Sort what you know into Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, then turn it into actions with TOWS. A SWOT is only useful when each cell holds evidence and the result changes a decision.
When to use
- Assessing the position of a product, team, project, company or competitor.
- A go / no-go on a market, partnership, or new initiative where internal fit and external conditions both matter.
- Preparing a strategy review or a planning session.
Skip: detailed implementation plans, market sizing, or choosing between concrete options on weighted criteria.
Before you start
- State in one block: Subject (one entity), Scope and horizon (for example "our API product, next 12 months"), Decision it informs, and Pass (Gather, SWOT, Prioritize, TOWS, Next steps).
- Gather first. Read docs, metrics, customer feedback, competitor pages and the codebase where relevant. Every item needs a source or the label
[user stated]or[assumed]. Ask up to 3 questions only for what tools cannot answer. - Light path. Small ask: 3 items per cell, top 2 per cell kept, 1 action per TOWS pair.
Steps
1. SWOT
Place each item by one test:
- Internal and within your control: Strength or Weakness.
- External and outside your control: Opportunity or Threat.
Make items specific and comparative ("support answers in under 1 hour, competitors take a day" beats "great support").
| Helpful | Harmful | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | Strengths | Weaknesses |
| External | Opportunities | Threats |
2. Prioritize
Keep the 2-4 items per cell that most affect the decision. Say why the rest are dropped.
3. TOWS
Pair cells to make actions:
- SO: use strengths to take opportunities.
- WO: fix weaknesses that block opportunities.
- ST: use strengths to reduce threats.
- WT: limit exposure where a weakness meets a threat.
4. Next steps
Name the 2-3 actions with an owner (or "to be assigned"), and the one assumption to test first.
Pitfalls
- Items with no evidence ("strong brand"). Add a source or mark
[assumed]. - Mixing internal and external: "competitor launched a feature" is a Threat, not a Weakness.
- Long lists with no ranking. A SWOT that does not prioritize does not help a decision.
- Stopping at the grid. Without TOWS or next steps it records opinions and decides nothing.
- Treating one item as both a Strength and an Opportunity. Pick the cell that matches the test.
Worked example: references/example.md.
Checklist
- Subject, scope, horizon and the decision stated
- Each item sits in the right cell by the internal / external test
- Items are specific, comparative and sourced or labeled
- Priorities kept per cell
- TOWS actions and next steps with owners