SWOT Weaknesses

When you deal with the SWOT Factors in the SWOT Analysis Template, be sure to list as many of the SWOT weaknesses as possible. do not attempt to filter any of them at this stage. The key benefits to list them all is for you to have a second to evaluate your own weaknesses and its relevant impact to your business or operation. Below are normal listing of SWOT weaknesses:-

1. poor quality
2. high inventory
3. low productivity
4. slow worker
5. long waiting time for truck
6. Take long time or cannot find goods in the warehouse
7. Broken packaging
8. obsolete stock piled up
9. customer complaints
10. overdue collection
11. cannot fulfill customer order lead time
12. Poor performance of distributors
13. Management Styles

How to find SWOT Weaknesses?

Normally, you involve other department staffs to brainstorm ideas of SWOT Weaknesses. And by looking at the list of weaknesses above, it is not difficult to guess which department raised the weaknesses. Then you ended up a long list of weaknesses by which you are not able to deal with them effectively.

Keep in mind that in SWOT Analysis Template, it is used to help you to identify those important and urgent list of SWOT weaknesses such that you handle them soon enough to make your business or operation more effectively. With this in mind, the template provided should be well understood by all those involved in the brainstorming.

You may have notice that the list are those obvious SWOT weaknesses. How about those non obvious types? How are you to identify them? to do that, you need someone who are not directly involved in the operation to help you to trigger your thoughts. This person should be knowledge int he SWOT Analysis Template and good in facilitating brainstorming in a Strategic Planning session.

Example of SWOT Weaknesses:-

1) Next working day delivery of goods is identified as a strength

Indeed it is a strength, however, if you develop interrelationship with other factors, you should be able to draw out the reason for able to deliver the goods next working day. Assuming is done with the help of inventory in the warehouse, then you should ask why there is inventory waiting for delivery?  What happen when there is no order from the customer? Then the inventory will sit there and cost higher in stock holding.

Keeping full inventory is one good marketing strategy to shorten the delivery lead time. Therefore, it is always taken as a strength. However, if you competitor is able to do the same delivery but without inventory, then this item become a Weaknesses in SWOT. Because, the rule is to compare your capability with your competitor.

So, beware that a Strength internally, may be a SWOT Weaknesses when made comparison with competitor.

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