Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

A SWOT analysis is a critical tool used during the formulation phase of a strategic plan, as it helps identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to an organization's internal and external environments. This analysis lays the groundwork for crafting objectives and strategies by highlighting what is currently advantageous and what challenges might need to be addressed.

Conducting the SWOT analysis in this phase enables stakeholders to recognize key factors that can influence the direction of the plan, ensuring that strategic decisions are grounded in a comprehensive understanding of the organization's position. By doing so at this early stage, the plan can be deliberately tailored to leverage strengths and opportunities while mitigating weaknesses and threats, making it an essential part of strategic planning.

In contrast, the development, implementation, and evaluation phases involve executing the strategies and assessing their effectiveness, rather than refining them based on the situational analysis provided by the SWOT framework.