Week Two Discussion Replies

Reply to the TWO students discussion posts. Min of 75 word each with references.

Cee Harris

        Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis is the strategic planning concept I can start utilizing in my professional career. I enjoy this tool because it is simple, direct, and practical, but it forces disciplined thinking. SWOT separates what is internal from what is external: strengths and weaknesses are inside the organization, while opportunities and threats come from the outside environment (Gürel & Tat, 2017). For me, that is valuable because it prevents leaders from just guessing, reacting, or making decisions based on emotion. In my current profession, we train active-duty personnel, and that mission requires more than good intentions. It requires understanding what we do well, our limits, what opportunities we can employ, and what external threats could affect the training audience. Greene (2026) taught that strategic planning is a process linked to the mission, vision, values, and long-term goals. SWOT assists that process because it provides leaders with a clear picture. Instead of saying, “we need better training,” SWOT facilitates whether the issue is instructor experience, time constraints, schedule control, trainee readiness, or changes in the real-world threat. That makes the conversation useful and professional. It also gives the team a shared language, so the discussion is not personal opinion only, but it becomes a structured review of mission readiness and execution risk.

        I can apply SWOT to my daily decision-making and training preparation. One strength is the expertise around me: our team includes prior military professionals with various backgrounds, operational experience, and leadership styles. That is an advantage because we are not teaching from theory, but we are passing along our experience and experiences to Sailors who potentially could utilize that knowledge in real situations. Another strength is our ability to connect with active-duty personnel because we understand the culture, tempo, and mission obligations. As for weaknesses, we do not control the training schedule, and time is often the limiting factor. Sometimes we have a short window to deliver material that is necessary to be practiced, reinforced (sets and reps), and assessed over time. Now to the opportunities, which are significant: we get active-duty Sailors ready to think, respond, and operate. We also are able to share lessons learned from our own careers and assist the next generation in avoiding mistakes. The threat is we do not know the experience level of the audience, so standard briefs potentially could be too basic or advanced. Also, the current world situation, including activity in the Middle East, can shift suddenly. If the training does not adjust quickly enough, it may not match what Sailors need now. Sundström and Svärdsten (2026) taught that strategic planning has to be linked to control tools, performance measures, and daily action. That applies to training, a SWOT that never changes is just paperwork, but a SWOT that drives preparation, scenarios, and after-action reviews becomes a leadership tool. In that sense, SWOT can connect the plan, the classroom, the scenario, and the final learning result.

        The second way I can utilize SWOT is for my own professional growth. I can assess my personal strengths, such as military leadership experience, operational credibility, and ability to communicate with Sailors in a realistic way. I can also be honest pertaining to weaknesses, such as areas where I need to update technical knowledge, learn new systems, or adapt to new training methods. Opportunities include continuing my MBA, completing this capstone, and using strategic planning tools in military-related work and future teaching or leadership roles. Threats include changing technology, artificial intelligence (AI), advancing warfare, budget constraints, and the possibility that old methods are not adequate in the new operating environments. Teixeira da Silva and Tsigaris (2025) displayed that SWOT can be used to compare human judgment with AI analysis, which reminds me that AI can assist planning, but it cannot replace leadership experience or judgment. SWOT is not simply an academic model. It is a practical tool I can utilize before training events, during team planning, after-action reviews, and even in my own career planning. It allows me to think before acting, focus resources on mission requirements, and prepare for risk. Thanks!

References:

Greene, J. M. (2026). Strategic planning. Salem Press Encyclopedia.

Gürel, E., & Tat, M. (2017). SWOT analysis: A theoretical review. Journal of International Social Research, 10(51), 994–1006.

Sundström, A., & Svärdsten, F. (2026). Modes of strategic control: Shifting dynamics between planning and control tools in strategy implementation. Public Management Review, 28(4), 1062–1086.  https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2025.2492299

Teixeira da Silva, J. A., & Tsigaris, P. (2025). Would artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, be a good “peer” reviewer in academic publishing? A human versus AI-based SWOT assessment. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 56(1), 79–103.  https://doi.org/10.3138/jsp-2024-0001

Mary Jane

One strategic planning concept I can start using in my professional career now is the Balanced Scorecard. I like this concept because it looks at performance from more than just a financial point of view. Instead of only asking whether an organization is making money, the Balanced Scorecard also considers customers, internal processes, and learning and growth. That matters because a company or department can look good financially in the short term while still having problems with employee development, customer satisfaction, or inefficient processes. Madsen (2025) explains that the Balanced Scorecard connects financial and nonfinancial measures, which makes it useful for evaluating overall performance and supporting strategic decision-making.

This is something I could use in almost any professional setting because it helps organize goals in a more practical way. For example if I were working in operations, HR, or management, I could use the Balanced Scorecard to track whether the team is meeting performance goals, improving processes, supporting employees, and creating value for the organization. It also helps prevent tunnel vision because it forces leaders to look at different areas of performance instead of focusing on only one metric. I think that the Balanced Scorecard is useful because it turns strategy into something measurable and easier to manage in daily operations.

Reference

Madsen, D. Ø. (2025). Balanced scorecard: History, implementation, and impact. *Encyclopedia, 5*(1), 39.  https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5010039