IT SWOT analysis templates
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IT teams today are solution-driven. You build tools and services that meet your customers' needs now and can scale into the future. Anticipating what comes next requires a deep understanding of the context you operate in — who your internal and external customers are, what they need from you, ways you can serve them better, and how you stack up against technology leaders in your industry.
SWOT analysis can help you cultivate this holistic view. SWOT is an acronym that stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is a popular business exercise used to critically examine internal and external factors that affect an organization's success. But you can also complete a SWOT analysis for functional areas of the business such as IT.
We have built free SWOT analysis templates that can be applied to IT work. Each Excel or PowerPoint template offers a unique layout that you can customize to fit your needs. Consider these downloads a starting point. But these static documents easily become stale if they are not part of your team's daily work. If you would like to connect the learnings from a SWOT analysis to that work, try Aha! for free for 30 days. Aha! Roadmaps gives you a central place to set IT strategy, formalize workflows, and balance day-to-day tactical requests with longer-term planning.
Components of an IT SWOT analysis
A thoughtful SWOT analysis establishes how the technology you build helps individuals and the organization achieve desired outcomes. This awareness supports all kinds of decisions you need to make as a department, from the correct prioritization of upcoming work to building the IT roadmap.
The table below summarizes each component of a SWOT analysis, its purpose, and examples you might include within each category. Of course, the details of your own SWOT analysis will depend on your unique organization and industry.
Component | Purpose | Examples |
Strengths | Highlight the technical areas in which you excel. These can be related to IT infrastructure, methodologies, processes, or even technical skillsets. |
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Opportunities | Detail areas for growth and expansion. These might include needs that are not currently being met in the organization and the business value of pursuing them. |
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Weaknesses | Capture factors that put you at a disadvantage. Like strengths, these can be tied to infrastructure, methodologies, team processes, or skillsets. |
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Threats | Identify areas of risk. The most obvious for an IT department might be security risks, but they can also include any technology gaps or team behaviors that limit success. |
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Templates
You may choose to complete an IT SWOT analysis for the department as a whole, as well as the groups within IT — for example, operations, engineering, security, and business intelligence. Below are six simple SWOT templates. You can customize the colors and labels to suit your needs.
Simple matrix
The classic SWOT matrix is the most common. It is available in both an Excel and PowerPoint format — the latter makes it easy to add your analysis to a presentation for stakeholders.
Internal vs external
IT teams are impacted by factors that are internal (within the team or organization) and external (outside the organization). This template highlights the intersection of these factors to help you proactively address them.
Top-down
Sometimes concentrating on one element of the SWOT analysis at a time provides better focus. This template gives you separate sections for each component that can be expanded as needed. You can choose either an Excel or PowerPoint version.
Circle
You may want to present your SWOT analysis to executives and stakeholders. This visually appealing template lets you add a high-level summary with call-out text boxes to highlight additional information.
Need to quickly prepare a SWOT analysis? These templates are a great place to start. But strategic planning is even more effective when it is tied to your product roadmap. Try purpose-built product development software to conduct a SWOT analysis, set your goals, and then build your product plans — all in one place.
IT teams need great tools, too — sign up for a free 30-day trial.
