Strategic analysis may sound complicated, but it’s about breaking down a big problem into smaller parts. Imagine it like solving a puzzle – you need to look at all the pieces and how they fit together.

In this article, we will simplify the four main parts of strategic analysis so you can understand how businesses and organizations make critical decisions. Whether you’re a student or a professional, knowing these key parts will help you make better strategic choices in the future.

Understanding Strategic Analysis

Internal Look: What Is Inside Your Business?

Understanding your business’s internal workings is a critical component of strategic analysis. This involves assessing your company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies. By doing so, you can identify areas of strength and weakness, which will inform your strategic decisions.

For example, examining your internal human resources can reveal if you have the right skill sets within your team to execute your strategic plans. Assessing your technological infrastructure can show if you have the necessary tools to support your long-term objectives.

Additionally, investigating your internal processes can uncover inefficiencies that need to be addressed to remain competitive in the market. For instance, streamlining production processes can improve cost efficiency and enhance your competitive edge.

By conducting a thorough internal analysis, organizations can gain valuable insights that will guide their strategic planning and ultimately drive their long-term success.

External Look: What Is Outside Your Business?

Understanding the external environment is a fundamental aspect of strategic analysis. This involves examining factors outside the organization’s control but can still significantly impact its operations and success. For instance, economic conditions, market trends, regulatory changes, and technological advancements are all key elements to consider. By staying informed about these external factors, businesses can better position themselves for long-term success.

For example, in the retail industry, changes in consumer buying habits and preferences and shifts in demographics can greatly influence strategic decision-making. Additionally, technological advancements and innovations in manufacturing processes can impact a company’s supply chain and production methods. By monitoring and analyzing these external factors, organizations can proactively adjust their strategies to address potential challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Different Kinds of Strategic Analysis

SWOT Analysis: Finding Your Business Strengths and Weaknesses

When conducting strategic analysis, it’s essential to consider the four components that make up a comprehensive assessment of your business environment:

• Strengths: These internal factors give your business an advantage over others. For example, having a strong, experienced leadership team or a unique product or service.
• Weaknesses: These are also internal factors that put your business at a disadvantage. For example, an outdated technology infrastructure or a lack of skilled employees could be a problem.
• Opportunities: External factors that could positively impact your business, such as a growing market for your product or a new trend that aligns with your business goals.
• Threats: External factors that could potentially harm your business. These could include new competitors entering the market or changes in regulations that affect your industry.

By conducting a thorough SWOT analysis, you can effectively identify and understand these components, which will ultimately help you make informed strategic decisions for your business’s long-term success.

PESTLE Analysis: Checking Out Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental Factors

One method for conducting strategic analysis is to perform a PESTLE analysis, which involves evaluating the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental factors that could impact a business. This type of analysis helps organizations anticipate and prepare for external influences that may affect their long-term strategy.

For example, a PESTLE analysis company might consider how changes in government policy, such as new regulations or taxation policies, could impact their industry. Economically, they might analyze the potential impact of inflation or changes in interest rates. Social factors could include shifting consumer demographics or cultural trends.

Additionally, technological advancements, legal regulations, and environmental concerns are all critical considerations for strategic planning.

By carefully examining these factors, businesses can better understand the external forces at play and make informed decisions about their long-term strategy. This type of analysis is beneficial for anticipating and mitigating potential risks and identifying new opportunities for growth and innovation.

How Strategic Analysis Helps You Make Better Plans

Real-Life Story: Learning from Walmart’s Strategy

Strategic analysis comprises four key components: environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation. Walmart’s strategy can serve as a real-life example of understanding these components.

Firstly, environmental scanning involves understanding the external environment, such as economic trends and market dynamics. For example, Walmart’s strategy involved leveraging its extensive store network to deliver low-cost goods to customers based on their understanding of changing consumer preferences and competitors’ pricing strategies.

Secondly, strategy formulation entails developing a plan based on the environmental analysis. Walmart’s strategy focused on efficient supply chain management to minimize costs, allowing it to offer competitive prices to customers.

Thirdly, strategy implementation involves implementing the plan formulated. Walmart implemented its strategy by investing in advanced inventory management systems to streamline its supply chain operations.

Finally, strategy evaluation requires regularly assessing the effectiveness of the implemented plan. Walmart continuously evaluates its strategy by analyzing sales data to determine the success of its pricing and supply chain decisions.

By examining Walmart’s strategy through these four components, we can gain valuable insights into the practical application of strategic analysis in the business world.

Steps to Perform Your Own Strategic Analysis

Pick a Strategy Level to Analyze

When conducting strategic analysis, it is crucial to pick a strategy level to analyze. This involves identifying the specific area of the business or market you want to focus on.

For example, you may analyze the competitive strategy level to understand how your organization can gain a competitive advantage in the market. Another instance could be exploring the functional strategy level, which involves examining how different organizational functions contribute to the overall business strategy.

By picking a strategy level to analyze, you can delve deep into specific business and market aspects to develop a more targeted and effective strategic plan. This allows you to uncover insights and opportunities that may not be apparent when looking at the overall business strategy.

For instance, by analyzing the competitive strategy level, you can identify key competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, and develop strategies to differentiate your organization in the market. Similarly, by focusing on the functional strategy level, you can optimize the performance of specific functions such as marketing, operations, or human resources to align with the organization’s overall strategic goals.

Look at What Your Company Does Well and Not So Well

One crucial aspect of strategic analysis involves assessing what your company excels at and where it falls short. By evaluating these factors, businesses can identify opportunities for growth and areas that require improvement. This process allows companies to capitalize on their strengths and address any weaknesses hindering their long-term success.

For example, a company may excel in providing high-quality products but struggle with outdated technology that affects its efficiency. Identifying these strengths and weaknesses enables the company to focus on maximizing its product quality and investing in updated technology to improve operations.

In another case, a company may discover that it has a solid online presence but lacks a robust customer service strategy. This realization can prompt the company to enhance its customer support initiatives to meet its target audience’s needs better.

Assessing strengths and weaknesses provides valuable insights that can guide strategic planning and shape the future direction of the business. By recognizing what the company does well and not so well, organizations can position themselves for sustainable growth in a competitive market.

Look at What’s Happening Around Your Company

When conducting strategic analysis, looking at what’s happening around your company is essential. This involves examining the external environment, including the industry, market trends, and competitive landscape, to identify opportunities and threats. By understanding these factors, organizations can shape their long-term strategies effectively.

For example, a retail company may notice a shift in consumer behavior toward online shopping. This trend could be driven by convenience and the availability of a broader range of products. By recognizing this trend, the company can develop a strategic plan to enhance its online presence and customer experience to stay competitive.

Similarly, in the healthcare industry, an analysis of regulatory changes and technological advancements can reveal opportunities for expanding or diversifying services.

Strategic Analysis: Bringing Your Ideas Together

A crucial component of strategic analysis is bringing all your ideas together and sharing them effectively within your organization. This involves gathering and making sense of data from various sources to shape a long-term business strategy. By sharing insights and findings with the entire leadership team, organizations can formulate a comprehensive strategic plan considering different perspectives and areas of expertise.

For example, a retail company conducting strategic analysis might gather consumer trends, economic indicators, and competitive landscape data to identify market opportunities and potential risks. By combining these ideas and sharing them with the leadership team, the company can make informed decisions on product development, marketing strategies, and expansion plans.

Similarly, a healthcare organization conducting strategic analysis might gather data on patient demographics, regulatory changes, and technological advancements to plan for future services and facilities. By sharing these insights and ideas with the leadership team, the organization can align its resources and initiatives with the community’s evolving needs.

Tools to Help with Strategic Analysis

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Strategic Analysis

When it comes to strategic analysis, selecting the right tool is crucial for gaining valuable insights into the business environment. A critical component of strategic analysis is using SWOT and PESTLE analysis methods. These methods help identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. For example, a company conducting a SWOT analysis may realize that changes in consumer preferences present new market opportunities.

Another valuable tool for strategic analysis is ClearPoint, a software platform that can help connect all the pieces of data to drive organizational strategy. This tool enables businesses to differentiate strategic analysis from operational data tracking, data analytics, and customer relationship management. For instance, ClearPoint can provide insights into how market trends and patterns will impact long-term planning, guiding businesses in making informed strategic decisions.

What to Do After Analyzing: Taking Action!

Once the strategic analysis is complete, the next crucial step is to take action based on the findings. This involves making strategic decisions and implementing changes to ensure the business’s long-term success. Here are some important steps to take after analyzing:

• Develop a clear action plan: Use the insights gained from the analysis to create a detailed action plan. This may involve setting specific goals, identifying areas for improvement, and outlining the steps needed to achieve success.
• Communicate the findings: Share the analysis’s results with key stakeholders within the organization. This will help align everyone with the strategic direction and ensure the entire team is working towards the same objectives.
• Implement changes: Put the insights from the analysis into practice by making necessary adjustments to the business strategy, operations, and other relevant areas. This may involve investing in new technologies, restructuring processes, or reallocating resources.
• Monitor progress: Continuously track the effects of the implemented changes to ensure they contribute to the overall strategic goals. Regular monitoring allows for adjustments to be made as needed for optimal outcomes.

Taking action after strategic analysis is critical to driving the organization forward and ensuring its long-term competitiveness in the market.