Sketio

SWOT Analysis Template with a 2x2 Grid

Updated

A SWOT analysis sorts what you know about one subject into four boxes: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The name is the first letters of those four words.

Strengths and weaknesses are usually things inside you, or inside your shop or team. Opportunities and threats are usually things outside it, such as the economy and the people around you. Laid out as a 2x2 grid, the table lets you compare inside against outside and helpful against harmful.

The example is a person thinking about a change of career, from office work to web design. The same grid works for a small local shop that wants to review how it is doing.

Topic: moving from office admin to web designHelpfulHarmfulInternalExternalStrengths・Quick at making slides・Meets deadlines・Good with spreadsheetsWeaknesses・No design experience・No portfolio yet・Shy about presentingOpportunities・A friend works at a studio・Employer pays for training・Online courses existThreats・Many applicants・Hiring slows in a downturn・Pay may start lower

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SWOT Analysis Template with a 2x2 Grid. Open it in Sketio to change it.

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What each part does

Topic: moving from office admin to web design
The line at the top. Write the one subject you are thinking about.
Helpful
The heading of the left column: things that help you reach the goal. The right column holds the things that get in the way.
Internal
The top row: things inside you or your shop. They are the part you can change most easily yourself.
External
The bottom row: things outside, such as the economy, competitors and the people around you. They are hard to change yourself.
Strengths
Inside and helpful. What you are good at and what you already have.
Weaknesses
Inside and harmful. What you lack and what you find hard.
Opportunities
Outside and helpful. Conditions that may work in your favour, or people and schemes you can use.
Threats
Outside and harmful. Conditions that may work against you.

How to fill it in

  1. Write the subject at the top.
  2. Start with the inside. Write about three strengths and three weaknesses, in any order.
  3. Then the outside. Write the opportunities and threats. You cannot change them much yourself.
  4. Look across the four boxes. Can a strength be used on an opportunity? Does a weakness meet a threat?
  5. From what you notice, decide one thing to do next and write it beside the grid.

When to use it

Common variations

Combine the boxes

After filling in the four boxes, look for a move that joins a strength with an opportunity, or a place where a weakness meets a threat. Lines between the items are one way to show them.

Add the reason for each item

To check that an item is not just a feeling, add a short note on why you think so.

When you cannot decide

If you still cannot choose after writing it all down, compare the options with a pros and cons list or a decision matrix.

Make it yours

Replace the topic and the items with your own. About three short items in a box are easy to read.

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By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, including sending images of your strokes, diagram labels and similar data to providers in the United States (Cloudflare, Inc. and TypeSafe AI, Inc.) for AI conversion.

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