We use cookies to improve your experience and optimize user-friendliness. Read our privacy policy for more information on the cookies we use and how to delete or block them. To continue browsing our site, please click accept.
2023-2024 Tax Planning Guide
Winning Back-Office Strategies to Boost Your Business Agility
VIEWpoint Issue 1 | 2023
A Refresher on the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty for Business Owner...
Valuations Can Help Business Owners Plan for the Future
SBA Lenders: Beware of BSA
Year-end is an ideal time to get a fresh perspective on your company’s opportunities and risks as you look to the new year ahead. An analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) may be just the ticket, and can serve as the starting point for an in-depth strategic planning process.
A SWOT analysis is a particularly powerful planning tool because it helps you assess your business, then use the information uncovered to determine where your focus should be.
Here are three basic steps to a SWOT analysis the business advisors at Doeren Mayhew often use when facilitating strategic planning for our clients:
1. Assemble the SWOT Team
One of the benefits of strategic planning is the team component – by including others in the process, you’re creating buy-in as well as accountability. For your SWOT analysis, invite all upper management and department heads to participate. Also consider asking middle management for input prior – while you want your core strategic planning team to be of a productive size, it can be valuable to use feedback from other staff levels. Another idea is to ask such influential outsiders as trusted customers and suppliers, or use customer satisfaction surveys to gather external opinions.
2. Work the Matrix
Your SWOT group may find it helpful to organize their thoughts via a worksheet or matrix that looks something like this:
For each worksheet quadrant, you’ll have a series of questions for the group to address. They should record the answers under the appropriate heading. Doeren Mayhew recommends doing this exercise prior to your SWOT analysis meeting.
Strengths are often a good place to start, because they’re easiest to identify and get the group started on a positive note. List your advantages and the things your company does well:
Then drill down into these to uncover the “why?” For example, if your skilled workforce is a noted strength, the “why” might be your strong recruitment procedures or an effective training program.
Weaknesses are often harder to discuss than strengths because they highlight your company’s negative aspects. This is where you may get the least-biased responses from customers and suppliers, or from your customer satisfaction survey results. To identify weaknesses, ask:
Opportunities arise from external factors or changes. When identifying opportunities, keep in mind the strengths that will allow you to take advantage of them. You might ask:
Just like opportunities, threats exist outside your organization and may adversely affect your business if you don’t plan ahead. Ask the following types of questions to identify threats:
3. Translate Opportunities and Threats Into Actions
Whatever threats you come up with, the purpose of your SWOT analysis is to create awareness, prepare action plans and set priorities in the best areas. A good place to start is protecting against threats that involve your weaknesses. Say one of your weaknesses is high employee turnover, and you perceive the tightening labor market as a threat. It might be wise to develop better employee relations and retention plans sooner, rather than later.
Once your action plan is created, be sure to manage the plan with regular meetings to monitor progress and move forward on next steps – no strategic plan gets anyone anywhere without management of the progress.
A SWOT analysis can help ensure your business is equipped to deal with today’s issues, while keeping an eye on the horizon. You can perform your company’s SWOT analysis a single time, or repeat it on a regular basis to stay prepared for meeting challenges and seizing opportunities.
For assistance putting a SWOT analysis and strategic planning process to work for your business, contact Doeren Mayhew’s business advisor in Michigan, Houston or Ft. Lauderdale.
This publication is distributed for informational purposes only, with the understanding that Doeren Mayhew is not rendering legal, accounting, or other professional opinions on specific facts for matters, and, accordingly, assumes no liability whatsoever in connection with its use. Should the reader have any questions regarding any of the news articles, it is recommended that a Doeren Mayhew representative be contacted.
A quick registration is required to view our resources.
You will only be asked to do this one time (unless you don't save your browser cookies).