Lesson 1. Action Oriented SWOTs, the Best Tool You’ve (Probably) Never Heard of

Lesson 1 - Table of Contents

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to do the following: test

  • Explain what an Action Oriented SWOT Analysis is.
  • Describe the differences between an Action Oriented SWOT and a traditional SWOT Analysis.
  • Explain what makes a strategy actionable.

What is an Action Oriented SWOT?

Unlike a Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, which is an assessment of current state, an Action Oriented SWOT takes this one step further to make this actionable by translating known facts into strategies.  An action-oriented SWOT pairs internal factors (Strengths and Weaknesses) with external factors (Opportunities and Threats) to create action-oriented strategies.  By pairing unrelated facts in different ways, it cultivates leaps in thinking to identify options that are meaningful and not obvious.  These leaps are key when it comes to outsmarting competitors and encouraging teams to think differently.

Video 1. Action Oriented SWOT FAQs

Comparison of a SWOT and a Action-Oriented SWOT Analysis

The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity, and Threats (SWOT) analysis is a popular situational analysis framework that you can use to look at these four aspects of your business to assess its current situation.  An Action Oriented SWOT Analysis (TOWS) uses the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats identified for your current situation to help you to work out how these insights can be applied to your future strategy.  The trusted go-to tool is typically a SWOT analysis.  But, is this the best tool for your needs?  Consider the following comparison.
Figure 1. Comparison of the SWOT Analysis and the Action Oriented SWOT Analysis.

Traits of an Actionable Strategy

As a commercial business leader, including product managers, strategic marketing, and business development, you are responsible for achieving business results.  As a result, when you define a strategy, you are making a number of commitments.  You are staking their job and reputation on your ability to get results.  Unlike strategies devised at the corporate level, your strategies must be actionable.  In this context, the “actionable” strategies of a commercial business leader must meet the following criteria (click to expand each topic) –

Test Your Knowledge

Check your understanding by completing the 4 question quiz below.  Answer the essay question and then click “check” to enable the navigation button to appear on the bottom right for the 1st question.  The remaining questions do not require you to check the solution, but you must answer the question before the navigation button will appear.

Exercises

Exercise 1.1  Generate a SWOT Analysis

Consider your experiences with the SWOT analysis. (If none, describe how it could be used as part of a product, project, or business strategy.) 

  • What did you learn about your organization and key takeaways as a result of this exercise?
  • Was this tool useful? What challenges did you run into – either with conducting the analysis or following up with insights generated.
  • Are you familiar with an Action Oriented SWOT?

Exercise 1.2   Reflection Questions: SWOT vs Action Oriented SWOT

  • Describe the differences between a SWOT analysis and an Action-Oriented SWOT analysis.
  • Which analysis do you feel would meet your needs?  If both, describe what circumstances.

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Title: Lesson 1. Action Oriented SWOTs, the Best Tool You’ve (Probably) Never Heard of