SWOT and TOWS Matrix
SWOT - Resources, capabilities that will
- Framework for identifying and analyzing
the internal and external factors that can
have an impact on the viability of a
project, product, place, or person
- Identifying core strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats lead to fact-
based analysis, fresh perspectives, and
new ideas
- Invented in the 1960s by a management
consultant named Albert Humphrey
- Works best during identification of
communities
- When talking about diverse groups
within an organization
- Provides realistic data points rather than
prescribed messaging
- Starts with internal dimensions
Factors affecting the organizations can be
divided into four categories
Ø Strength
Ø Weakness
Ø Opportunities
Ø Threats
Two Dimensions:
1. Internal
o Organizational factors
o Strength and Weaknesses
o Internal factors that can help the
community = Strength
o Internal factors that can harm the
community = Weaknesses
2. External
o Environmental factors
o Opportunities and Threats
o External factors that can help the
community = Strength
o External factors that can harm
the community = Weaknesses
When to use SWOT?
Ø Explore possibilities to problems
Ø Make decisions for your initiative
Ø Determine where change is possible
Ø Adjust and refine plans mid-course
Strength
- Characteristic that adds value to
something and makes it more special
than others
- Means that something is more
advantageous when compared to
something else
contribute to success
- Characteristics in an organization that
will help achieve a successful outcome
or reach our goals
- Positive, favorable, creative
characteristics that we have in a
community/organization
Weakness
- Characteristics of the organization that
might hinder successful
outcome/reaching goals
- Absence of strengths
- “Flip side” of strengths
- Things to avoid when executing
program
- Factors contributing to past failures
- What other organizations might do
better than yours
- Stops organization from performing its
optimum level
- Negative and unfavorable
Opportunities
- Environmental factors that might
influence/contribute to successful
outcome
- Unfulfilled/open niches not served by
other programs (unmet customer need)
- Upcoming changes to status quo
(regulatory, political, social, etc.)
- Chances made possible by unique
strengths or eliminating weaknesses
- Factors: Political, Economic, Socio-
cultural, Technological
- Favorable external factors that could
give the community/organization/group
we belong to, a competitive advantage
Threats
- Environmental factors that might prevent
successful outcome
- Upcoming changes to status quo
(regulatory, political, social, etc.)
- Factors: Political, Economic, Socio-
cultural, Technological
- Factors that has a potential to harm the
organization
 TOWS
Postives Negatives - Conceptual framework for a systematic
Ø Strengths Ø Weaknesses analysis that facilitates matching the
Ø Assets Ø Limitations external threats and opportunities with
Ø Resources Ø Restrictions the internal weaknesses and strengths
Ø Opportunities Ø Threats of the organization
Ø Prospects Ø Challenges - Developed by the American
international business professor Heinz
Listing Your Internal Factors Weirich
Strengths and Weaknesses - Starts with external dimensions
General areas to consider:
Human resources Staff, volunteers,
board members,
target population
Physical resources Your location,
building, equipment
Financial Grants, funding
agencies, other
sources of income
Activities and Programs you run,
processes systems you employ
Past experiences Building blocks for Strategic Questions when making a TOWS
learning and Ø Internal Strengths and External
success, your Opportunities (S-O)
reputation in the o Positives, Maximum
community o “Maxi-Maxi” strategy
Opportunities and Threats o “How can they use the strengths
Forces and facts that your group does not to benefit existing external
control include: opportunities?”
Future trends in Ø Internal Strengths and External
your field or the Threats (S-T)
culture o “Maxi-Mini” strategy
The economy Local, national, or o “How can they benefit from the
international strengths to avoid the
Funding sources Foundations, donors, existing/potential threats that we
legislatures have?”
Demographics Changes in the age, Ø External Weaknesses and External
race, gender, culture Opportunities (W-O)
of those you serve or o “Mini-Maxi” strategy
in your area o “How can they use the
The physical Is your building in a opportunities to overcome the
environment growing part of town? organization’s weakness?”
Is the bus company Ø External Weaknesses and External
cutting routes? Threats (W-T)
Legislation Do new federal o “Mini-Mini” strategy
requirements make o “How can they minimize the
your job harder or weaknesses, thus, avoiding
easier? potential threats?”
Local, national or
international events
 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Community Diagnosis
- Process of identifying or quantifying
health problems in a community as a
whole for the purpose of defining those
at risk or needing health care (Salama,
R)
- Quantitative and qualitative description
of the health of citizens and the factors
influencing health (WHO)
o Identifies problems
o Proposes areas for improvement
o Stimulates action
Problem identification and Prioritization
- Part of assessing and diagnosing a
community
- Essential in planning, implementing,
monitoring, and evaluating the project
Practical Relevance of Community
Diagnosis
Ø Act as data reference for the
community/barangay
Ø Provide an overall picture of the local
community and the residents’ concerns
Ø Identify priority areas for intervention for
solution generation
Ø Direct resource allocation
Ø Create opportunities for intersectoral
collaboration
Ø Form basis for monitoring and
evaluation (i.e. in setting indicators)
Community Diagnosis Process
Initiation
- Establish a team capable of doing
community diagnosis
- Preparation of official communication
materials (e.g. letters to barangay
captains, key leaders)
- Assess existing resources (e.g. budget,
manpower)
Data Collection and Analysis
- Preparation
- Courtesy visits to key leaders
- Stakeholders and SWOT analysis
- Data collection (Primary and/or
Secondary)
- Data interpretation and analysis
- Problem identification
- Problem prioritization
Ø Problems should be identified and
prioritized:
o Based on evidence (data)
o With stakeholders
Dissemination
- Presentation in meetings with various
target audiences
Nature of a Health Problem
- A problem is the difference of what is
and what should be
- Problems should be defined clearly and
accurately in order to bridge the gap
between the status quo and the goal
- Causes of a problem may be external or
internal to the community
- Problems may occur with different levels
of severity
- We must work collaboratively and
efficiently towards effective and
equitable solutions to these problems
Problem Identification
1. Determining the root cause of a
problem
- True and underlying causes may not
always be apparent, hence the
importance of evidence generation
- Start with what you know about the
problem
o Can be perception, opinion,
inference
- Gather additional information about the
problem
o Can be done through generating
evidence and use of data
o Allocation of limited resources
and planning of interventions will
be based on data collected and
evidence generated ®
importance of identifying the true
problem
2. Developing a detailed problem
statement that includes its effect on
the population’s health
- Problem statements are tested and
refined through more detailed analysis
 - Problems should also consider
constraints preventing goals and
objectives from being achieved
- Identifying cause and effect relationship
3. Stakeholders, especially community
leaders and members, should be
involved in problem identification
- Increases ownership of the problem and
the interventions which will be
implemented afterwards
- Widens perspective on what the
problem is and what the intervention will
entail
Generating Evidence and Collecting Data
Ø Secondary Data Collection
Ø Primary Data Collection
o Qualitative and Quantitative
Research Methods
Classification of Data Sources
Ø Primary Data
o Collected first-hand through the
use of appropriate and feasible
qualitative and quantitative
methods
Ø Secondary Data
o Collected by other entity or for
another purpose
o Can be obtained through review
journals, books, articles, policies,
guidelines, or any source
documents
o If secondary data is available, re-
collection of data may be
foregone
• Focus instead on
validation and assessing
its applicability
Examples of Secondary Data in Health
(found in the Community)
FHSIS (Field Health Service Information
System) Report
- Includes health surveillance data on
infectious diseases, maternal mortality,
immunization, nutritional
supplementation, and other health-
related data
- Morbidity data are tabulated by age
group, sex, region, province, and city
LGU Scorecard
- Performance assessment tool of the
combined efforts of stakeholders within
the province-wide health system
(PWHS), which include the clients and
public private providers within the
municipalities, cities, and provinces
- Has external and internal benchmarking:
o External benchmarking –
comparing the performance of an
LGU to a set standard (nationally
or globally)
o Internal benchmarking –
comparing the current to the past
performance of an LGU
- Can suggest which problems the
community have
- Uses green, yellow, and red color
scheme to indicate accomplishments
and areas for improvement
o Green = okay
o Yellow = warning sign
o Red = suggest potential
problematic or challenging areas
for a municipality/city, and which
may need support in
interventions; poor performance
Morbidity and Mortality Reports
- Annually done
- Detail the most common conditions
which cause deaths in a certain area
- This can pinpoint which conditions pose
the greatest disease burden ® helpful in
problem identification and prioritization
Primary Data
- Can be collected
quantitatively/qualitatively
Quantitative Research Methods
- Goal: Explain what is observed through
the use of numerical, logical, and
objective methods
o Classify features, count them and
construct statistical models in an
attempt to explain what is
observed
o Determine the relationship
between two variables
(independent and
dependent/outcome) within a
population
- Can be descriptive or experimental
o Descriptive – measured only
once; aims to establish
associations between variables
o Experimental – use of treatment
and measures before and after
 subjecting to treatment;
establishes causality
Characteristics:
1. Data is gathered using structured
research instruments
2. Results are based on larger sample
sizes that are representative of the
population
3. Research study can be replicated or
repeated, given its high reliability
4. All aspects of the study are carefully
designed before data is collected
5. Data are in the form of numbers and
statistics, often arranged and presented
in tables, charts, figures or non-textual
forms
6. Project or engagement can be used to
generalize concepts more widely,
predict future results or investigate
causal relationships
7. Researcher uses tools, such as
questionnaires or computer software, to
collect numerical data
Qualitative Research Methods
- Describe social phenomena as they
occur naturally
- No attempt to manipulate the situation –
just understand
- No numbers involved, mostly texts and
paragraphs
- More holistic approach, rather than
looking at a set of variables
- Collected through direct encounters
o Interviews
o Focus group discussions
o Observations (bird’s eye
perspective)
- Data collected qualitatively substantiate
quantitative data, enabling us to identify
problems more comprehensively and
multi-dimensionally
o We can use a determinants of
health approach in providing
more meat to quantitative data
Ø After collection of data
(quantitative/qualitative), we can now list
our problems of the community
Ø Having data collected through
systematic methods enables us to list
potential problems of the community
based from different perspectives
(Minimizes bias)
Ø Potential problems can be refined,
developed, and stated more accurately
and powerfully
o We have basis and references to
provide a more accurate problem
identification
Developing the Problem Statement
Ø Describe how the problem occurs, how
serious it is, and its outcomes and
impacts
Ø Doing this can also help you identify any
gaps in the data you have gathered
o “Who is affected?”
o “How big is the problem?”
o “What contributes to the
problem?”
o “When and where is the problem
most likely to occur?”
How do you know you’ve successfully
completed Problem Identification?
Ø Able to collect information about the
problem through combing existing
research and information from
stakeholders and has collected new
data from the community (if necessary)
Ø Involved all relevant stakeholders when
defining the problem
Ø Data collected identifies the root cause
of the problem and provides a complete
picture of it
Ø Problem identification is framed in a way
that it helps illuminate possible policy
solutions (not band-aid solutions)