Assessing Your Institution

In the previous section you have learnt how to identify external factors – opportunities and threats – that are likely to affect the future development of your institution. While this information is essential to success, it isn’t the only one.

You also need to have a closer look inside your institution in order to identify internal factors – strengths and weaknesses: What exactly do we mean by strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths (S) - internal conditions (e.g. skilled staff, a good reputation and ample resources) that enable your institution to effectively deliver its services based on identified customer needs and distinguish itself from the competition.

Weaknesses (W) - internal conditions that can lead to poor performance. Examples of weaknesses are poor quality of services and programmes, inadequate equipment and facilities, and weak managerial skills.