Run a SWOT analysis before a big move
A SWOT that lists whatever comes to mind first produces four generic lists — a useful one is honest about the uncomfortable entries.
- Use it for
- Anyone weighing a significant business move who wants a structured, honest read on the real tradeoffs.
A SWOT analysis done quickly tends to produce safe, generic entries — strengths that are obviously true, weaknesses mild enough not to sting — which makes the exercise feel thorough without actually surfacing anything that changes the decision. A SWOT worth doing includes the uncomfortable entries too: the weakness that's genuinely concerning, the threat that's actually plausible.
When not to use this
For a low-stakes or easily-reversible decision, a full SWOT is more structure than the decision needs — this is for a genuinely significant move worth the honest scrutiny.
Fill in
We're considering: {{move}}
Context: {{context}}
Run a SWOT analysis — Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.
Push past the safe, obvious entries: include at least one genuinely
uncomfortable weakness and one plausible, specific threat, not just
ones easy to accept without concern.Why it works
Explicitly requiring at least one genuinely uncomfortable weakness and a specific, plausible threat is what prevents the exercise from defaulting to safe entries that don't actually change anyone's mind — a SWOT with only comfortable entries confirms a decision already leaned toward rather than genuinely testing it.
Common mistakes
- ×Filling weaknesses and threats with safe, easily-accepted entries instead of genuinely uncomfortable ones.
- ×Treating the four lists as equally weighted instead of identifying which entries actually matter most to the decision.
Follow-ups
- That threat is the one that worries me most — help me think through how to actually mitigate it.
- Given this SWOT, help me make an actual go/no-go call, not just the analysis.
Did this work?
The weaknesses and threats lists include at least one genuinely uncomfortable entry, not just safe, easily-accepted ones.
Tested on claude-opus-5. Evidence status is draft; it moves to battle-tested only on recorded runs, never by hand.