DIY Learn Module of the Month: SWOT Analysis

DIY Learn is our online learning programme in innovation, launched last year in partnership with the Open University. It features 10 short modules that guide you through how to use the innovation tools and methods from Nesta’s popular DIY Toolkit.

We developed the DIY Toolkit with the Rockefeller Foundation to help people working in development to invent, adopt or adapt ideas that can deliver better results, and DIY Learn takes this support to the next level. It focuses on the most widely used tools in the DIY Toolkit that we know have been helping development practitioners to improve the way they work.

We’re showcasing each module from DIY Learn here on the Nesta website month by month, and our fourth module of the month is the SWOT analysis.

SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats - can be carried out on a particular project, organisation or even an entire sector. This analysis leads to a richer understanding of what the project or organisation can offer, the key weaknesses that need to be worked upon for success, and where to bring in outside partners for support.

Completing a SWOT analysis involves identifying and mapping both internal and external factors that are helping or hindering you to achieve your aim. It can be used as a framework for assessing current strategies and directions, or even to test a new idea while exploring options. It is particularly useful to do a SWOT analysis before starting a project.

The DIY Learn module walks you through the SWOT analysis and offers guidance so that you can make the most of using it. By taking the module, you will be able to:

  • Describe what a SWOT analysis is and where you would use it
  • Explain the terms 'strength, weakness, opportunity and threat' in the context of a SWOT analysis
  • Distinguish between the internal and external issues in a project and its environment using a SWOT analysis
  • Conduct and interpret a simple SWOT analysis

Watch the SWOT Analysis module introductory video below, or go straight to the module.

We estimate this module will take between two and three hours to complete for an independent learner with a good level of English. It is divided into smaller study sessions, each of which follows a standard pattern to make it easier for you to plan your time. As you work through the module there are some in-text activities to help test your understanding of the material, and it finishes with a series of self-assessment questions.

Feedback and further resources

We hope that you enjoy the module, and we’re always delighted to hear from our learners. Please send feedback on the module to [email protected]. We are particularly keen to hear what you have done with the skills and tools you have learned.While the module has been designed to be studied independently, this is not the only way it can be used. The DIY Learn Trainers Handbook also provides guidance on using all the modules as a basis for group training in a classroom setting.

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Author

Isobel Roberts

Isobel Roberts

Isobel Roberts

Content and Communications Manager, Innovation Skills

Isobel worked in the Innovation Skills team as Content and Communications Manager, helping to build Nesta's learning and development offering.

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