SWOT analysis that leads to decisions

Turn a business, product or project into a sharp SWOT with evidence, cross-links between quadrants and three priority moves.

Change note: Initial version

Prompt

Run a SWOT analysis for {{subject}} in the context of {{market_context}}.

What I know:
{{facts}}

Rules:
- Strengths and weaknesses are internal and within our control. Opportunities and threats are external. Move anything that sits in the wrong quadrant.
- Every point must be specific and carry a one-line piece of evidence or reasoning. Drop generic items such as "strong brand" unless you can say why.
- Give 4 to 5 points per quadrant, ranked by impact.
- If my facts are too thin to support a quadrant, say what is missing instead of inventing details.

Output format:
1. A 2x2 table with the four quadrants.
2. "Cross-links": 3 strategic moves, each tagged SO (use a strength to capture an opportunity), WO (fix a weakness to capture an opportunity), ST (use a strength against a threat) or WT (limit exposure).
3. "Do first": the single move you would start this quarter, with the reason and the first concrete step.
4. "Assumptions to verify": up to 3 claims you leaned on that I should check.

Time horizon: {{horizon}}.

Variables

• {{subject}}What are we analyzing?textrequired

  Default: a 12-person B2B invoicing software startup

• {{market_context}}Market contexttextrequired

  Default: small-business accounting software in the UK

  Industry, region, stage

• {{facts}}What you knowlongrequired

  Default: Founded 3 years ago, 400 paying customers, churn 3% monthly, strong onboarding, one engineer holds most billing code, larger rivals are bundling invoicing for free.

  Facts, numbers, gut feelings: anything useful

• {{horizon}}Time horizonselectrequired

  Options: 6 months, 12 months, 3 years

  Default: 12 months

Example output

**SWOT: invoicing startup, UK small-business accounting, 12-month view**

| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Onboarding is a differentiator: customers report first invoice in under 10 minutes | Monthly churn of 3% means roughly 30% of customers are lost each year |
| 400 paying customers is enough signal to know who retains | Billing logic sits with one engineer, a key-person risk |
| Small team ships fast | No evidence of a second acquisition channel |

| Opportunities | Threats |
|---|---|
| Making Tax Digital rules push sole traders to adopt software | Larger rivals bundle invoicing for free |
| Accountants can act as a referral channel | Price pressure on entry plans |

**Cross-links**
- SO: Build an accountant referral programme around the fast onboarding.
- WO: Document and share billing code ownership before scaling sign-ups.
- ST: Compete on time-to-first-invoice, which bundled tools do not optimise.

**Do first:** Interview 10 churned customers this month to learn whether churn is price-driven or fit-driven.

**Assumptions to verify:** that churn clusters in the first 90 days; that accountants influence purchase; that free bundles are actually used by your segment.

Notes

Splitting internal and external factors and forcing cross-links is what turns a list into strategy. Paste real numbers into the facts field and the output gets much sharper.