Strength

Passionate and dedicated about the subject.

Sense of camaraderie between the faculty members and students.
Personally, invest in the students and have relationships with them
outside the classroom by coaching them, or advising thro activities for the
students.
Make a difference in the lives of their students thro studies.
Willing to put in extra effort in helping them succeed.
Keep them on track and focused as they are going through many new
experiences
engage students, and are willing to put the time in to build good
relationships

Weakness
See students who are dejected and apathetic towards the subject
Students do not have the fundamentals knowledge necessary for the
more advanced classes
Students do not understand why they’re in the classes they are and they
do not see the point of taking advice.
Administration has a lack of faith in the teachers’ ability to teach their
students
Communication breakdown from teacher to teacher causes confusion.
Change should come from the department head and senior leadership.

Opportunities
Identified three areas of improvement such as student-oriented
improvements, administration oriented, and teacher oriented.
Teaching them not only the material but the study skills that would help
navigate a textbook and how to take useful notes
Create more structure for the students, and create smaller groups in
classes so the students can have more of an individualized experience
Training for the teachers by creating a program that identifies the
individual weaknesses.
Can better utilize technology in the classroom, especially now with the
new facilities they can create an improved learning environment for their
students.
Better communication between teachers on what each teacher needs to
work on would help each other meet the needs of their students.

Threats
Have behavioural issues that stem from the student not caring enough
about the subject matter.
Maturity of the high school students is declining while at the same time
life.
Implementable discipline program the teachers are unable to keep order
in their classrooms.
Proper background to be successful and are pushed forward in order to
improve the standardized.
Denies entry to students who aren’t cut out for the “traditional” learning
process.

Learning process

Strengths -
The strengths section refers to the strengths of each particular student,
where he or she does well.
To identify the strengths, you can consider the areas of interest or where
the particular student is doing well in every unit.
Strengths may be in the curriculum or leadership or relationships with all
other teachers or classmates and their way of dealing with a class or
teamwork in the class.
Weaknesses –

Weaknesses refer to the things that students need improvement in.

Weaknesses in particular subjects or areas of interest can hinder the
students from achieving the all-over desired goal or mission.
Consider what all weaknesses are there per student that is likely to see
some improvement as not all weaknesses can be improved.
By understanding the exact points of weakness, you will realize the points
that need focus on to work and refine. You will be able to find answers to
questions like ‘what should be avoided for that particular student’, ‘what
particular points are to be improved for each student in the class.
Opportunities -
Opportunities are the trend that your students could take advantage of.
There are outside factors or opportunities that exist and can help your
student in a positive way in achieving their desired goal or mission.
For example, a student who is weak in math and you've been helping him
or her with more practice material can take part in an upcoming math
Olympiad.
Through that, he or she will be able to build more confidence in the
subject. Examining the trends is helpful in identifying opportunities.
Keep a keen eye for all the competitions and activities outside of your
class where your students can take part and build confidence in the
practical field.
Threats -

Threats can be considered anything that might cause obstacles for your
students.
What obstacles do you think your students might be facing?
Are they facing any personal problems that are hampering their learning
process?
Are they distracted by something?
Is there something bothering them?
Think about all these questions and analyze your students’ state of mind.
 1. Financial strengths: What is our most reliable source of financial
growth? Is it our service destinations? A large fleet size? Our
customer loyalty program?
2. Customer strengths: Where is our customer growth coming from?
Is it due to excellent service ratings or low prices? Why are
customers choosing us over our competitors?
3. Internal strengths: What do we do very well as an organization?
Are our operations easily scalable? Do we have an exceptionally
high employee retention rate? How complex is our maintenance
program?
4. Learning & growth strengths: Where do we excel as far as our
employees are concerned? Is it our compensation model? Could it
be our workforce development program? Are people coming or
leaving because of our culture?

 Financial weaknesses: What is our biggest financial weakness? Our

destinations are all in the U.S., which may be limiting our growth. Or, we
know that a large number of new competitors entering the market are
decreasing our market share. Do we have challenges with debt or credit?
 Customer weaknesses: Where do our customers think we need to
improve? This could be related to frequently canceled flights, lost
baggage, complexity of the reservation process, or cleanliness, for
instance.
 Internal weaknesses: What do we do poorly? Are we slow at handling
customer complaints? Are our maintenance costs above industry average?
What about plane utilization?
 Learning & growth weaknesses: What are our biggest challenges with
employees? Is our staff security training proving ineffective, or is there a
negative perception of the organizational culture? Do our employee
surveys reveal low engagement?

 Financial opportunities: What is our biggest opportunity to improve our

finances? This might mean taking advantage of federal loans in a time of
crisis (like COVID-19) or adopting specific technology to lower costs.
Maybe there is an opportunity to purchase a weaker competitor.
 Customer opportunities: Where could we dramatically improve with our
customers? Could we enhance our online interface? Can we create and
promote new standards of cleanliness? What about finding new ways to
engage with customers when travel opportunities are low?
 Internal opportunities: What processes will drive us well into the future
if we could improve upon them? Adopting certain climate initiatives to
reduce our carbon footprint, for instance, will make us more eco-friendly
(and, by extension, more appealing to customers). Maybe now is the time
to upgrade a reservation or pricing system.
 Learning & growth opportunities: What opportunities do we have to
leverage staff? For example, do we have cross-training opportunities?
Could we make a few tweaks to improve our culture and thus our
retention?

 Financial threats: What threats could seriously impact our financial

health? This could be low-cost competitors, ongoing global health issues
that prevent travel, or rising oil costs.
 Customer threats: What is our biggest concern about our customers?
Has a competitor created a more attractive loyalty program? Is our
number of business clients trending downward?
 Internal threats: What current areas of our business might harm us
later? Is a contract dispute imminent that could disrupt business? Is a
potential merger or acquisition on the horizon?
 Learning & growth threats: What threatens the people within your
organization? This could be anything from instability in our customer
support department to staff member departures to a department-specific
pushback against new technology.
Strengths: Strengths of SWOT analysis tool explain the positive attributes,

tangible and intangible, internal to organization. They are within control of

company. Company must evaluate its strengths by area, such as marketing,

finance, manufacturing, and organizational structure. Strengths include the

positive characteristics of the people involved in the business, including their

knowledge, backgrounds, education, credentials, contacts, reputations, or the

skills they bring. Strengths also include tangible assets such as available

capital, equipment, credit, established customers, existing channels of

distribution, copyrighted materials, patents, information and processing

systems, and other valuable resources within the business. Strengths capture

the positive aspects internal to business that enhance value or offer a

competitive advantage.

Weaknesses: This element of SWOT analysis is important for organization. It

is highly significant to observe the weaknesses within business. Weaknesses

are factors that are within company's control that detract from ability to obtain

or maintain a competitive edge. This analysis points out the area of

improvement. Weaknesses might include lack of expertise, limited resources,

lack of access to skills or technology, inferior service offerings, or the poor

location of your business. These are factors that are under control, but

company must need to improve to effectively accomplish its marketing

objectives. Weaknesses capture the negative aspects internal to business that

detract from the value offer, or place company at a competitive disadvantage.

The more accurately company will identify its weaknesses, the more valuable

the SWOT will be for assessment.

Opportunities: Opportunities in the SWOT analysis appraise the external

attractive factors that represent the reason for business to exist and flourish.

These are external to business. These opportunities reflect the potential of

company that can be realized through implementing its marketing strategies.

Opportunities may be the result of market growth, lifestyle changes, resolution

of problems associated with current situations, positive market perceptions

about business, or the ability to offer greater value that will create a demand

for services. Opportunities are external to business. If company has

successfully identified opportunities that are internal to the organization and

within its control, then it will gain strengths.

Threats: Threats consist of factors beyond control that could place marketing

strategy, or the business itself, at risk. These are also external and company

has no control over them, but company may benefit by having contingency

plans to address them if they should occur. A threat is a challenge created by

an unfavourable trend or development that may lead to deteriorating revenues

or profits. Competition is always a threat. Other threats may include intolerable

price increases by suppliers, governmental regulation, economic downturns,

devastating media or press coverage, a shift in consumer behaviour that

decrease sales. It may be valuable to categorize threats according to their

seriousness and probability of occurrence.

The implications: The internal strengths and weaknesses, compared to the

external opportunities and threats, can suggest additional insight into the

condition and potential of the business. The true value of the SWOT analysis

is in bringing this information together, to consider the most promising

opportunities, and the most critical issues.

Aim of a SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis shows the company's competitive

advantages, Analyse prospects for sales, profitability and product

development, Prepare Company for problems and allow for the development

of contingency plans.

Steps to perform SWOT analysis: The chief aim of strategic planning is to

bring balance with the external environment and to maintain that balance over

time (Sackett, Jones, and Erdley , 2005). Organizations achieve this balance

by evaluating new programs and services with the goal of maximizing

organizational performance. SWOT analysis is an primarily decision-making

tool that sets the stage for this work.

Step 1 of SWOT analysis: In this stage, company must involve in the

collection and evaluation of authentic data. Depending on the organization,

these data might include population demographics, status, sources of funding,

and/or the current status of technology. Once the data have been collected

and analysed, the organization's capabilities in these areas are assessed.

In Step 2 of SWOT analysis: Data on the organization are collected and sorted

into four categories: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Strengths and weaknesses generally stem from factors within the

organization, while opportunities and threats usually come from external

factors. Organizational surveys are an effective way of gathering this

information, such as data on an organization's finances, operations, and

processes (Carpenter 2006).

Step 3: In this step, there is the development of a SWOT matrix for each

business alternative under consideration.

Step 4 involves incorporating the SWOT analysis into the decision-making

process to establish which business alternative best meets the organization's

overall strategic plan.

Figure: SWOT Matrix for health care

industry:
 Applications of SWOT analysis: SWOT analysis is practical for the business

organizations as well as it can also be used in any decision-making situation

by non-profit organizations, governmental organizations, and even individuals.

SWOT analysis may be used to avoid crisis situations and also to resolve the

crises. It can be used for planning, problem-solving, product evaluation,

competitor analysis, self-development, and decision-making. It may also be

used in feasibility studies/surveys conducted by business houses to appraise

the potential impact or the chances of accomplishment of their proposed

business plan before they actually implement it.

A SWOT analysis can be used for:

1. Workshop sessions

2. Brainstorm meetings

3. Problem solving

4. Planning

5. Product evaluation

6. Competitor evaluation

7. Personal Development Planning

8. Decision making (with force field analysis)

Merits and Demerits of SWOT Analysis

Proactive thinking is enabled rather than counting on subjective opinions. It

sets the framework for reviewing the strategy, the position and the direction of

company. It is also valuable for versatile application such as business

planning, strategic planning, strategic marketing planning, competitors'

analysis, business and product development and research reports (Nadine

Pahl, 2009). SWOT analysis facilitates an organisation to recognize its

strengths and weaknesses. It supports strategic thinking. It enables one to

focus on strengths, to recognize opportunities and to use them to his

advantage. It enables one to predict the possible threats and to take

measures to prevent or diminish their impact.

SWOT analysis a brief overview of essential and relevant information about

internal asset as well as market audit. Through using SWOT analysis,

organization can exploit strategic window to increase profit potentials.

Additionally, company is enabled to avoid or diminish unfavourable

constellation of weaknesses or threats. It is a straightforward model that has

no firm structure (Nadine Pahl, 2009). It can be modified to suit the particular

circumstance in which it is to be used. Thus, its flexible framework is an

important factor that has contributed to its popularity and its triumph. SWOT

analysis can be implemented in numerous theoretical models like balanced

score card, the Boston consulting group portfolio, or other performance

evaluating and strategic definition tools (Nadine Pahl, 2009). It can be

established that SWOT analysis is Scaleable, Simple, Low Cost, Flexibile,

Collaborative, Quick, and Integrateable.

SWOT Analysis gives valuable information that helps in synchronizing the

firm's resources and capabilities with the competitive environment in which the

firm operates.

SWOT analysis

framework:

Though SWOT analysis has many benefits in strategic marketing planning

and decision-making, it has some drawbacks also. It relies on subjective

instincts, avoids quantification, and lacks prognostic powers (Agarwal, Grassl,

and Pahl, 2012), therefore sometimes harms performance.

One major difficulty with the SWOT analysis is that while it underlines the

importance of the four elements related with the organizational and

environmental analysis, it does not deal with issue of how the company can

recognize the elements for their own company. Many organizational officials

may not be able to establish what these elements are, and the SWOT

framework provides no guidance. SWOT analysis is single procedure of

categorization and has its own disadvantages. A person may unintentionally

use wrong assumptions or may generalize the data used for SWOT analysis

and this may have a negative effect on the decision-making process. It is very
 time-consuming when performed to deal with multifaceted situations involving

huge amount of data. It does not have a detailed structure so the user may

overlook on certain significant information which can affect the final analysis

and its consistency can be rendered doubtful.

For the success of SWOT analysis, it is necessary to consider following points

1. It must be realistic.

2. It should be precise.

3. It should be short and simple.

4. The user should refrain from including too much or too little information.

5. The user should not over analyse the data as it may lead to distortion of

information.

6. It must lead to the generation of valuable strategies which when implemented

should result in the accomplishment of the objective.

To summarize, SWOT analysis is beneficial tool for decision making and

understanding dependencies between company and its environment. A

SWOT Analysis looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

that are pertinent to an organization in a new endeavour. A SWOT Analysis is

a device which allows users to consider the direction a company may desire to

move towards in the future.

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INDIVIDUAL QI PROJECTS FROM SINGLE INSTITUTIONS

Strengths–Weaknesses–Opportunities–
Threats Analysis for a Pediatric
Anesthesia Program
Eizaga Rebollar, Ramón MD ; García Palacios, María Victoria MD, PhD ; Fernández
* †

Mangas, María del Carmen MD ; Arroyo Fernández, Francisco Javier MD ; Márquez

* *

Rodríguez, Carlos Miguel MD, PhD ; Carnota Martín, Ana Isabel MD ; Morales Guerrero,
* *

Javier MD ; Torres Morera, Luis Miguel MD, PhD

* *

Author Information
Pediatric Quality and Safety 5(1):p e254, January/February
2020. | DOI: 10.1097/pq9.0000000000000254

 OPEN

Metrics
Abstract
Background:

Risk management in healthcare institutions begins by first identifying the potential risks
within a certain organization or specific area and then goes on to develop further strategies to
reduce harm. The most common tool for this type of analysis is Strengths–Weaknesses–
Opportunities–Threats (SWOT).

Methods:

We conducted a SWOT analysis in our pediatric anesthesia program: key factors were
identified in a matrix, prioritized in a score table, represented in a graph, and finally analyzed.

Results:

Items obtained partial scores from 20 to 120. The item “lack of clinical protocols” was given
greater weight (60) and received a lower value (1), resulting in the highest partial score (60)
among the negative key factors and indicating a need for greater efforts to improve this
specific aspect.

Conclusion:

The SWOT tool proved effective in identifying safety and quality key factors, and it provided
information for initiating an improvement program.

INTRODUCTION
Risk management in healthcare institutions combines the identification, assessment,
and prioritization of potential risks to patients, to prevent adverse events occurrences
in the future, or to minimize their consequences. This process begins by first
understanding and identifying the potential risks within a certain organization or
specific area and then goes on to develop strategies to overcome the barriers to
program implementation. 1–3
The most common tool for this type of analysis is Strengths–Weaknesses–
Opportunities–Threats (SWOT), an acronym for the 4 parameters that this technique
examines: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. In the current
4–6

literature, SWOT’s use in healthcare has been principally confined to identifying the
key factors, arranging them in a matrix, and reflecting on them to develop an
improvement plan or strategy. However, we consider that there are deficiencies in
1–6

these past studies, as neither the SWOT analysis itself (with weights, values, partial
scores for each item, and total scores for each key factor) nor the SWOT graph (with
coordinates and the vector in the Cartesian plane) has been fully completed.

Over the last decade, there have been significant developments in our pediatric
anesthesia program in various aspects such as clinical management, resident
education, and scientific research. However, safety remains an issue that requires
further work. Patient safety has undergone important advances in the last 20 years
and should be a priority in current clinical practice, especially in the field of pediatric
anesthesia. For this reason, we decided to start a risk management cycle,
undertaking a SWOT analysis in our pediatric anesthesia program.

The objectives of this work are to address the safety issues and quality weaknesses,
to identify opportunities for strategic program improvement, and to detect barriers to
future risk management. These objectives are in line with our institution’s mission,
vision, and values of (1) “satisfying patient needs and expectations through a safe,
effective, and efficient practice, and promoting scientific production and continuous
learning among professionals”; (2) “improving the quality and safety of patient care
based on scientific evidence”; (3) “encouraging professional developing in care,
learning, and research while ensuring that patients are at the center of the
healthcare system, respecting their beliefs, culture, autonomy, privacy, and rights
with a healthcare based on continuous quality improvement.”

METHODS
To better understand the present situation with regards to patient safety in the
pediatric anesthesia program of our hospital, we initiated a risk management cycle
and conducted a SWOT analysis.

The steps taken were the following : 7

 SWOT matrix: We identified the program’s internal factors (Weaknesses and

Strengths) and external factors (Threats and Opportunities), arranging them in
a matrix (Fig. 1).
 SWOT analysis: The identified items were prioritized or weighted by using the
cumulative voting technique, also known as the “hundred-dollar method”:
each key factor (S-W-O-T) was given 100 points, which could be distributed
across the items according to its importance within each group. Likewise,
each item received a value on a 4-category verbal rating scale (0 = very bad,
1 = bad, 2 = good, 3 = very good) according to its assessment at that time.
Each item’s weight was then multiplied by its value to obtain a partial score.
Finally, the sum of all partial scores resulted in the total score of each group
or key factor (Table 1). 8
  SWOT graph: We represented the total scores in a Cartesian coordinate
system, with the internal key factors in the x axis and external key factors in
the y axis. These scores were grouped into 2 pairs: Weaknesses–Threats
(negative factors) and Strengths–Opportunities (positive factors) to form 2
coordinates joined by a vector. The SWOT vector moved from the negative to
the positive coordinate and could be located in 3 differentiated zones
representing distinct situations and entailing separate approach strategies
(Fig. 2):
o Risk zone (on the lower left side) shows the program within its
environment in a poor light and suggests that the current strategy
needs to be modified.
o Playing field (in the middle of the graph) reveals that the program
meets the demands and suggests a continuous improvement in the
current strategy.
o Value zone (on the upper right side) indicates that the program
provides added value and recommends a strengthening of the current
program strategy.
 SWOT vector analysis: We identified the key factors (S-W-O-T) required to
improve the position of the vector on the SWOT graph.
 New approach strategy: Based on these key findings, we proposed a specific
plan of action designed to move the SWOT vector toward the upper right area
on the graph.

Table 1.:
SWOT Analysis

Fig. 1.:
SWOT matrix. Internal/external and negative/positive key factors and items
identified.
 Fig. 2.:
SWOT graph. The SWOT vector moved from the negative to the positive coordinate.

RESULTS
The “SWOT analysis” resulted in 4 total scores for each key factor, obtained from the
weights and values assigned to every single item. These scores were 100 for
Weaknesses and Threats, 240 for Strengths, and 300 for Opportunities (Table 1).

In the “SWOT graph,” total scores for Weaknesses (W), Threats (T), Strengths (S),
and Opportunities (O) were represented on the Cartesian plane, providing 2
coordinates and a vector. We differentiated the negative pair (Weaknesses–
Threats), whose coordinates are represented at the start of the vector, from the
positive pair (Strengths–Opportunities), whose coordinates are represented at the
end of the vector. This vector starts at the limit between the risk area and the
playground area and ends inside the competitive advantage area (Fig. 2).

In the “SWOT vector analysis,” we identified and described the following items within
each key factor and the significance of their vector position on the Cartesian plane.

Weaknesses

We considered clinical variability as one of the major barriers to patient safety. This
variability largely depends on the degree of clinical practice based on guidelines,
pathways, and protocols. Hence, in this group, the item “lack of clinical protocols”
was assigned the greatest weight (60/100), above the other 2 “clinical variability” and
“demotivation of professionals,” which were assigned the same weight (20/100). All
items received low values (1/3), so consequently, the total score of the key factor
was also low (100/300), moving the initial point of the SWOT vector toward the left
zone of the graph.

Threats

We highlighted a lack of safety culture as a major barrier to patient safety. In our

healthcare environment, safety culture is still in its early stages of development, with
the implementing of frameworks based on safety models proving slow and difficult
process, particularly when it comes to professionals training. A further threat which
may hinder such implementation, and ultimately constitutes another important barrier
to patient safety, is the production pressure. The development of a safety culture
should be supported by solid scientific research to provide feedback throughout the
implementation process and to promote continuous quality improvement research.
Thus, in this group, the item “lack of safety culture” (40/100) was weighted above
“production pressure” (30/100) and “lack of research in quality and safety” (30/100).
As all items received low values (1/3), the key factor total score was also low
(100/300), moving the initial point of the SWOT vector toward the lower zone in the
graph.

Strengths

We identified work capacity and adaptability as the most valuable internal qualities
for a work team or program. The items ”teamwork capability” and “work team
adaptability” were, therefore, equally weighted (40/100), above “research skills”
(20/100). All of them received high (2/3) or very high values (3/3), and consequently,
the overall key factor score was also high (240/300), moving the endpoint of the
SWOT vector toward the right zone of the graph.

Opportunities

We highlighted the advances in the development of safety culture in healthcare over

the last 2 decades, with the creation of scientific associations and the publication of
numerous research studies that form the basis for these advances. Hence, for this
group, we decided to give similar weight to the items “safety culture development”
(40/100), “solid scientific evidence” (30/100), and “numerous scientific associations”
(30/100). They all received the maximum value (3/3), and this was reflected in the
total score for this group (300/300), moving the terminal point of the SWOT vector
toward the upper zone in the graph.

stretnth

”Teamwork capability” and “work team adaptability” in the school between teachers
and students,
Safety measures adopted to secure the student’s career

Ppportunities
Development of safety culture in healthcare
Proper care is taken to over overcome the difficulty in regularity

threats
Highlight a lack of safety culture as a major barrier to patient safety. In our
healthcare environment, safety culture among students.
Development of a safety culture should be supported by solid scientific research to
provide feedback among students