STRATEGIC

PLANNING
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS

Internal and External Assessments
One of the first steps in the strategic assessment process generally involves identifying the
organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (the SWOT analysis). This helps
build a strong foundation of knowledge to ensure the development of a strategic plan that
remains relevant, meets the needs of the changing client population, and makes the best of the
available resources.

The Internal Assessment is an inventory of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s
operations. It includes a survey of human and physical resources, an analysis of the satisfaction
of clients and stakeholders, and an assessment of the effectiveness of the Board and of the
staff. The result of an internal assessment reveals the strengths and weaknesses that confront
the organization.

The External Assessment, or External Environmental Scan, is an inventory of the political,
economic, social, and technological forces that influence the mission and goals of an
organization, and how it functions. It involves analysis of the current environment and the
trends that may affect it. It also includes an analysis of competitive and collaborative forces and
agents. The result of an external assessment reveals the opportunities and threats that confront
the organization.

Types of Stakeholders
You may wish to consult both internal and external stakeholders when conducting a SWOT
analysis. Internal stakeholders are individuals working directly within the organization, and
external stakeholders are individuals who do not work directly within the organization but may
be affected in some way by the organization. Stakeholders include:

Internal Stakeholders External Stakeholders
• Staff • Clients
• Board members • Donors
• Volunteers • Partner organizations
• Community leaders

Sample Questions to Consider
Stakeholders can be interviewed individually, take part in a focus group, or submit responses
electronically. The list of questions below provides a framework and example of the kinds of
questions you may want to include, but does not represent an exhaustive list nor is required for
every SWOT analysis.

Strategic Planning: Internal and External Assessments 1
MMP Associates - www.mmp-a.com


Sample Questions: Internal Assessment

General questions
• What are the strengths of the organization?
• What are the areas where development or improvement is needed?

Mission oriented questions
• What is the organization’s mission? Do you believe in the mission? Do you feel your
work is contributing to the advancement of the mission?
• What does X stakeholder need or expect from us? How well have we performed against
these expectations in the past?
• What are the immediate results that can be observed as a result of our program? Long-
term results?

Internal Capacity
• How effectively are our programs operated?
• How effective is our staff? Our Board of Directors?
• How effective is the organization’s management and leadership?
• What are the human and physical resources required to operate our programs? Does
the organization have sufficient resources available? Will these be affected in the
future?

Branding & Visibility
• What is your perception and opinion of the brand of the organization? The
organization’s visibility?
• Are you familiar with all of the programs run by the organization? (Provide list of current
programs, or ask about certain programs)

Sample Questions: External Assessment
Environmental Trends
• What environmental trends do we need to be aware of, and take into consideration, as
we think about our future strategic direction? This could include economic, political,
social or technological changes.
• What are the greatest areas of needs for our clients/our community? Do you foresee
this changing in the next five years?
• What are the opportunities for the organization to make a bigger impact? Are there
policy, advocacy or service gaps that the organization could be fulfilling?
• What have you noticed in terms of funding opportunities within this service area over
the last few years?

Competitive Analysis
• Who are our competitors and collaborators? What are their agendas and priorities?
• How well do we perform relative to our competitors?

Strategic Planning: Internal and External Assessments 2
MMP Associates - www.mmp-a.com


• What do our competitors think of the quality and quantity of our services?
• Are there areas of growth or challenges that our competitors are facing that we should
be aware of?

Strategic Planning: Internal and External Assessments 3
MMP Associates - www.mmp-a.com