Introduction
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the internal and external factors that could affect an organization, project, or strategy. Internally, it examines strengths and weaknesses (within the organization’s control), and externally, it identifies opportunities and threats (arising from the external environment).
What it looks like
The tool is usually represented as a 2×2 matrix:
- Top-left: Strengths – internal attributes that give an advantage.
- Top-right: Weaknesses – internal limitations or gaps.
- Bottom-left: Opportunities – external possibilities for growth or benefit.
- Bottom-right: Threats – external risks or challenges.
Teams typically brainstorm items for each quadrant, producing a visual snapshot of their strategic situation.
While useful for organising thoughts, SWOT tends to be static, capturing a moment in time rather than exploring how dynamics may evolve, a key limitation for futures work.
How and when it is used
SWOT is often used:
- At the early stage of strategic planning to organise known factors.
- During workshops or retreats to engage multiple stakeholders.
- To provide a baseline understanding before applying more advanced futures tools.
However, within strategic foresight, SWOT’s usefulness is limited because it does not inherently consider uncertainty, time horizons, or systemic interconnections. It can, however, serve as a starting point before deeper exploration through tools like Causal Layered Analysis, Scenarios, or Backcasting, which add depth and dynamism.
Origin
The SWOT framework was developed in the 1960s and 1970s by Albert Humphrey at the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International). It was originally part of a research project analyzing why corporate planning often failed. Humphrey and his team designed SWOT to structure management thinking and decision-making.
Commentary for Foresight Practice
While SWOT remains popular for its simplicity, it is considered a weak or shallow tool in the context of futures and foresight work. It provides descriptive insight into the present but does not engage with emerging change, long-term uncertainty, or system dynamics, all essential to foresight.
In futures practice, SWOT may serve as a gateway tool: a way to begin structured thinking before guiding participants into more sophisticated and future-oriented methodologies.
Other posts in this series
