SWOT stands for what?

• A. Skills, Work, Opportunities, Trends
• B. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
• C. Strengths, Weaknesses, Outputs, Tactics
• D. Strategy, War, Operations, Targets

Answer: (B)

SWOT is a simple planning framework that looks at four areas: internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats. The expansion is Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. This naming reflects what the method assesses: what the organization does well and where it can improve, plus what external chances to grow exist and what external challenges could hinder progress. The other options don’t fit the four-part structure of SWOT: they use terms not used in the framework (for example, Skills or Trends) or mix unrelated concepts (Outputs/Tactics, Strategy/War/Operations/Targets). In practice, teams use SWOT to identify leverage points and risk areas to shape strategies, such as leveraging strengths to seize opportunities while addressing weaknesses to mitigate threats.