A retro-styled flat illustration representing the evaluation of SWOT by showing a silhouette facing its reflection in four-toned color blocks.
A minimalist scene symbolizing the reflection and evaluation process behind SWOT analysis.
Published
October 28, 2025
Reading Time
7 minutes
Series
SWOT Analysis
Translated By
Fatih Tatoğlu

SWOT Evaluation Guide: How to Assess SWOT Results

In my article What is a SWOT Analysis?, I mentioned that analyzing results is essential. In this post, I'll discuss a classic and basic evaluation method.

I am calling it the classic method because I see it so frequently while browsing the Internet. If you know another name for it, please share it - I'd love to learn.

Why SWOT Evaluation Matters

A SWOT analysis provides us with a situation evaluation. If we're satisfied with our current position (or not), we can choose to do nothing. But if our situation is harming us or hindering progress, then doing nothing isn't a choice anymore; it's a risk.

BlackBerry & Nokia out - iPhone & Android in

The stories of once-dominant tech giants like BlackBerry and Nokia perfectly illustrate the consequences of inaction. Today, we hardly hear about those brands. In contrast, we constantly hear the names iPhone and Android. Even the lack of response from these former leaders created wonderful opportunities for many of today's well-known brands.

You might consider maintaining your current position as a form of preservation. However, allow me to share a recent example. Developments in the artificial intelligence industry initially seemed fun and fascinating. Now, they're starting to threaten anyone whose work involves routine (predictable and repeatable) tasks. In addition, those planning to enter the software industry straight out of school are feeling anxious. In this situation, initiating change might be a wiser decision than preserving your position.

Let me give you another example from my own experience in health. For a long time, I consumed meat and meat products without much thought. Recent tests revealed that my uric acid levels were significantly above normal. My doctor specifically advised me to pay attention to this. Initially, I was very careful, and my results improved far beyond expectations. Taking advantage of this improvement, I went back to eating meat and meat products as usual. However, within two months, joint pain and elevated uric acid levels taught me that I needed to make some changes permanently.

To sum up, doing nothing after a situation assessment shouldn't be an option. If your decision is to do nothing, the consequences will likely put you in an even worse position. Evaluating SWOT results is important and necessary because it shows where changes are needed.

How to Protect Strengths (S)

As mentioned in the SWOT definition, strengths refer to what we have learned and/or our experiences. The classic method suggests that we protect them.

Now let's reason together. Our topic is: how do we learn? I'll eventually finish and add articles from two friends who are more experienced than me on this subject. But for now, let's start brainstorming.

To learn something, regardless of the method, you need to be exposed to it and experience it. Similarly, to become an expert in something, you need to use it extensively and experience it in different situations. If you've become an expert in something, that becomes a strength for you.

Therefore, the way to protect a piece of knowledge is to use it and re-experience it in different situations.

How to Assess Opportunities (O)

For opportunities, those fleeting events outside our control that could benefit us if we evaluate them, the classic method suggests we assess them.

Let's approach this backward. Nokia could have been the pioneer of the smartphone trend. Everyone had a Nokia, with its keypad and the Snake game. Even in the Matrix film, there was a Nokia! But they either didn't see or weren't looking in the right direction to see that opportunity (I'll put that gently).

The worst option when an opportunity arises is to not evaluate it at all. Evaluating doesn't necessarily mean implementing it; every opportunity might not be good for you. I recall a suit brand selling market products during the COVID period.

Assessment options include:

  • Implementing,
  • Monitoring,
  • Postponing,
  • Accepting that it's unsuitable.

Choosing these alternatives will yield more beneficial results. If you decide to implement an opportunity, don't disregard a small risk analysis beforehand.

How to Address Threats (T)

Similar to opportunities, the classic method suggests we neutralize or eliminate threats, those events that may cause harm.

This feels like a manifestation of our genetic code's fight-or-flight reflex. Of course, everyone's approach to fleeing, fighting, or coping may be different, but ultimately, threats aren't things that benefit us. They raise stress levels, which can even physically harm us.

Instead of saying how to deal with threats, I want to highlight two areas that are difficult to recognize as threats.

Manipulation

In our daily lives, we often unknowingly expose ourselves to behaviors that benefit the other party, which is what we call manipulation. If a manipulator is skilled, they'll continue using it for a long time and will remain a threat to you.

My checklist for detecting manipulation is:

  • When communication is tied to conditions,
  • When my success is attributed to luck,
  • When the same weaknesses are constantly mentioned,
  • When the other party remains silent during communication,
  • When emotional explanations are used as pressure tactics.

That's when I start suspecting that I'm being manipulated, although it usually has already happened. If you have a method, please share it in the comments; I'd like to learn from you.

The Victim Cycle

I learned this term in a training session. Briefly, it's a vicious cycle that causes you to sink deeper and deeper the more you fail to take action.

Indifference, mental fatigue, or reluctance can cause inertia in us. Over time, this heaviness becomes like a swamp, drawing us further and further in, until eventually it becomes an unchangeable burden we live with. That's the victim cycle in action.

The victim cycle can be difficult to recognize as a threat. But if there's an event that consistently makes you unhappy or harms you, it might be worth pausing and reflecting on it.

How to Mitigate Weaknesses (W)

For the final group in the SWOT analysis, the classic method suggests mitigating them. Let's take a look at that definition then. Weaknesses are things we lack or haven't yet experienced. So, by reversing this definition, we can solve the problem.

Learning something we don't know or experiencing it allows us to transform it into one of our strengths, and gradually, our weaknesses will diminish and disappear.

When addressing weaknesses, the most important thing to remember is discipline and sustainability. Because a sustainable plan, implemented with discipline, will accelerate the elimination of weaknesses. The key to eliminating weaknesses is a sustainable plan and the discipline that accompanies it.

Conclusion: Turning SWOT Into Action

A SWOT analysis is a simple and effective tool for making a situation visible. Evaluating the results of this analysis isn't just important; it's essential. Periodic reassessment is also very valuable.

I want to illustrate the entire article and final idea with an example. Imagine your car has a dashboard that displays SWOT results. You act based on those indicators. When you get in your car, a seatbelt warning protects you from threats. Airbags protect you in unexpected events.

In short, protect your strengths, address your weaknesses, evaluate opportunities, and deal with threats. It's easy to say, but not doing anything is even more tiring and damaging.

SWOT isn't just an analysis; when used correctly, it's a compass that provides direction. But it's up to you to decide whether the direction is right.

If you are curious about my assessment approach, you can look at my other articles related to SWOT Analysis. If you want to contribute, you can share your own evaluation methods with me, forward this article to people who would like to read it, or leave your likes and comments.

References and Further Reading