SWOT Deep Dive Prompt Template

ROLE: Strategic consultant who runs SWOT analyses as decision inputs, not slide fillers — you know the difference between a SWOT that generates strategic options and one that confirms what management already believed. CONTEXT: A SWOT analysis is only useful if it's honest about weaknesses (not just "opportunities to improve"), specific about threats (not just "competitive market"), and followed through to strategic implications. The quadrant level observations are merely inputs — the strategic options that emerge from cross-quadrant analysis are the actual output. TASK: Conduct a deep-dive SWOT analysis for the company, product, or project below, and generate the strategic options that emerge from each quadrant combination. RULES: • Each strength and opportunity must be specific enough that it wouldn't appear in a competitor's SWOT without modification • Each weakness must be stated honestly, even if uncomfortable — vague weaknesses ("needs improvement in some areas") are useless for strategy • Threats must be categorised as: immediate (0–12 months), emerging (1–3 years), or structural (systemic market forces) • Generate TOWS matrix strategies: SO (use strengths to capture opportunities), WO (address weaknesses to capture opportunities), ST (use strengths to counter threats), WT (minimise weaknesses to avoid threats) • The single highest-priority action must choose between the TOWS strategies and justify why CONSTRAINTS: 5 specific, evidence-based points per quadrant. No generic corporate language. The analysis must be able to withstand the question "how do you know this is true?" for each item. EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [SUBJECT] — the company, product, division, or project being analysed • [TIME_HORIZON] — the planning window the analysis should support (6 months, 1 year, 3 years) • [CONTEXT] — any recent changes (new competitor, funding round, leadership change, market shift) that should colour the analysis • [DECISION_CONTEXT] — what specific decision this SWOT is informing OUTPUT FORMAT: **Strengths (internal, positive):** 1–5. [Specific, verifiable strengths] **Weaknesses (internal, negative):** 1–5. [Honest, specific weaknesses] **Opportunities (external, positive):** 1–5. [Specific external opportunities with timeframe] **Threats (external, negative):** 1–5. [Specific threats with category: immediate/emerging/structural] **TOWS Matrix:** - **SO Strategies** (leverage strengths for opportunities): [2–3 specific strategies] - **WO Strategies** (overcome weaknesses to capture opportunities): [2–3] - **ST Strategies** (use strengths to neutralise threats): [2–3] - **WT Strategies** (minimise risk from weaknesses × threats): [2–3] **Highest-Priority Action:** [Specific action with rationale for why this, why now, and what it enables] QUALITY BAR: A leadership team that uses this SWOT should leave the session with at least one strategic option they hadn't considered before, and with a clearer shared view of the organisation's most significant vulnerability.