SWOT Analysis Template

Use this free SWOT analysis template to evaluate your position and develop strategic planning.

Whether you’re a company that is looking to assess its competitive position or a project manager trying to develop a strategic plan, SWOT analysis helps you map the internal and external factors of influence. Use ProjectManager’s free SWOT analysis template for Word to gather the data you need to make the right move.

What Is SWOT Analysis?

SWOT analysis is a method of evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in your organization or project. It’s a grid in which the four quadrants are filled with examples of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to your organization or project.

ProjectManager's free SWOT Analysis template

Once you have collected this information, you can develop a strategic plan that looks at these internal and external factors and what potential is currently available for you to exploit. It also helps you see what future opportunities you can take advantage of.

The success of a SWOT analysis depends on the data you’re collecting. It must be realistic, fact-based and driven by the data. Avoid any preconceived ideas or gray areas and keep the focus on real-life context. Whether you’re using the SWOT template for an organization or project, you need to understand it’s a guide and not a prescription.

Gathering accurate data on your project or the performance of an organization requires accurate data. ProjectManager is a cloud-based work and project management software that delivers live data to our real-time dashboard. There’s no setup required, the dashboard automatically collects status reports, crunches the numbers and displays them in colorful graphs that track six project metrics. Execute better SWOT analysis with ProjectManager. Get started for free today.

Why You Need ProjectManager’s SWOT Analysis Template

Using ProjectManager’s free SWOT analysis template for Word gives you a platform to look at your organization or project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Often being involved in an organization or project narrows one’s view, but a SWOT analysis template makes you look at external factors as well.

It might seem obvious what strengths and weaknesses are inherent in the organization or project. After all, you’ve been intimately involved with it. However, it’s critical that you dig down into the organization or project and acknowledge assumptions you’re making that are not fact-based. It can be an eye-opening experience, one that changes the picture you had in your head in ways that you would never have developed without using a SWOT analysis template.

This SWOT analysis template sets the stage for your work. It makes it easier to get started. All you have to do is fill in the boxes. In a sense, having the template is an incentive to do the research properly. Then, when you’re done, you have all the work on one page and the organization or project you’re analyzing comes into sharp focus.

When to Use This Free SWOT Analysis Template for Word

There’s no right time to use a SWOT analysis template because it’s always helpful to gain context. But traditionally, one is used prior to any company or project action. That could be when you’re exploring new initiatives, revamping your internal policies, looking for business opportunities or pivoting your plan in the middle of executing one.

You don’t need a specific reason to run a general SWOT analysis. It can be beneficial to just get a snapshot of the business or project. You can use it to see where you’re optimally performing and also where you could use some retooling to get the work more productive.

Plans don’t always go the way you expect: SWOT analysis offers a full and realistic picture of the organization or project. It is only by having a clear, fact-based analysis that you can start to make improvements or take advantage of opportunities.

Who Should Use This SWOT Template?

SWOT analysis is not unique to one industry. Any organization or project can use a SWOT analysis template to measure its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Though primarily a tool used by business ventures, it is a versatile resource that can be applied to almost anything that has internal and external influences.

The actual execution of a SWOT analysis is usually spearheaded by business decision-makers in an organization or project managers leading a project. It is mostly used in the planning stage of a business initiative or project. Managers and senior executives are also known to use a SWOT analysis. But the flexibility of a SWOT analysis and its many uses means that almost anyone can use one.

How to Use ProjectManager’s Free SWOT Analysis Template

ProjectManager’s free SWOT analysis template is set up to make organizing the results of your research simple and quick. The SWOT template is a square broken into four sections. The top two sections are those that deal with internal factors. These are broken into two categories: strengths and weaknesses. Each box has a number list that you can add to as much as necessary.

The bottom half is reserved for external factors. These are also broken into two categories: opportunities and threat. Again, these boxes each have a numbered list in which you can add all the opportunities and threats you uncover. The template is also divided by positive on the right and negative on the left.

Using ProjectManager After the SWOT Analysis

Our free SWOT analysis template is a great tool to figure out your strengths and weaknesses and what opportunities and threats are out there. Then you have to build an action plan to turn that data into a strategy. That’s where ProjectManager is extremely helpful. Our cloud-based work and project management software has multiple project views so everyone can work how they want, and our collaborative platform keeps everyone connected to one source of truth.

Online Gantt Charts for Dynamic Planning

Turn your action items into a fully fleshed-out plan. Schedule your tasks on our interactive Gantt chart, which prioritizes, links dependencies and sets milestones to help you track progress. Yes, you can assign your team from the Gantt, and they can use any tool they want to execute their tasks. But before you do that, filter for the critical path and then set a baseline to capture your schedule and budget so you can compare a planned effort against an actual effort.

Flexible Kanban Boards for Executing Work

When you assign teams tasks they’re likely not going to use the Gantt. It’s more of a planning tool. That’s why we have multiple project views that share the same real-time data. Teams can use our robust task list or the visual workflow kanban board. They can then manage their backlog and collaborate on planning sprints. Managers get transparency into their process and can reallocate resources as needed to avoid bottlenecks.

A screenshot of the Kanban board project view

In-Depth Reports for Better Analysis

When you conduct a SWOT analysis, the orders are coming from your superiors. Those executives will want to know how the plan is progressing. You can keep them updated on progress and performance with our one-click reports. Get reports on time, cost, tasks and more, all of which can be filtered to show only the information your stakeholders are interested in. Then easily share them and manage their expectations to keep your focus on the project.

More Free Templates to Help with SWOT

The SWOT Analysis is only one of the dozens of free templates that we have to help you manage your project or take your business to the next level. There are free templates for each step of your project, from planning to closure. Here are a few you can use once you’ve completed your SWOT analysis.

Work Breakdown Structure

Once you have developed a strategic objective from your SWOT analysis, you’re going to need our free work breakdown structure for Excel in order to make sure you capture every step that leads to your final deliverable. The work breakdown structure visualizes your deliverables in a tree diagram that helps you see all the tasks and subtasks necessary to complete your project.

Action Items Template

Get the who, what and when of the strategic plan you develop from your SWOT analysis. Our free action items template for Excel collects what has to be done, who is going to do it and when it’s due. But that’s just the start. There are also places to add priority, directions and even any issues that arise.

Project Timeline Template

Now that you have your tasks and team together, you need to set all that work across a timeline. Our free project timeline template for Excel is the perfect tool to schedule your strategic plan that came from the work you put into your SWOT analysis. This is how you can define your project deliverables on a timeline that captures the entire project on one page.