Originally Posted on LinkedIn on July 18, 2024

This article is written by Cam Welsh, a coach with over two decades of experience guiding successful case-solving teams at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary.

Teams frequently miss the mark when utilizing SWOT Analysis and fail to deliver significant value. The essential question is: how can we harness SWOT Analysis to enhance your case-solving analysis greatly? 

A major issue I've observed is that teams often stop once they have presented the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats and fail to offer any insights that their SWOT Analysis identified. In a role-playing scenario, the audience represents senior management and is expected to be already well-versed in this information. If this isn't the case, it is vital to elevate the solution directly to the Board and address the lack of knowledge among senior management. 

So, what should a SWOT Analysis encompass? It should go beyond simply listing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats and instead explore their broader implications for the organization. The team needs to uncover the insights that the SWOT Analysis reveals. These insights are the most important information that must be included in the presentation and linked to the underlying support for the solution. 

As I collaborate with teams to enhance their case-solving skills, the first suggestion I give them is to examine the relationships between Strengths and Weaknesses for a better understanding of the organization internally. The same should be done for the Opportunities and Threats to gain insight into the external environment. Once this is accomplished, the team can transform its SWOT Analysis into a TWOS Analysis, enabling the team to develop strategies based on an analysis of Weaknesses and Threats, Strengths and Threats, Weaknesses and Opportunities, and Strengths and Opportunities.

See the TWOS Analysis Grid

Further information can be found at TOWS Analysis.

I often receive feedback from my teams expressing frustration with the misuse of SWOT Analysis. Their dissatisfaction stems from the failure to fully leverage the potential of SWOT Analysis and present meaningful insights. Unlike in math class, where showing your work is rewarded, it should not be the case with a SWOT Analysis. With a SWOT Analysis, I advise my teams against just displaying the initial list of attributes and facts. Instead, the focus should be on presenting the facts and the insights gained from analyzing the facts and examining the interrelationships. 

Discover the magic of a well-executed SWOT Analysis. Uncover the key elements essential for strategic solutions. I always encourage my teams to consider the following four questions.

• How can the strengths mitigate the weaknesses or threats and maximize the opportunities?

• How do the strengths and weaknesses align with the organisation's core competencies and resources?

• What are the most important opportunities and how can the identified strengths and core competencies enable the organisation to take advantage of the opportunity?

• What are the most dangerous threats and how can the strengths and core competencies overcome these threats? 

It's important to include core competencies in the discussion. A SWOT Analysis can be used to help teams identify an organization's core competencies. Often, teams overlook the discussion of core competencies, which leads to a failure to identify key steps in the implementation plan. A further newsletter will discuss core competencies in more detail and I have a video discussing them on my YouTube Channel at Insights from a Seasoned Case Team Coach.

These are crucial factors to consider in creating a powerful SWOT Analysis and providing robust support for the solution. Transforming an initial SWOT Analysis into a TWOS Analysis is an effective technique for developing insightful and mutually exclusive, comprehensively exhaustive (MECE) strategic alternatives. Many former team members also comment that doing this is easy and becomes a natural way to think about creating a well-supported solution. An example can be found on my YouTube Channel at Insights from a Seasoned Case Team Coach.

Consider these essential factors when creating a strong SWOT Analysis to provide robust support for the solution. Transforming the initial SWOT Analysis into a TWOS Analysis is a powerful technique for developing insightful and mutually exclusive, comprehensively exhaustive (MECE) strategic alternatives. Former team members have found this process easy and natural, making it a valuable approach for creating a well-supported solution. 

In the next episode, I will share my insights on presenting recommendations. A comprehensive recommendation includes the implementation plan and can be delivered together to create a compelling presentation.