A SWOT analysis organises what you know about a product or business into four quadrants: strengths and weaknesses (internal, within your control) and opportunities and threats (external, coming from the market, the customer or regulation). The TOWS cross turns the matrix into strategies: using strengths to seize opportunities, fixing weaknesses, defending against threats. It prepares priority decisions; it does not replace them.
How to use
- Say what is being analysed and, if you like, the decision the analysis will support.
- List the strengths and weaknesses: what is internal and within the team’s control.
- List the opportunities and threats: external changes in the market, the customer or regulation.
- Read the matrix, the warnings and the cross strategies, and pick two or three to turn into goals.
- Export as PNG, PDF, Markdown or CSV, or create a link to review with the team.
What each field asks for
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| What is being analysed | Product, product line, area or company. |
| Purpose of the analysis | Optional. The decision the analysis will support. |
| Strengths (internal) | What you do better than the alternatives and the customer recognises. |
| Weaknesses (internal) | What limits you today and is within your control to change. |
| Opportunities (external) | Changes in the market, the customer or regulation that you can take advantage of. |
| Threats (external) | Changes outside your control that could get in the way. |
Example
A fictional cash management app for small restaurants lists three items in each quadrant to decide next year’s priorities. Among the strengths is the cash forecast from photos of receipts; among the threats, full management systems launching simple versions. The cross generates three strategies per quadrant, such as "use the cash forecast from photos of receipts to seize more restaurants selling through delivery apps" (attack) and "reduce reliance on a single receipt-reading supplier so you are not exposed to full systems launching simple versions" (protect).
When to use
- In annual or half-year planning, before choosing goals and bets.
- When assessing entry into a new market or the launch of a product line.
- When a competitor or a regulation changes the landscape and the team needs to respond.
- To align leadership and team on the same picture before a big decision.
Frequently asked questions
What is a SWOT analysis?
It is a matrix with four quadrants: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The first two are internal; the last two, external. It organises the diagnosis before you decide.
How do I separate internal from external?
Ask whether the team can change it by its own decision. If it can, it is internal (strength or weakness). If it depends on the market, customers, competitors or regulation, it is external (opportunity or threat). The tool warns you when an opportunity or threat is written as something "ours".
What is the TOWS cross?
It is the step after SWOT: crossing internal with external items to generate strategies. Strengths with opportunities give attack strategies; weaknesses with opportunities, reinforcement; strengths with threats, defence; weaknesses with threats, protection.
How many items per quadrant?
Three to five is usually enough. More than that mixes what matters with detail. Order them from most to least relevant: the crosses use the first items.
Can I do a SWOT for a product rather than the company?
Yes, and it is often more useful. At product level, strengths and weaknesses become concrete (features, cost, team) and opportunities and threats are tied to a customer segment.
What are the limits of SWOT?
It is a snapshot, not a plan, and it depends on the quality of the information. Without evidence, it becomes a list of opinions. Use customer and market data wherever possible and revise the matrix when the landscape changes.