OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
SWOT Analysis Maker
Type Your Points, Get a SWOT Grid, Free
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How the SWOT Analysis Maker works
This SWOT analysis maker lays out your points in the classic four-box grid. Type a heading for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats with the points below each, and the page wraps the text, sizes the boxes to fit and downloads a tidy SVG or PNG for a slide, report or business plan. On narrow screens the boxes stack. Nothing is uploaded.
SWOT analysis maker: spend the time on the points, not the boxes
A SWOT analysis sorts what you know about a business, product or plan into four lists. Strengths and weaknesses are internal: things you control, such as skills, costs or reputation. Opportunities and threats are external: the market, competitors, regulation and the economy. The grid is simple to draw but tedious to keep tidy as points are added. Typing the lists here keeps the layout automatic, so a workshop can focus on what goes in each box.
Writing the lists
- Start each section with its heading, such as "Strengths:". "Weakness", "Opportunity" and "Threat" work too, in any capitals.
- Put one point per line under the heading. A leading "-" or "*" is optional.
- A point can follow the heading on the same line: "Threats: Rising rents".
- Lines starting with "#" are comments.
Sections can come in any order and any of them may be empty.
Where SWOT comes from
SWOT is usually traced to business-planning research in the United States in the 1960s, although who invented it is disputed. It became a standard opening exercise in strategy courses, grant applications and business plans because it fits on one page and anyone can join in.
Making it more than a list
A good SWOT is specific. "Owner has 15 years of trade experience" is useful; "experienced" is not. Keep each point to one idea and avoid putting the same point in two boxes. The next step is to pair the boxes: how can a strength exploit an opportunity, and which weakness does a threat make worse? Those pairings, sometimes called a TOWS matrix, turn the grid into actions. To weigh the actions, model them in the decision tree maker, and to dig into why a weakness exists, try a fishbone diagram.
FAQ
What is the difference between a weakness and a threat?
A weakness is internal, something about you that you could change, such as having no online ordering. A threat is external, something in the world you cannot control, such as a competitor opening nearby. The same problem should not appear in both boxes.
How many points should each box have?
Three to six points per box is typical. Fewer may mean the analysis was rushed, while many more usually means points are too vague or repeated. The counts below the grid help balance the four sections.
What does Internal vs external show?
It compares the number of strengths and weaknesses with the number of opportunities and threats. A large imbalance can show that the team looked mostly inward or mostly at the market and should fill in the other side.
Can I change the colours?
Yes. Traffic light uses green, red, blue and orange for the four boxes. Palette uses the colour scheme chosen in the palette menu, which helps match a presentation's brand colours.
See also: all Diagram Makers tools, Images, Audio, Video & Screen, PDF, SVG, Simulations & Screensavers, Generative Art, Chart Makers, 3D Model Viewers, Drawing Pads, Mockups & 3D Making, 3D Science, Tracker Music.
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