in the implementation of the decision. Share

with them, in advance, the draft statement of the

objectives and outcomes. Help the participants

prepare for the SWOT in one of the two following

ways:

 Option 1: Assign some or all participants

to conduct PESTEL research and to share

their findings with you a few days before the

event. Assign responsibility for surveying

factors in each of the six PESTEL domains:

give each of the domains to one person, or split

them among 2-3 people, or assign one person

who is very familiar with the context to cover

them all. The output of the PESTEL research is,

for each domain, a simple list of the key factors

with just enough information to clearly define

each of them. This could be a sentence, or a

brief paragraph. PESTEL research for one

domain (political, or economic, etc.) could run

anywhere from half a page to a few pages.

 Option 2: Simply ask participants to think

about threats, opportunities, strengths and

weaknesses before the event. Although not as

powerful as PESTEL, this will still help the

SWOT to be more relevant.

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When you are ready to start

3. Convene the meeting and briefly describe the method. Ensure the rapporteur(s) are ready;

their notes will complement the flipchart sheets

that you will write during the meeting.

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SWOT and PESTEL / Tools / UNICEF KE Toolbox | 5

4. Confirm the group’s understanding of the objectives and outcomes to be analysed

in the SWOT, and which team (organization,

partnership) would take action to implement

them.

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5. Brainstorm the external categories (Threats and Opportunities):

 If you used PESTEL, then its results

should be the starting point. Share the

lists of PESTEL factors identified by those

who carried out the PESTEL analysis

(political, economic, social, etc.), by posting

them all at once on flipchart sheets for all to

see, or displaying them on PowerPoint

slides. Ask other participants to complement

the PESTEL research by suggesting

additional factors; this helps take advantage

of different knowledge among participants.

Next, brainstorm each PESTEL factor as to

what opportunities it offers and what threats

it carries. Record the results on flipchart

sheets. At this stage you are looking for lots

of relevant ideas.

Once all the PESTEL inputs have been

discussed, ask the group whether they can

identify any additional Threats, and then

additional Opportunities; you can prompt

them using the questions in Annex 1 below.

 If you did not use PESTEL, simply

brainstorm the Threats and

Opportunities, prompting participants

using the relevant questions in Annex 1.

Look for lots of ideas; don’t filter for

importance yet. Use a sheet of flipchart

paper (or even more than one) for each

category.

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6. Next, brainstorm the internal categories (Weaknesses and Strengths), using the

corresponding questions in Annex 1 as prompts,

and looking for lots of relevant ideas.

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7. Rank the factors (O, T, S and W) by importance. Remind participants that the

importance is linked to the potential impact of

the factor on the objectives and outcomes of

the project or decision, and to the likelihood of

such impact. Once all the categories have been

brainstormed, you will have four separate lists.

Post all sheets so that participants can see them.

Then discuss them to rank the ideas by

importance, and mark each idea with symbols to

indicate the group’s overall opinion, e.g. ++ for

very important factors, + for ones with some

importance, or 0 for unimportant factors. Keep the

discussion informal; you can ask for a show of

hands, but don’t take written ballots for ranking. Or

give all participants sticky dots with 3 different

colours and have them assign their ratings to each

of the ideas.

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8. Discuss how the highly rated items in the categories relate to each other. For example, a

certain strength may relate to a certain opportunity,

or a certain threat may be made more significant

because of a certain weakness. This is easier if

you have used PESTEL and discussed Threats

and Opportunities first (because those factors will

make the impact of various Strengths and

Weaknesses more clear.

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9. Optional but recommended: At the end of the session, if your group has decision-making

power, outline a short action plan based on

your analysis and on the objectives of the

project or decision. If your group is acting only in

an advisory capacity, suggest a few plausible

options for action. Or if your objective was to make . . .

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6 | SWOT and PESTEL / Tools / UNICEF KE Toolbox

a yes/no decision, summarize your

recommendation and reasons. Your action

plan/ recommendation should:

 pursue opportunities;

 overcome, prevent or avoid threats;

 use or capitalize on strengths;

 overcome, minimize or compensate for weaknesses.

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10. After the SWOT, prepare a written summary with decisions/

recommendations, based on the flipchart

sheets and notes from the note-taker, and

distribute it to participants, decision-makers

and other relevant recipients

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TIPS FOR SUCCESS

SWOT

 Don’t make the subject of a SWOT too broad; for example, don’t try to assess every

aspect of an Office’s or Division’s work. Instead

focus on specific, significant projects and

decisions, and conduct separate analyses for

each, as time permits.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 Ensure you have diversity among participants in a SWOT. A group composed of

participants with diverse backgrounds and

different perspectives can identify more of the

critical factors, more quickly, than can a

homogeneous group.

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 For every project, some opportunities and threats are obvious, but others are hard to see

because they are still developing and will have

their full impact in the future. The latter kind of

opportunities and threats are more difficult to

identify and properly assess, but are potentially the

most significant of all.

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 Although SWOT is an analytical exercise, its success depends on a flow of ideas from

participants. Therefore try to establish a relaxed

and participatory tone; consider using an

icebreaker if team members don’t know each other

well (see Icebreakers elsewhere in this Toolbox).

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 During the discussion, keep the focus on the objectives and expected outcomes of the

project/decision, and how the various factors relate

to the objectives.

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 If you are doing a quick SWOT (less than 1 hour), then it is OK for the statements of external

factors and internal strengths/weaknesses to be

somewhat general (though they should always be

accurate), and for the final ranking of the factors

(step 7 above) to be done quickly and somewhat

informally.

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 If you are doing an in-depth SWOT (3 hours or more, including PESTEL) then get multiple

perspectives by involving participants from diverse,

relevant backgrounds. Involve team leaders and

decision-makers in the SWOT; without them, you

will run the risk of your analysis and . . .

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SWOT and PESTEL / Tools / UNICEF KE Toolbox | 7

recommendations being ignored. Try to ensure

that the statements of external factors and

internal strengths and weaknesses are both

precise and verifiable. Do the ranking exercise

(step 7) thoroughly, so that the most significant

factors emerge clearly.

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PESTEL

 When assigning persons to do PESTEL research before the SWOT session, try to

match the PESTEL domains with persons who

have knowledge of those domains. (See Annex

1 for details of all six domains.) Thus a media

expert would be strongest in the Social domain,

a lawyer or someone with legal background in

the Legal domain, etc. Those who do the

PESTEL analysis should also participate at the

SWOT so that they can explain and support

their choice of factors.

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 To help identify PESTEL factors and trends, make use of any relevant and high-

quality analyses that already exist from internal

or external sources.

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 Give weight to the factors identified in PESTEL according to your objectives; for

example, if your objective involves increasing

birth registration, then legal factors are

obviously of prime importance; if your objective

is community mobilization for sanitation, then

social factors are critical; and so forth.

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VARIATIONS

 Subgroups on the same

issue. If your

group is large

(more than 8-10 people):

1. Convene the meeting as usual

and confirm the understanding of the

objectives and expected outcomes. Then

divide the group into 2-4 subgroups of up

to 8-10 people, each with a facilitator, a

note taker and a flip chart.

2. Have each group brainstorm each

category (O, T, S, and W) for the

objective/decision being discussed, in

parallel. Encourage the small groups to be

very informal and to generate as many

ideas as possible. Ensure that each

subgroup uses the same methods for

recording the discussions (e.g. a

flipchart, computer-based note-taking,

group members writing on cards, etc.) This

will greatly facilitate aggregating and/or

comparing the outputs of the various

groups.

3. Reconvene in plenary and gather all ideas

from all groups, one group at a time for

each of O, T, S and W. Through

discussion, rank the items in each

category, discuss how they related to each

other, and if possible prepare an action

plan/recommendation.

 Subgroups on related issues/challenges. If you have a few related key objectives, you can do

parallel SWOTs on each of them, followed by a

plenary session to summarize the key thinking

from each. The plenary session may identify

commonalities across objectives -- actions relevant

for each objective, threats to each, weaknesses or

strengths important for each, etc. – which can then . . .

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8 | SWOT and PESTEL / Tools / UNICEF KE Toolbox

be priorities for action as a result of their cross-

cutting significance.

 Icebreaker SWOT: The simple and quick variant can be used as an icebreaker among

people who will be working together in a

planning session, but who may not know each

other well. It is also suitable for kicking off a

strategic discussion that will continue later, for

example in other sessions of a longer event.

Do not mistake an Icebreaker SWOT for a full

analysis; it is at most a very quick introduction

to the issues. To implement it, begin by simply

introducing the objective under consideration in

1 sentence, at the event (no advance

preparation required). Brainstorm and discuss

only briefly – perhaps only for 5-10 minutes

each – the relevant threats, opportunities,

strengths, and weaknesses. To close the

exercise, choose the top 1-3 items in each

category by group vote.

 Expanded PESTEL: You can amplify the power of the PESTEL exercise in several ways:

 Assign additional persons to conduct

research and identify the relevant factors.

You may even engage consultants to do

such work, if the project or initiative being

considered is a major organizational priority.

 Add an additional group work session

dedicated only to discussing and expanding

on the PESTEL factors. This should take

place before the SWOT analysis, so that it

can feed in to the identification of Threats

and Opportunities.

 Online SWOT: If your participants have adequate internet connections, you can

convene a SWOT in a web conferencing tool

(e.g. Skype for Business, Adobe Connect,

GoToMeeting, etc.). Use audio, not text chat, to

gather inputs, but prefer no video unless all

participants have excellent bandwidth. Do not

exceed 10-12 participants. Check periodically

with the rapporteur to ensure that the discussions

are being captured. Online SWOTs are more

challenging than the in-person version but may

sometimes be the only option.

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gomer, Justin and Jackson Hille. “An Essential Guide to SWOT

Analysis.” http://formswift.com/swot-analysis-guide

Kansas University Work Group for Community Health and

Development. “Swot Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities and Threats.” Community Tool Box.

http://ctb.ku.edu/en

Manktelow, James. “SWOT Analysis: Discover new

opportunities, manage and eliminate threats.” Mindtools.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm

Queensland (Australia) Government. “SWOT analysis”.

https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/starting/market-

customer-research/swot-analysis

Start, Daniel and Ingie Hovland. “SWOT Analysis”. Tools for

Policy Impact. Overseas Development Institute, 2004.

http://www.odi.org/publications/156-tools-policy-impact-

handbook-researchers

Watkins, Michael. “From SWOT to TOWS: Answering a

Reader’s Strategy Question.” Harvard Business Review online.

https://hbr.org/2007/03/from-swot-to-tows-answering-a-readers-

strategy-question/

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SWOT and PESTEL / Tools / UNICEF KE Toolbox | 9

CREDITS Author: Eric Mullerbeck.

Editor: Ian Thorpe.

Expert Review Panel: Kerry Albright, Paula Bulancea,

Neha Kapil, Lina Salazar.

Design: Olga Oleszczuk.

Production: Edwin Ramirez.

September 2015.

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UNICEF, 2015

This Toolbox is licensed under a Creative Commons

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

license, except where otherwise noted.

Contact: Division of Data, Policy and Research, UNICEF

3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA

[email protected]

This Toolbox in its latest edition, as well as all individual tools,

are available online for free download at

http://www.unicef.org/knowledge-exchange/

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Annex 1: Factors to consider in PESTEL

These lists of factors are intended to help inspire and guide your PESTEL analysis in each of the six domains:

Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. Share them with those who will be

conducting the analysis, and ask them to identify specific relevant examples in the operational context of the

project or initiative that you are considering. Remember, all PESTEL factors have relevance only in the specific

operational context. Therefore, identify the ones that could impact your project and focus your analysis on them.

Political

 Government policies: National, state/provincial, local, other.  Government resource allocations.  Stakeholder needs or demands.  Lobbying/campaigning by interest groups: local, national, international. Influences/pressures from

international actors, e.g. other governments, international organizations, etc.  Armed conflicts.  Changes in power, influence, connectedness of key relevant actors/groups.  Expected direction of future political change: future policy prospects; upcoming elections and possible

change in government (local, state, national) and its consequences; other relevant political trends.

Economic

 Economic situation: local, national, regional, global.  Economic situation of specific relevant communities or population groups (including employment, taxation,

mobility, etc.).  Economic situation and prospects of any relevant industries.  Infrastructure: local, national, other.  Financial situation of key partners or other relevant entities.  Availability of private sector resources relevant for the project/initiative.  Expected direction of economic change: prevailing economic trends, trade and market cycles; expected

economic interventions by governments and their consequences; other relevant economic trends.

Social

 Demographics and population trends.

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 Health among populations.  Education levels.  Access to essential services.  Public perceptions (of an issue, an initiative, an organization or other actor).  Relevant customs, traditional beliefs, attitudes (e.g. towards children, adolescents, gender, etc.)  Media views.  Role models, celebrities, spokespersons.  Knowledge, attitudes and practices of a particular population group (with regard to a relevant issue).  Potential for knowledge exchange.  Migration (which also has political, economic and legal dimensions).  Major relevant events (upcoming or already happening) and cultural trends.  History, to the extent that it affects social attitudes and perceptions.  Factors in social identity, e.g. religious, socio-ethnic, cultural, etc.  Dynamics of how social change happens in the given context.  Management style, staff attitudes, organizational culture (within a major relevant organization).  Expected direction of social change: broad trends in change of social attitudes (e.g. towards a relevant

issue); other relevant social trends.

 Credibility of information sources or communication channels (e.g. media outlets, well-known individuals, etc.) among a target population. Reach of information sources/communication channels among a target population.

Technological

 Population groups’ access to technologies.  Patterns of use of existing technologies (which may be changing, e.g. evolving use of mobile phones).  New technologies that could impact the context significantly, or that could be used to achieve objectives.  Technologies and related infrastructure/manufacturing / importing requirements for an initiative to succeed  Possible replacement/alternative technologies  Potential for innovation  Technology transfer, access, licensing issues, other issues related to intellectual property rights.  Foreseeable technological trends: economic and social impact of adoption of existing technologies; rate of

technological change; other technological trends.

Environmental

 Contextually relevant environmental issues: global (e.g. climate change), regional (e.g. flooding, droughts, etc.) or local (e.g. contamination of water supplies).

 Relevant environmental regulations or requirements (e.g. for assessing potential climate change impacts of specific activities, conforming to national or international environmental regimes, etc.).

 Environmental impacts of planned or ongoing activities.  Climate, seasonality, potential impacts of weather.  Trends or expected future developments in the environment.  Geographical location

Legal

 Human rights (including but not limited to child rights and gender rights).  Existing legislation having an impact on any relevant factors (economic, social, technological,

environmental or other factors relevant to the issue), or affecting population groups relevant to the issue, or impacting the work of the organization or its partnerships.

 Pending or future legislation.  International treaties/agreements, either existing or in preparation.  Standards, oversight, regulation and regulatory bodies, and expected changes in these.  Ethical issues.

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Annex 2: Factors to consider in SWOT

These lists of factors are intended to help inspire and guide your SWOT discussion in each of the four categories:

Opportunities, Threats, Strengths and Weaknesses. Share them with participants at your SWOT session, and

brainstorm for examples relevant to the project or initiative you are considering.

If you used PESTEL, then the review of the PESTEL outputs will provide your first inputs into SWOT; in that case

the lists of SWOT factors given here are supplementary, and should be used after the review of the PESTEL

factors, to help identify any SWOT factors that were not captured through PESTEL.

Opportunities

Opportunities are external factors: They are found in the operational context within which the project, initiative or

decision will be implemented.

 Events or trends that offer opportunities: Political (government policies, favourable changes in power/influence of relevant actors, political agendas), economic (rising prosperity, new economic opportunities or other favourable economic change), social (behaviour patterns, demographic change), technological (innovations, changes in technology use), environmental (favourable climate/weather), legal (upcoming legislation or treaties/international agreements).

 Relationships or partnerships that can be applied or drawn upon.  Other actors that will likely play a role in the initiative/project under consideration; if they could support you,

they represent potential opportunities.

 New information that has become available.  Practices adopted by other organizations/actors in addressing similar challenges, which suggest

opportunities.  Potential funding sources.  Possible efficiency gains from re-allocation of resources.  Other initiatives, actions, projects or products that relate to the project/initiative under consideration.  Include under opportunities the advantages, benefits or probable results that are offered by the

project/initiative that is being considered in the SWOT.

Threats

Just like opportunities, threats are external factors in the operating context for the project, initiative or decision.

 Events or trends that could threaten the project/initiative or that put progress at risk: Political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal.

 Risks and disadvantages that would be incurred by a given initiative/action under consideration: risks to staff and/or partners, to populations, reputational risk, financial risk, political risk, costs, additional responsibilities, etc. A complete risk analysis cannot usually be completed in a SWOT, but basic risks can be identified, or risks identified in a separate pre-existing risk analysis can be mentioned. Alternatively a more complete risk analysis could be called for at a later stage.

 Time, including disappearing opportunities, deadlines, unrealistic timelines.  Other actors (harmful competition, contrary interests).  Opportunities that would be foregone if a given initiative/action is undertaken.  Other obstacles.

Strengths

Strengths are internal to the organization. Strengths include any kinds of capabilities or resources that the

organization (and potentially any partners involved, and any stakeholders who are active participants in a

development effort) can bring to bear, in order to achieve the desired result of the project, initiative, proposal, etc.

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 Political: power, influence, connectedness, image and reputation.  Access (to governments, partners, populations, etc.), reach, awareness.  Presence on the ground.  Economic / financial resources.  Capital assets, infrastructure, equipment.  Cost/competitiveness advantages.  Skills, experience, knowledge (including academic or theoretical, and also know-how, i.e. practical or

applied knowledge).  Qualifications, accreditation.  Data, especially if it is unique or hard-to-replicate.  Allies, contacts.  Dedication, leadership and drive.  Cultural strengths.  Geographical advantages (presence; other)  Comparative advantages (with regard to other actors in the same context) in systems, processes,

operational efficiency, flexibility, quality standards, other areas.  Things your team/organization/partnership does well.  Other noteworthy capabilities (technical, scientific, management, leadership, other) which the organization

can apply.

Remember to take your operating context into account when identifying strengths and weaknesses. A strength in

one context may be worth much less, or may even be a weakness, in another context; for example, available

budget at the beginning of a budget cycle is worth more than the same amount of available budget near the end

of a cycle.

Weaknesses

Similar to strengths, weaknesses are internal factors within the organization (or partnership) that would undertake

the project/initiative.

 Existing gaps in capabilities or resources in the implementing organization(s). Refer to the list given above under ‘Strengths’ and note anything both relevant and lacking.

 Weaknesses which will take effect in the future, e.g. departure of key staff, expiry of funds, etc.  Known vulnerabilities: things which the organization does not do well or struggles with. Every organization

has such vulnerabilities; the idea is to be aware of them during the planning process.

 Other competing priorities (which may be core activities), pressures and internally imposed timelines that detract from available capacity.

 Relevant areas where a need for improvement has been identified (by management, by an audit, by an external evaluation, etc.)