SWOT-to-Strategy Action Plan
Use this prompt to
Conduct a structured SWOT analysis for your business, then use chain-of-thought reasoning to convert each finding into a prioritized 90-day action plan with owners, KPIs, and dependencies.
Pro tip
Do not just list strengths/weaknesses — force the AI to cross-reference them (e.g., "How can Strength X offset Threat Y?"). This SO/WT matrix approach produces far more actionable output.
Prompt Variants by Model
Claude
Claude 4.x
FRESH APR 2026
You are a business strategy consultant conducting a SWOT analysis for a small business. Think through this systematically using a cross-impact matrix approach.
<business_context>
Business: [NAME] —...You are a business strategy consultant conducting a SWOT analysis for a small business. Think through this systematically using a cross-impact matrix approach.
<business_context>
Business: [NAME] — [INDUSTRY]
Revenue: $[AMOUNT]/year
Team size: [NUMBER]
Years in operation: [NUMBER]
Target market: [DESCRIPTION]
Top 3 competitors: [LIST]
Recent changes: [ANYTHING NOTABLE — new product, lost client, market shift, etc.]
</business_context>
**Phase 1 — SWOT Analysis:**
Identify 5 items per quadrant (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). Be specific to my business — no generic filler.
**Phase 2 — Cross-Impact Matrix (SO/WO/ST/WT):**
- SO strategies: How can we use strengths to capture opportunities?
- WO strategies: How can we address weaknesses to capture opportunities?
- ST strategies: How can we use strengths to defend against threats?
- WT strategies: What weaknesses make us most vulnerable to threats?
**Phase 3 — 90-Day Action Plan:**
Convert the top 5 strategic priorities into specific actions with:
- Owner (role, not person)
- KPI and target
- Dependencies
- Estimated effort (hours/week)
- Priority rank (by impact × feasibility)
Present Phase 3 as a table.
Notes: Claude's extended thinking is excellent for the cross-impact matrix. Iterate in a Project for quarterly strategy refreshes.
ChatGPT
GPT-5
FRESH APR 2026
Act as a business strategy consultant. Perform a SWOT analysis and convert it into an actionable 90-day plan.
**My Business:**
- Name: [NAME], Industry: [INDUSTRY]
-...Act as a business strategy consultant. Perform a SWOT analysis and convert it into an actionable 90-day plan.
**My Business:**
- Name: [NAME], Industry: [INDUSTRY]
- Revenue: $[AMOUNT]/year
- Team: [NUMBER] people
- Years in business: [NUMBER]
- Market: [TARGET DESCRIPTION]
- Competitors: [TOP 3]
- Recent developments: [NOTABLE CHANGES]
**Step 1 — SWOT:** List 5 specific items per quadrant. No generic answers — be specific to my situation.
**Step 2 — Cross-Impact Analysis:**
- SO: Strengths × Opportunities strategies
- WO: Fix weaknesses to capture opportunities
- ST: Use strengths to counter threats
- WT: Weaknesses that make threats worse
**Step 3 — 90-Day Action Plan (table):**
For the top 5 priorities: Action | Owner (role) | KPI + Target | Dependencies | Effort (hrs/week) | Priority Rank
Think step by step through each phase before outputting.
Notes: GPT-5 with "think step by step" produces strong strategic analysis.
Gemini
Gemini 3 Pro
FRESH APR 2026
I need a strategic SWOT analysis for my business that turns into a real action plan.
**About my business:**
- [NAME] in [INDUSTRY]
- Revenue: $[AMOUNT]/year,...I need a strategic SWOT analysis for my business that turns into a real action plan.
**About my business:**
- [NAME] in [INDUSTRY]
- Revenue: $[AMOUNT]/year, Team: [NUMBER] people
- [NUMBER] years in operation
- We serve: [TARGET MARKET]
- Main competitors: [TOP 3]
- Recent changes: [DESCRIBE]
**Phase 1:** Identify 5 specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Be specific, not generic.
**Phase 2:** Cross-reference them:
- How can strengths capture opportunities? (SO)
- How can we fix weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities? (WO)
- How can strengths protect against threats? (ST)
- Where do weaknesses make threats worse? (WT)
**Phase 3:** Turn the top 5 priorities into a 90-day action plan table with: Action, Owner (role), KPI + target, dependencies, effort per week, and priority ranking.
Notes: Gemini can research your competitors in real-time to inform the Threats and Opportunities quadrants.
Copilot
Copilot (Microsoft 365)
FRESH APR 2026
Help me do a SWOT analysis for my business and turn it into a plan I can actually execute.
**My business:**
- Name: [NAME], in [INDUSTRY]
- Revenue: $[AMOUNT]/year
-...Help me do a SWOT analysis for my business and turn it into a plan I can actually execute.
**My business:**
- Name: [NAME], in [INDUSTRY]
- Revenue: $[AMOUNT]/year
- Team size: [NUMBER]
- Years running: [NUMBER]
- Who we serve: [TARGET MARKET]
- Main competitors: [LIST TOP 3]
- What has changed recently: [DESCRIBE]
**First:** List 5 strengths, 5 weaknesses, 5 opportunities, and 5 threats — specific to my business, not vague.
**Then:** Show me how they connect:
- Which strengths help us grab which opportunities?
- Which weaknesses do we need to fix to take advantage of opportunities?
- Which strengths protect us from threats?
- Where are we most vulnerable?
**Finally:** Give me the top 5 things to do in the next 90 days as a table: What to do | Who owns it | How to measure success | What it depends on | How much effort | Priority
Notes: Copilot can pull in market data from Bing to inform the competitive analysis.
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