Can AI write your SWOT Analysis for you?
Your favourite AI tool doesn’t know everything about your business (though if you use it a lot, it probably knows a fair amount…).
It’s unlikely that it will provide you with a complete SWOT Analysis first time around.
However, it can offer a great start and a different point of view – and I’ve created a prompt cheat sheet that will get you up and running in no time.
Why bother with a SWOT Analysis?
Personally, I think SWOT is a useful but limited tool – I don’t think it’s something that requires hours of painstaking work.
However, it can be useful for focusing the mind on key areas that may need addressing in your business. One leadership team I worked in used to start our quarterly planning sessions with a SWOT which helped steer much of the rest of the conversation.
And some investors love to see them in your pitch deck…
A quick reminder: What goes into a SWOT?
- Strengths
What you are great at as a business – what sets you apart? This is internal stuff, such as your product, brand, technology, even your balance sheet. - Weaknesses
What internal weaknesses stop you from achieving the success you could attain? Is it staff turnover? A weak brand? A disorganised supply chain? - Opportunities
What are the favourable external factors that could improve your business? - Threats
It feels like a difficult time to be in business right now, but which external factors pose a genuine threat to your growth?
Getting AI to help with your SWOT Analysis
Your favourite Gen AI tool can help you with your SWOT Analysis, but you need to devise a really sound prompt to do so.
And I’ve done the hard work for you.
Download the cheat sheet below, and spend a bit of time thinking about the Your Data section. I’ve pre-filled it with example data – just over write that.
Then copy and paste the prompt from the next tab on the sheet into your AI tool and Bob’s your Aunt/Uncle.
(This isn’t a lead magnet, I’m not collecting your data or asking you to complete a form…)
Note: this is an XLS spreadsheet – you should security check anything you are downloading from random bods on the internet, even me…
Using the AI generated SWOT Analysis
This is a starting point, not the final SWOT Analysis.
The output will highlight some of the areas where this analysis may be lacking, but you need to think about others.
Use this either as the basis for your own work or as a sanity check of work you’ve already done to see if it prompts new ideas and thoughts.
Good luck, and please let me know how you get on!
