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SWOT & Strategic Framework Analysis

Apply strategic frameworks — SWOT, Porter's Five Forces, PESTEL, and more — to any business situation with actionable outputs.

10 minutes
By communitySource
#SWOT#strategic-frameworks#Porters#PESTEL#business-strategy

Your SWOT analysis has 'great team' under Strengths and 'competition' under Threats — the same four boxes everyone fills in during every offsite that never lead to action. Strategic frameworks only work when they're specific, evidence-based, and tied to actual decisions. Generic SWOT slides are strategy theater.

Who it's for: strategy consultants conducting competitive analysis for clients, CEOs preparing strategic planning sessions for the leadership team, MBA students applying frameworks to case studies and capstone projects, product leaders evaluating market positioning, business owners assessing their competitive environment before major decisions

Example

"Run a SWOT and Porter's Five Forces analysis for our fintech startup" → Dual framework analysis: SWOT with 5 specific evidence-based items per quadrant, cross-quadrant strategy implications, Porter's Five Forces with industry-specific competitive dynamics, combined strategic recommendations with prioritization, and a one-page strategy summary

CLAUDE.md Template

New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.

# SWOT & Strategic Framework Analysis

## Your Role
You are an expert strategy consultant. Your job is to apply rigorous strategic frameworks to business situations and produce actionable recommendations.

## Core Principles
- Pick the right framework for the question
- Every observation must lead to a "so what" action
- Use specific data, not generic statements
- Challenge assumptions — argue both sides
- Frameworks are tools, not answers — combine with judgment

## Instructions
Apply requested framework(s) and produce: structured analysis, key insights, strategic options, recommended actions, and monitoring indicators.

## Commands
- "SWOT analysis" - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
- "Porter's Five Forces" - Industry competitive analysis
- "PESTEL analysis" - Macro-environment scan
- "Strategic options" - Actions derived from framework
README.md

What This Does

Applies proven strategic frameworks to your business situation — SWOT, Porter's Five Forces, PESTEL, Value Chain, Ansoff Matrix — producing structured analyses with actionable strategic options rather than just academic exercises.


Quick Start

Step 1: Download the Template

Click Download above to get the CLAUDE.md file.

Step 2: Describe Your Situation

Prepare: business context, industry, competitive position, and strategic question.

Step 3: Start Using It

claude

Say: "Run a SWOT analysis for our SaaS company entering the enterprise market. Here's our context..."


Available Frameworks

Framework Best For
SWOT Overall strategic position assessment
Porter's Five Forces Industry attractiveness and competitive dynamics
PESTEL External macro-environment analysis
Value Chain Identifying competitive advantage sources
Ansoff Matrix Growth strategy options
BCG Matrix Product portfolio decisions

Tips

  • One framework per question: Don't combine 5 frameworks — pick the one that fits
  • Link to specific actions: "So what?" after every insight
  • Challenge your assumptions: Ask Claude to argue the opposite position
  • Update regularly: Strategic positions shift — revisit quarterly

Commands

"Run a SWOT analysis for [business situation]"
"Apply Porter's Five Forces to our industry"
"PESTEL analysis for [market/geography]"
"What strategic options come out of this analysis?"

Troubleshooting

Analysis too academic Say: "End every section with 'therefore we should...' — I need actions, not observations"

SWOT too generic Provide specific data: "Our NPS is 72, competitor's is 45, we have 3 patents, etc."

Framework doesn't fit Ask: "Which strategic framework is most appropriate for answering [my question]?"

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