Introduction
SWOT stands for “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.” In product management, a SWOT analysis helps us to identify and analyze our product’s strengths and weaknesses and be aware of where external opportunities and threats can influence current and future states of the product. As a result, SWOT analyses are a tool that help develop and refine strategic goals.
Content
A SWOT analysis is simple to write out in concept. Often, it’s organized in a 2-by-2 matrix where the top quadrants house Strengths and Weaknesses and the bottom quadrants house Opportunities and Threats.
To help you fill out a SWOT analysis, ask yourself questions like the following:
Strengths
- What products/features are delivering the most value to our users?
- What is our competitive advantage?
- What resources do we have? Think beyond time and money, too.
Weaknesses
- What products/features are not delivering value to our users?
- When do competitors beat our product?
- Where do we need improvements?
Opportunities
- Are there any emerging technologies that could be of use to us?
- How could we expand our operations? Optimize?
- Are there any new market segments we could test our product on?
Threats
- Are there any political, legal, or regulatory changes coming that could affect us?
- What do our competitors do?
- What are our customers looking for and how is that changing?
Conclusion
I recommend you periodically run a SWOT analysis on your product at least once a quarter. It’s a relatively quick effort that can provide you insight on how you may want to execute, or even pivot, your product’s current strategy. It’s also a great segue into revisiting your User Personas and Customer Journey Maps, too, since your findings from SWOT can reveal details that prompt the need to update your understanding of your customers and their journey.