Project Toolkitby Maxime Lab
Risk · tool 2 of 7

Risk · tool 2 of 7

SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis: takes stock of the situation before deciding on an approach or a go / no-go.

Best for: Start of a project or option choice · Time: 45 minutes
Domain: Risk · Focus area: Initiating

Helpful
Harmful
Internal
StrengthsExperienced team, proven tech
WeaknessesNo in-house tester
External
OpportunitiesNew client segment
ThreatsSupplier lead times rising
Top row: inside the project. Bottom row (grey): outside it.

How it works

A 2×2 grid: Strengths and Weaknesses are internal (the team, the organisation, the solution); Opportunities and Threats are external (market, suppliers, regulation).

  • Internal = things you control; external = things you don’t.
  • The value is in crossing the quadrants, not just listing them.

How to apply it

  1. Gather 4–8 people from different functions.
  2. Silent brainstorm: everyone writes sticky notes for each quadrant (10 min).
  3. Cluster, then dot-vote the top three items per quadrant.
  4. Cross them: use strengths to seize opportunities; fix weaknesses that expose you to threats.
  5. Move threats into the risk register and opportunities into scope options.
Pro tip

Be specific. “Good team” is useless; “two engineers who built the same system last year” is actionable.

Quick check

A supplier raising its lead times is a…

Sources

  • PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition, and The Standard for Project Management (PMI, 2025)

Last reviewed 2026-11-02 against the PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition · Practitioner review pending · How this guide is made