Translate the following text into English:
The SWOT analysis is one of the most flexible tools for strategic planning and problem-solving. Whether you are working with a management system according to ISO 9001, 14001 or other standards, or facing a specific decision, the SWOT analysis helps you see the big picture.
This guide shows how to use the SWOT analysis in different situations—from overall strategy to specific risks—and how it aligns with your ISO requirements.
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Strengths and weaknesses concern internal factors—what lies within the subject of your analysis and what you can directly control. Examples: competence, processes, resources, brand.
Opportunities and threats concern external factors—what happens outside and affects the subject of your analysis. Examples: market trends, competition, legislation, technological development.
The key is that SWOT can be applied to virtually anything:
The SWOT analysis is a tool, not an activity. You use it when you need to structure your thinking around something important.
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and other management system standards require that you understand your organization’s context.
In ISO 9001:2015 clause 4.1, organizations are required to “determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and its strategic direction and that affect its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of its quality management system.”
The SWOT analysis helps you meet this requirement in various contexts:
Context mapping – Identify both internal conditions and external factors that affect the entire organization (ISO 9001:2015 clause 4.1).
Identify and analyze risks – Use SWOT to understand what creates risks or to dive deep into a specific risk (ISO 9001:2015 clause 6.1).
Evaluate strategic decisions – Before investing in new technology, entering a new market, or introducing new processes, SWOT clarifies pros and cons.
Analyze improvement opportunities – When considering how to improve a process, SWOT gives structure to the discussion (ISO 9001:2015 clauses 10.1–10.3).
Engage the management team – SWOT works excellently as a workshop tool when management is working strategically with the management system (ISO 9001:2015 clause 9.3).
Evaluate products or services – Before launch or when repositioning an existing offering.
When: Annual management system review, strategic planning, certification preparation.
Focus: The organization’s overarching strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to its vision, strategy, and goals.
Sample questions:
Outcome: Input for risk management, goal-setting, strategic decisions, and context analysis according to ISO 9001 clause 4.1.
When: You see recurring nonconformities, the process creates bottlenecks, or you are considering process improvements.
Focus: The specific process’s internal capability and external influencing factors.
Example (production process):
Outcome: Concrete improvement actions, investment decisions, or risk mitigation for the process. Read more about process mapping for more efficient processes: https://www.ampliflow.se/articles/vad-ar-processkartlaggning-inom-iso-9001
When: Before launching something new or when evaluating an existing offering.
Focus: The product’s/service’s competitiveness and market potential.
Example (new sustainable product line):
Outcome: Decisions on launch, pricing, marketing strategy, and risk preparedness.
When: You have identified a risk in the risk management process and need a deeper understanding before deciding on actions. SWOT can be combined with other methods such as pre-mortem analysis for deeper insights: https://www.ampliflow.se/articles/pre-mortem---ett-proaktivt-verktyg-for-forbattra-projekt-och-processer
Focus: What enables managing the risk (strengths), what exacerbates it (weaknesses), what can reduce it (opportunities), and what can worsen it (threats).
Example (risk: key supplier goes bankrupt):
Outcome: Risk actions such as qualifying alternative suppliers, establishing buffer stock, or redesigning the product. See 5 reasons why risk management is critical: https://www.ampliflow.se/articles/5-skal-till-att-riskhantering-ar-avgorande-for-ditt-foretag
When: You face major decisions such as expansion, investment, reorganization, or partnership.
Focus: The consequences of the decision from all four perspectives.
Example (decision: open a production facility in a new region):
Outcome: Well-founded decision with identified risks and an action plan.
When: Reorganization, a changed mandate, or when the department underperforms.
Focus: The department’s capacity, resources, and influencing factors.
Example (IT department):
Outcome: Resource planning, competence development, IT strategy, and security measures.
Regardless of what you analyze, the same preparations apply:
Define exactly what you will analyze and why. A clear scope keeps the discussion focused.
Poor scope: “We’re going to do a SWOT.”
Good scope: “We will analyze our customer service process to identify why customer satisfaction has dropped from 85% to 78%.”
Who should participate depends on what you analyze.
Example compositions:
Different perspectives provide a more complete picture.
Collect relevant information before the workshop. The materials depend on what you analyze.
For the organization:
For a process:
For a product:
For a risk:
Background materials make the discussion data-driven instead of guesswork.
Start with the internal perspective. Ask: “What is good about what we are analyzing?”
Questions to discuss:
Example (SWOT for the customer service process):
Write each strength concretely. Avoid vague wording.
Continue with the internal perspective, but focus on shortcomings. Ask: “What is problematic or missing?”
Questions to discuss:
Example (SWOT for the customer service process):
Be honest. Weaknesses are development areas, not failures.
Shift to the external perspective. Ask: “What positive changes or conditions can we leverage?”
Questions to discuss:
Example (SWOT for the customer service process):
Opportunities require action to be realized.
Continue with the external perspective, but focus on risks. Ask: “What negative changes or factors could affect us?”
Questions to discuss:
Example (SWOT for the customer service process):
Threats are not disasters—they are factors you need to be prepared for.
You now have four lists. Next, analyze how they relate and what to do.
Strengths + Opportunities: How can we use our strengths to capitalize on opportunities?
Strengths + Threats: How can we use our strengths to mitigate threats?
Weaknesses + Opportunities: What do we need to address to leverage opportunities?
Weaknesses + Threats: Which combinations create the greatest risk?
Prioritize the combinations with the greatest impact on what you are analyzing.
To risk management: Threats and combinations of weaknesses/threats are risks. Transfer them to the risk register according to ISO 9001 clause 6.1. Read more about operational risk management: https://www.ampliflow.se/articles/vad-ar-operationell-riskhantering
To improvement proposals: Weaknesses and untapped opportunities become improvement suggestions: https://www.ampliflow.se/articles/avvikelsehantering-nyckeln-till-standiga-forbattringar-och-okad-kundnojdhet
To goals and KPIs: Strengths and opportunities point to areas where you can set goals for growth or development: https://www.ampliflow.se/articles/vad-ar-mal-och-malstyrning
To context analysis: SWOT for the entire organization provides the overview required by ISO 9001 clause 4.1.
The SWOT analysis is useless if it does not lead to action. For each prioritized insight:
Define the action:
Example (from the customer service SWOT):
Use your existing tools: In AmpliFlow, you can link SWOT insights to improvement proposals, the risk register, goals and KPIs, or activities: https://www.ampliflow.se/articles/guide-kom-igang-med-malstyrning
Document the results: Compile strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in a document. Include the analysis of linkages and the decided actions. This provides input to management system documentation according to ISO 9001 clause 7.5.
Link to the management system: Refer to the SWOT analysis where relevant:
Follow up regularly: Frequency depends on what you analyzed:
Track actions: Use your existing tools for follow-up. Actions from the SWOT analysis should not only be documented—they should be carried out and followed up according to ISO 9001 clause 10.2 on improvement.
SWOT is an analysis tool used as needed, not an ongoing process. Therefore, there is no ready-made “SWOT module” in AmpliFlow. However, some customers have set up SWOT analyses as custom lists in the system.
With custom lists you can:
Custom lists can be linked to other lists and registers, making it easy to create traceability between the SWOT analysis and the actions it generates.
Many customers document SWOT analyses as attachments to the management review or as part of the risk management process, without building a dedicated structure for it. Choose what suits your way of working.
Mistake 1: Vague wording
Mistake 2: Confusing internal and external
Mistake 3: Turning SWOT into a PR exercise
The SWOT analysis should be honest and data-driven. If you do not identify any weaknesses or threats, the analysis has not been done properly.
Mistake 4: Nothing happens after the workshop
The SWOT analysis is useless if it ends up as just a document. Link it to concrete decisions, objectives, and actions that are followed up.
Mistake 5: Doing SWOT without the right data
Guesses lead to guesswork. Base the analysis on data from the management system, customer surveys, process data, and other concrete information.
Mistake 6: Wrong scope
If you analyze “everything,” the SWOT becomes too broad and superficial. Be clear about what you are analyzing.
Mistake 7: Forgetting follow-up
The environment and the organization change. A SWOT from 2023 says nothing about the situation in 2025. Update regularly.
Before the workshop:
During the workshop:
After the workshop:
The SWOT analysis is a flexible tool that helps you structure your thinking around everything from overarching strategy to specific problems. When working with management systems according to ISO standards, SWOT serves multiple functions: it helps you map context, identify and analyze risks, evaluate decisions, and find areas for improvement.
A SWOT analysis done properly—with a clear scope, the right people, solid background materials, and concrete wording—gives you strategic clarity and becomes a natural part of your management system work.
Use SWOT when you need to:
Link the SWOT results to your existing processes for risk management, objective setting, and improvement, and you will have a tool that is actually used in practice—not just an exercise that ends up in a drawer.
Sources:
