A SWOT Analysis view of the software development industry

Georgios Kormaris Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands gkormari cs!uu!nl WWW home page: http://www.cs.uu.nl/

I.

Introduction

n the past t"enty to thirty years many changes and developments have taken place in the soft"are industry "hich started off during the #$%&s mainly in the United States of 'merica and e(perienced a revolutionary )oom since the #$*&s , Steinmueller, +#$$,-! There are many different "ays and methods of developing soft"are and planning the strategy of a soft"are development company, as "e can derive from many recent research pro.ects! /ost of these pro.ects are usually concerned "ith the "ay that soft"are is developed and not "ith the "ay that the strategy of the company as a "hole is planned, Cusumano, /acCormack, Kemerer, 0 Crandall, +1&&2-! 'nother important factor is "hich techni3ues and methods are used to analy4e company5s environment and ho" the strategy is formulated and implemented! In this paper "e analy4e a popular method for strategic planning "hich has )een mostly used for product portfolio planning and strategic planning on an a)stract level, as stated in a research paper )y 6ou)en, 7enie, 0 8anhoof, +#$$$-! 9e "ill focus our interest in the soft"are industry and )ase our research on the case study of the 'ustrian soft"are industry as it is presented )y :ernroider, +1&&1-! 'dditionally, certain guidelines are going to )e presented, in order to carry out a successful internal and e(ternal analysis for any soft"are development company! Com)ining these t"o types of analysis, certain criteria of a company5s core competences and main "eaknesses are dra"n! This method is called S9;T 'nalysis, "hich "as developed )y 'l)ert 6umphrey during the #$%&s, as part of a research pro.ect for Stanford University! In the follo"ing sections "e "ill ela)orate on S9;T analysis in Section II, "hile an e(ample for a S9;T 'nalysis diagram for a soft"are development company "ill )e presented in Section III! <inally, "e "ill ela)orate on the )ackground of the method and ho" it is related "ith other scientific fields or )usiness areas!

SWOT Analysis

II.

SWOT Analysis: method description

he initials S9;T stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats! =ackson, 'parna 0 >rhardt, +1&&2-, have stated the follo"ing four )uilding )locks, "hich that the main elements of the S9;T 'nalysis5 matri(? Strengths and Weaknesses are part of the internal analysis, "hile Opportunities and Threats are part of the e(ternal analysis of an organi4ation!

Figure : ' )asic S9;T 'nalysis matri( as descri)ed )y =ackson, 'parna, 0 >rhardt, +1&&2-!

<igure # sho"s that "e have some other categori4ations "ithin the matri( of S9;T 'nalysis and they are divided into elements? concerning the organi4ation itself "hich are called Internal +Strengths and Weaknesses -, "hich are a)out the company and its relationship "ith its environment, named External +Opportunities and Threats-, "hich are Helpful for the organi4ation +Strengths and Opportunities- and "hich are Harmful for the organi4ation +Weaknesses and Threats-!

<irst of all "e have to define the four main )uilding )locks of our diagram?

Strengths@ The strengths of an organi4ation are the core competencies of

the company? these key factors "hich ena)le it to e(cel in certain aspects and gain all kinds of profit, "hether that is purely economical, organi4ational or other!

Wea!nesses@ 9e define "eaknesses as the fla"s that an organi4ation has,

something "hich means that these "eaknesses might lead to serious pro)lems in the company5s strategic planning and might even lead to "orse

Georgios Kormaris

SWOT Analysis situations, such as )ecoming a serious threat for the organi4ation5s e(istence!

Opportunities@ These are certain steps "hich "ill help a company to

perform )etter, generate more profits etc! The opportunities can )e of many different perspectives, such as entering a ne" market, or in creating a ne" )usiness unit and etc!

Threats@ 's threats "e name the potential reasons "hich might harm a
company, such as a ne" entrant in the main market of operation, a )ig economical recession and other reasons "hich might threaten the current position of an organi4ation!

6aving defined the main )uilding )locks of the S9;T analysis matri(, "e "ill dig deeper into these elements and link them "ith certain aspects of an organi4ation! The t"o main aspects of this effort "ere already mentioned and they are the Internal and the External aspect of an organi4ation! In Chapter 1 of the )ook )y 9ard 0 Aeppard, +1&&*- an important step in formulating a )usiness strategy is stated, the so called B Situation Analysis5, "hich if put into "ords ans"ers to the 3uestion C Where are we now ?D! This is "here the Internal and >(ternal analysis of an organi4ation really come into play and help managers reali4e the different dimensions of their )usiness

Internal analysis
The internal part of an organi4ation can vary, depending on the si4e, )ut the main principles on "hich "e focus our interest remain the same and according to :ernroider, +1&&1- these are the follo"ing? Resources, meaning the availa)le resources "hich are ena)ling the company to develop and deliver the soft"are "hich it sets out to provide to its customers! apa!ilities, that is the critical success factors "hich the company possesses and that give it a competitive advantage! "uality, "hich is 3uite clear as a term, referring to the 3uality of the products E services provided )y the company and to the 3uality of the internal organi4ation of the company, such as the 3uality of the )usiness processes! Efficiency, meaning ho" efficient the company is having a solid structure "here all different departments, units and processes are properly organi4ed and communicate "ell, in order to have a smooth operation of the company! ustomer responsi#eness, "hich is not only referring to the o)vious, that is ho" many customers does a company have, )ut also to ho" e(tensive is the diversification of a company5s products, "hat different price levels e(ist and ho" satisfied are those customers! Inno#ation, "hich is a)out the level of a company5s desire to invest in ne" technologies, follo" technological )reakthroughs, keep up "ith the 3

Georgios Kormaris

SWOT Analysis emerging )usiness trends and in "hich e(tend is part of the profits reF invest in research 0 development!

"#ternal analysis
The e(ternal analysis of an enterprise is a task "hich is a )it more complicated +see :ackground and related literature-, )ut it mainly is an analysis of the current competition and of the market in "hich the company operates! In order to give an e(ample of e(ternal analysis factors "e "ill mention some e(ternal )arriers and drivers as they are stated )y :ernroider, +1&&1-@ $arketing % &istri!ution in foreign countries ulture, "hich refers to certain restrictions or difficulties in communication that might arise due to different languages and other cultural aspects! Tra&e E commerce la" issues, "hich are sometimes different from country to country and might cause pro)lems "hen trying to enter ne" markets! E' regulations that might )e rather complicated and restrictive in the standards of 3uality that must )e follo"ed in order to market a soft"are product in the >U $arket si(e

Steps and $elivera%les

In the process of descri)ing a successful strategy planning procedure for a soft"are development company, one should go through the follo"ing steps, "hich include S9;T 'nalysis, :ernroider, +1&&1-?

Step Activity
. )re SWOT &. SWOT Analysis '. SWOT Analysis (. )ro SWOT ). )ro SWOT
Georgios Kormaris 4 Implementation of strategies Define current situation, create a mission statement and a)stract )usiness goals! 'nalysis of the organi4ation5s e(ternal competitive environment +Define BOpportunities* and BThreats*'nalysis of the organi4ation5s internal operating environment +Define BStrengths and BWeaknessesSelection of strategies

SWOT Analysis
Ta%le : The steps that have to )e follo"ed in order to carry out a successful S9;T 'nalysis as descri)ed )y :ernroider, +1&&1-!

In step #, the management )oard has to derive its mission statement, "hich is a rather important statement, since it is the driver of an organi4ation to )ecome )etter in the future! 'nother activity of step # is the determination of a)stract )usiness goals, "hich "ill represent the actual developments that should take place, in order to fulfill its mission! The main activities that constitute S9;T 'nalysis are carried out during steps 1 and 2? >(ternal and internal analysis are the activities "hich help to determine the main )uilding )locks of the S9;T 'nalysis matri(? Strengths, 9eaknesses, ;pportunities and Threats! 's it "as previously mentioned, during the e(ternal analysis part opportunites in ne" or e(isting markets are defined and threats from competitors, economic developments etc!, are identified! Internal analysis serves as a mean to gain a complete vie" of an organi4ation5s inner situation and identify its strengths and "eaknesses! Step G is "hen certain different solutions are constructed and then certain different strategies are formulated! These strategies may include a ne" marketing strategy to ac3uire a ne" market segment or a ne" cost reduction strategy in order to avoid a certain economic crisis and other similar strategic decisions! <inally in Step , the organi4ation has to decide "hich strategic plan is the most appealing and "ill result in )enefits "hich are "anted )y its stakeholders and )e aligned "ith its mission statement!

III.

SWOT Analysis: e#ample

fter analy4ing the principles )ehind the S9;T 'nalysis method, it is time to present an e(ample for this method! <or our e(ample "e "ill carry out a S9;T 'nalysis of /icrosoft, a famous and international company "hich develops soft"are +such as the /icrosoft 9indo"s 8ista operating system and others- and also designs various kinds of technology e3uipment and gadgets! Step <irstly, "e need to define the mission of /icrosoft@ /icrosoft states the company5s mission at its official corporate "e)site, "hich is defined as follo"s@ CAt $icrosoft+ our mission an& #alues are to help people an& !usinesses through the worl& reali(e their full potentialD
Source, http,%%www-microsoft-com%a!out%&efault-mspx.#alues

/icrosoft is a vast corporation, "ith customers of all si4es, from )ig companies to single users! They develop a large variety of soft"are packages, such as /icrosoft ;ffice, /icrosoft Aro.ect, /icrosoft Dynamics and others! If "e "ere to define some goals of /icrosoft these "ould mostly concentrate around the company5s desire to rule the soft"are market "orld"ide, maintain its current glo)al influence and overpo"er its competitors! Georgios Kormaris 5

SWOT Analysis Step & and Step ' 's mentioned in the method description in Section II, these t"o steps are the ones that are directly linked "ith S9;T 'nalysis? the steps of internal and e(ternal analysis! <irstly, "e have to go through the e(ternal analysis of the market in "hich /icrosoft is active in? this is not a hard task, since /icrosoft is the most dominant soft"are company since the early $&s, especially in the market of ;perating Systems and other personal computer soft"are, such as /icrosoft ;ffice Suite! ' )rief description like that could )e the summary of /icrosoft5s current situation for the e(ternal side, )ut there are other emerging markets such as the ;nline office suite market, in "hich /icrosoft only recently )egan to sho" interest in! In such a situation many different aspects must )e taken in account, in order to formulate a good and solid strategy for the ne(t moves of the company! Competitors in this market must )e evaluated, ne" opportunities to )e identified and other significant elements "hich add up to a thorough market research! Then "e move to the current situation "ithin the company itself and the strengths and "eaknesses that it has? /icrosoft is a po"erful company "ith millions of individual users "orld"ide and "ith many companies using its soft"are products for their )usinesses to function! Its "eak points might )e hard to reali4e, since /icrosoft has )een so successful of the past 1& years )ut every single detail has to )e taken in account in order to maintain the current situation and if possi)le to )ecome even )etter in the future!

Georgios Kormaris

SWOT Analysis

Figure &: S9;T 'nalysis for /icrosoft *see Appen&ix for larger #ersion+

Georgios Kormaris

SWOT Analysis Step ( and ) In the ne(t t"o steps certain decisions have to )e taken and implemented, a)out the strategy of /icrosoft, )ut "e "ill not go into detail, since it is not so close to the su).ect of the method "e are descri)ing! The general idea )ehind these t"o steps is to formulate a set of candidate strategies, "hich could help solve the pro)lem that the managers are investigating! 'fter carefully e(amining all possi)le solutions and the effects they "ould have on the organi4ation, one preferred strategy "ould )e selected and a strategic plan "ould )e designed! To mention a couple of e(amples of "hat follo"s, the managers of /icrosoft should decide "hether more money should )e invested in the emerging market of BOnline office5 or "ill /icrosoft .ust to fight Google, since it seems that Google is the main competitor!

I,.

-eta.process model

n <igure 2 "e present the metaFprocess model of the strategic planning process according to :ernroider, +1&&1-! It is a rather simple diagram, since most of the activities are closed due to the fact that they are complicated processes and re3uire many different steps in order for them to )e completed in full detail! The part of the diagram that is magnified contains the t"o main activities, out of "hich S9;T 'nalysis consists of, the >(ternal and Internal analysis! The su)F activities of these t"o main activities are closed, since they are too comple( and not in the conte(t of this manuscript! 'nother fact "orth pointing out is the fact that the roles in charge of the activities in this model are mostly organi4ational! This is a result of the high level and a)stract nature of these activities "hich are of a strategic nature, such as the >(ternal and Internal >nvironment analysis, "hich are the t"o main elements of S9;T 'nalysis!

Georgios Kormaris

SWOT Analysis

Figure ': The /etaFArocess model of the strategic planning process as descri)ed )y :ernroider, +1&&1-! 9e 4oom in the t"o most important main activities of our diagram!
/see Appen&ix for large #ersion0

Georgios Kormaris

SWOT Analysis

,.

-eta./rocess model: Activity Ta%le

Su%activity
Define corporate mission

Activity
0orporate mission and goals definition

$escription
Defining the /ISSI;N ST'T>/>NT is rather significant, since it reflects on the goals and strategy that the organi4ation "ill follo"! In order to have a "ell functioning organi4ation, certain C;HA;H'T> G;'7S must )e determined that "ill )e aligned to the C;HA;H'T> /ISSI;N! Analyzing the external en ironment o! an organization hel"s the managers realize #ertain T$%&ATS that might exist' (hether these #ome !rom the #om"etitors in a #ertain mar)et or a ne( go ernment "oli#y et#* The other result of the e(ternal analysis of an organi4ation is the identification of possi)le ;AA;HTUNITI>S, such as a ne" niche in a market or the creation of a ne" product! Another im"ortant !a#tor o! SWOT Analysis is the +e!inition o! an organization,s ST%&-GT$S* &xam"les o! a strength #o.l+ /e a #ertain "ro+.#t' a +e"artment' a "lanning "ro#ess et#* :ut "hen looking in the internal situation of an organi4ation "e also encounter certain fla"s! These fla"s are called 9>'KN>SS>S they can )e of many different natures? organi4ational, material etc! $a ing analyze+ /oth the external an+ internal en ironment' an organization m.st realize its ST%AT&G01 GOA2S' (hi#h +e!ine the near an+3or +istant !.t.re o! the organization*

Determine corporate goals

"#ternal environment analysis

Define threats

Identify opportunities

Internal environment analysis

Define strengths

Identify "eaknesses

Strategy selection

Heali4e strategic goals

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SWOT Analysis Select future o).ectives 9hile reali4ing the strategic goals of an organi4ation, there might )e many different goals for different timeframes! This is "hy the management )oard has to decide "hich are the <UTUH> ;:=>CTI8>S of the organi4ation! These o).ectives usually have to )e fulfilled in the near future! 6aving selected the future o).ectives of the company, the )oard of managers has to put everything together and formulate the STH'T>GIC A7'N of the organi4ation, "hich then has to )ecome the driving shaft of the organi4ation! In order to implement the STH'T>GIC A7'N successfully, there has to )e a certain organi4ation of the corporation! This is called an ;HG'NII'TI;N'7 STHUCTUH> and it differs among companies! It can )e as simple as an organi4ation chart, up to complicated organi4ational structures for different kinds of processes and functions of a corporation! Implementing the STH'T>GIC A7'N is )ased upon a certain ;HG'NII'TI;N'7 STHUCTUH> )ut it can5t )e properly implemented "ithout a certain C;NTH;7 SJST>/! It is used to monitor all different aspects of an organi4ation, from machine performance to email restrictions for )etter staff efficiency!

<ormulate strategic plan

Strategy implementatio n

Design organi4ational structure

Design control systems

Ta%le &: The activity ta)le of the metaFprocess model

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SWOT Analysis

,I.

-eta.delivera%le model

n <igure G "e present the metaFdelivera)le model in "hich "e can see that the strategic planning process is 3uite simple in concept and most of the relations included are straight for"ard, since many of the concepts can )e the result of separate activities! This is in correspondence "ith figure 2, "here "e identified many closed activities, "hich are too comple( to descri)e in this paper! ' relation that is "orth pointing out for the readers is the relation )et"een the >(ternal and Internal environment analysis? these t"o concepts com)ined result in the concept of S9;T 'nalysis, "hich in turn affects the definition of the organi4ation5s future o).ectives! This is one of the reasons "hy S9;T 'nalysis has )een used so )roadly and "hy it has )ecome a useful tool for managers, helping them reali4e certain goals and o).ectives for the future of their organi4ations!

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SWOT Analysis

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SWOT Analysis

Figure (: The /etaFDelivera)le model of strategic planning, "hich includes S9;T 'nalysis!
/see Appen&ix for large #ersion0

,II.

-eta.delivera%le model: 0oncept ta%le

$escription
' mission statement is Ban unam!iguous statement of what the organi(ation &oes an& its long1term purpose5 +9ard 0 Aeppard, 1&&*-! ' goal E o).ective is Bthe target that the organi(ation is setting to take it towar& achie#ing its #ision5 +9ard 0 Aeppard, 1&&*-!

0oncept
-ISIO1 STAT"-"1T

ST2AT"3I0 O45"0TI,"S

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SWOT Analysis

6IST OF T72"ATS

BA threat is any unfa#oura!le situation in the organisation2s en#ironment that is potentially &amaging to its strategy- The threat may !e a !arrier+ a constraint+ or anything external that might cause pro!lems+ &amage or in3ury* +Hichards, 1&&$-! BAn opportunity is any fa#oura!le situation in the organisation2s en#ironment- It is usually a tren& or change of some kin& or an o#erlooke& nee& that increases &eman& for a pro&uct or ser#ice an& permits the firm to enhance its position !y supplying it5 +Hichards, 1&&$-! BA strength is a resource or capacity the organisation can use effecti#ely to achie#e its o!3ecti#es* +Hichards, 1&&$-! BA weakness is a limitation+ fault+ or &efect in the organisation that will keep it from achie#ing its o!3ecti#es* +Hichards, 1&&$-! BAn assessment of Strengths+ Weaknesses+ Opportunities an& ThreatsSWOT Analysis is use& within organi(ations in the early stages of strategic an& marketing planning- It is also use& in pro!lem sol#ing+ &ecision making or for making staff aware of the nee& for change*, +:N>T, 1&&$-! ' goal E o).ective is Bthe target that the organi(ation is setting to take it towar& achie#ing its #ision5 +9ard 0 Aeppard, 1&&*-! B' comprehensive, integrative program that considers, at minimum, the future of current decisions, overall policy, organi4ational development and links to operational plans!5 +U!S! >nvironmental Arotection 'gency, 1&&K-! BOrgani(ational structure is the form of an organi(ation that is e#i&ent in the way &i#isons+&epartments+ functions an& 45

6IST OF O//O2T81ITI"S

6IST OF ST2"13T7S

6IST OF W"A91"SS"S

SWOT A1A6:SIS

F8T82" 0O2/O2AT" O45"0TI,"S

ST2AT"3I0 /6A1

O23A1I;ATIO1A6 ST280T82"
Georgios Kormaris

SWOT Analysis people link together an& interact-* +:N>T, 1&&$-! BA system for controlling the operation of another system5 +Arinceton 9ordNet Search, 1&&$-

0O1T2O6 S:ST"-

Ta%le ': Concept ta)le for the /etaFDelivera)le model

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SWOT Analysis

,III.

/rocess $elivera%le $iagram

om)ining the previously presented metaFmodels in figures 2 0 G, "e result in the process delivera)le diagram! This diagram sho"s the relations )et"een the activities sho"n in the metaFprocess model of figure 2 and the concepts sho"n in the metaFdelivera)le mode of figure G! These relations are 3uite simple, since the concepts that are derived from the activities are in general 3uite a)stract!

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SWOT Analysis

Figure ): The Arocess Delivera)le Diagram

/see Appen&ix for large #ersion0

I<.

4ac!ground and related literature

n order to gain some more insight in the creation of the S9;T 'nalysis method, it "ould )e useful to kno" some more details a)out its origin? this is "here "e come to a parado(, since little is actually kno"n on ho" the method "as developed! There actually are no papers that first present the method, due to the fact that it "as created during a research pro.ect funded )y a large num)er of companies, making it rather confidential! Georgios Kormaris 48

SWOT Analysis 's stated in an article )y Chapman, '!, +1&&*- a)out S9;T 'nalysis and its origin, CSWOT analysis came from the research con&ucte& at Stanfor& Research Institute from 456714587- The !ackgroun& to SWOT stemme& from the nee& to fin& out why corporate planning faile&- The research was fun&e& !y the fortune 977 companies to fin& out what coul& !e &one a!out this failure- The Research Team were $arion :osher+ :r Otis ;enepe+ Al!ert Humphrey+ Ro!ert Stewart+ ;irger <ie-= It is easy to understand that S9;T 'nalysis can )e used in many different areas of management, thus a method "hich gives managers the opportunity to analy4e a certain pro)lem and put to paper the pros and cons of a situation or a company! Therefore, it helps them to )egin their research in the certain pro)lem and provides the )asic concepts in order to decide "hat the ne(t move "ill )e! <or e(ample, it is also used for marketing management to define "hether a ne" market entrance "ould )e profita)le or "ould it )e )eneficial to create ne" products, 9ilson 0 Gilligan, +1&&,-! 'nother interesting 3uote from the article )y Chapman, '!, +1&&*- "ould )e the follo"ing? CA SWOT analysis measures a !usiness unit+ a proposition or i&ea> a )EST analysis measures a market!D 'ccording to this 3uote, a market in "hich a company is active in should )e "ell measured! Current trends in marketing analysis usually start "ith the e(ternal analysis dimension of the S9;T 'nalysis matri(! <ollo"ing this trend, firstly "e e(amine an organi4ation5s e(ternal environment and ho" it is identified and analy4ed! :eing more specific, soft"are companies have to pay close attention to their e(ternal environment, since competition and market status play a huge role in the success of a soft"are company! In his research paper, :ernroider, +1&&1- states that many companies tend to use another, complementary, method in order to analy4e their e(ternal environment and in continuum to define certain their B Opportunities* and BThreats*! The t"o most )roadly used methods are )EST /or )ESTE<0 and the 9 ?orces mo&el )y Aorter, +#$$*- and also stated )y Grundy, +1&&%-! A>ST stands for Aolitical, >conomical, Social and Technological and it revolves around these dimensions of the e(ternal environment of an organi4ation, in order to define potential threats andEor opportunities! The , forces model )y Aorter is a rather kno"n model, "hich consists of the five main elements of a company5s environment? /Existing0 0ompetitors, /;argaining power of0 Suppliers, /;argaining power of0 4uyers, /Threat of possi!le0 Su%stitutes and /Threat of possi!le0 1ew "ntrants! S9;T 'nalysis is high level method and 3uite a)stract, therefore it can )e used )y many different types of organi4ations? from soft"are companies, "hich are addressed in this paperF, other )usinesses of all types and si4es, up to universities and other large institutions!

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SWOT Analysis To set some e(amples of the multidisciplinary nature of the S9;T 'nalysis method, Gu4mLn, /oreno, 0 Te.ada, +1&&*- used it in order to define all different aspects of the travel agencies in the area of 'ndalucia, a higly touristic area of Spain! In another case study, Dyson, +1&&G-, used S9;T 'nalysis in order to define the main strengths, "eaknesses, opportunites and threats of the University of 9ar"ick! Despite all of these e(amples, another advantage of S9;T 'nalysis is that it can )e easily com)ined "ith other methods and techni3ues, such as A>ST 0 the , forces model mentioned a)ove, in order to conduct thorough research of a specific company, product or even .ust an idea! It can also )e used to create ne" hy)rid tools andEor methods in order to create a ne" customi4ed solution for a specific pro)lem that an organi4ation might face! <or e(ample 6ou)en, 7enie, 0 8anhoof, +#$$$- used S9;T 'nalysis to create a kno"ledge )ased system for small and medium enterprises! To sum up, S9;T 'nalysis is a useful tool for decision making and for organi4ing ones thinking a)out a certain situation or idea, "hether that is a company5s current situation, a certain pro)lem "ithin a company5s process etc! It should )e com)ined "ith other analy4ing techni3ues, in order to achieve a high level of analysis of a company, so as to succeed and make the most re"arding and efficient choices, since the final result of S9;T 'nalysis is to formulate a general plan for a ne" strategy and "ays to implement it!

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SWOT Analysis

<.

2eferences
'lonso, I! '!, 8erdMn, =! C!, 0 Caro, >! T! +1&&*-! The Importance of IT Strategic Demand /anagement in 'chieving the ;).ectives of the Strategic :usiness Alanning! @77A International onference on omputer Science an& Software Engineering +pp! 12,F12*-! I>>> Computer Society! :N>T :usiness Net"ork! +1&&$-! ;BET ;usiness Betwork! Hetrieved 2 ,, 1&&$, from Strategic Goal@ Definition and additional resources from :N>T@ http@EEdictionary!)net!comEdefinitionEstrategicNgoal!html :N>T :usiness Net"ork! +1&&$-! ;BET ;usiness Betwork! Hetrieved 2 1&, 1&&$, from ;rgani4ational Structure@ Definition and additional resources from :N>T@ http@EEdictionary!)net!comEdefinitionEorgani4ationNstructure!html :N>T :usiness Net"ork! +1&&$-! ;BET ;usiness Betwork! Hetrieved 2 ,, 1&&$, from S9;T 'nalysis@ Definition and additional resources from :N>T@ http@EEdictionary!)net!comEinde(!phpOdPS9;TN'nalysis :ernroider, >! +1&&1-! <actors in S9;T 'nalysis 'pplied to /icro, SmallFtoF/edium, and 7arge Soft"are >nterprises@ 'n 'ustrian Study! European $anagement Cournal + @7 +,-, ,%1F,K2! Chapman, '! +1&&*-! SWOT analysis metho& an& examples! Hetrieved 1&&$, from http@EE"""!)usiness)alls!com@ http@EE)usiness)alls!comEs"otanalysisfreetemplate!htm Cusumano, /!, /acCormack, '!, Kemerer, C! <!, 0 Crandall, :! +1&&2-! Soft"are Development 9orld"ide@ The State of the Aractice! IEEE Software ! Dyson, H! G! +1&&G-! Strategic development and S9;T analysis at the University of 9ar"ick! European Cournal of Operational Research + 49@, pp! %2#F%G&! <o"ler, /! +1&&2-! '$< :istille&, A ;rief Dui&e to the Stan&ar& O!3ect $o&eling <anguage /Er& E&ition0- 'ddisonF9esley Arofessional! Grundy, T! +1&&%-! Hethinking and reinventing /ichael AorterQs five forces model! Strategic hange + 49 +,-, 1#2F11$! Gu4mLn, =!, /oreno, A!, 0 Te.ada, A! +1&&*, Septem)er-! The tourism S/>s in the glo)al value chains@ the case of 'ndalusia! Ser#ice ;usiness + @, pp! #*KF1&1! 6ou)en, G!, 7enie, K!, 0 8anhoof, K! +#$$$-! ' kno"ledgeF)ased S9;TFanalysis system as an instrument for strategic planning in small and medium si4ed enterprises! :ecision Support Systems + @6, #1,F#2,! =ackson, S! >!, 'parna, =!, 0 >rhardt, 7! N! +1&&2, /ay 1#-! Hecent Hesearch on Team and ;rgani4ational Diversity@ S9;T 'nalysis and Implications! Cournal of $anagement + @5 +%-, pp! *&#F*2&! Aorter, /! +#$$*-! 6o" competitive forces shape strategy! In /! Aorter, On ompetition +pp! 1#F2*-! :oston, /'!@ 6arvard :usiness School Aress! Arefontaine, 7!, 0 :ourgault, /! +1&&1-! Strategic 'nalysis and >(port :ehavior of S/>s@ ' Comparison :et"een the United States and Canada! International Small ;usiness Cournal + @7, pp! #12F#2*! Arinceton 9ordNet Search! +1&&$-! Wor&Bet Search E-7! Hetrieved 2 ,, 1&&$, from Arinceton 9ordNet@ http@EE"ordnet"e)!princeton!eduEperlE"e)"nOsPcontrolR1&system Hichards, 6! +1&&$-! 'ni#ersity of am!ri&ge! Hetrieved 2 $, 1&&$, from S9;T +Strengths, 9eaknesses, ;pportunities, Threats-@ http@EE"""!ifm!eng!cam!ac!ukEdstoolsEparadigmEs"ot!html

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SWOT Analysis
Steinmueller, >! +#$$,-! The U!S! Soft"are Indus @ 'n 'nalysis and Interpretive 6istory! In D! C! /o"ery, The International omputer Software In&us - ;(ford University Aress! U!S! >nvironmental Arotection 'gency! +1&&K-! U!S! >nvironmental 'gency Hetrieved 2 1#, 1&&K, from US >A' Arogram >valuation Glossary@ http@EE"""!epa!govEevaluateEglossaryEsFesd!htm 9ard, =!, 0 Aeppard, =! +1&&*-! Strategic )lanning for Information Systems+ thir& e&ition=ohn 9iley 0 Sons, 7TD! 9ilson, H! /!, 0 Gilligan, C! +1&&,-! Strategic $arketing $anagement+ Thir& E&ition, planning+ implementation an& control- :utter"orthF6einemann! Iheng, J!, 0 /ou, I! +1&&*-! ;rgani4ational Structure 'd.ustment of 'gent Team :ased on Task! @77A International onference on omputer Science an& Software Engineering +pp! ,,KF,%&-! I>>> Computer Society!

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SWOT Analysis

<I.Appendi#

Figure =: 7arger version of the S9;T 'nalysis e(ample, "here "e analy4e /icrosoft

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SWOT Analysis

Figure >: 7arger version of the metaFprocess diagram

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SWOT Analysis

Figure ?: 7arger version of the metaFdelivera)le diagram

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SWOT Analysis

Figure @: 7arger version of the Arocess Delivera)le Diagram

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SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis Template

I N T > H N ' 7 " < T " 2 1 A 6
Ta%le (: ' template for S9;T 'nalysis

ST2"13T7S
:efine the strong points of the organi(ation ore competences

W"A91"SS"S
:efine the weaknesses of the organi(ation ertain flaws or mistakes that ha#e !een i&entifie&

O//O2T81ITI"S
I&entify new opportunities in the market an& in the general external en#ironment

T72"ATS
I&entify certain threats from the external en#ironment of the organi(ation+ such as threats from competitors-

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