Situational analysis
Situational analysis is the first stage in the operational planning process. It is the stage where you need to:
- Gather reliable information about the causes of health problems in the community, including from local people who will benefit from any interventions.
- Identify the health situation of the community and identify where affected population groups are located geographically.
- Discover what is currently being done to resolve the identified needs and who is doing it.
- Investigate how well identified needs have been addressed in the past and consider how you could collaborate with others in the community in order to address current needs.
SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is a tool that can help you analyse situations more easily in your planning process. SWOT stands for:
S = Strengths
W = Weaknesses
O = Opportunities
T = Threats.
The purpose of the SWOT analysis is to identify the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organisation or project, and the external opportunities and threats the organisation or project faces.
The best time to do a SWOT analysis is after you have reviewed progress and completed an environmental scan. The process can be done for the health facility and the community.
Case Study: Village level SWOT analysis
In village A community members and community leaders are concerned about health issues and work closely with their health professionals.
Several health promoters have volunteered to work with the health professionals. Most community members make their living from selling coffee, which makes them economically stronger than similar nearby villages, and literacy rates are higher than in neighbouring villages. In summer there is frequent flooding and it is also a malarial area. The MOH has developed a five-year strategic plan for the health sector in this region. However, although the health professionals are busy and work hard, they don't have a health plan and they don't know how to measure their performance. Communication skills amongst them are weak.
Read the case study and attempt a SWOT analysis of the situation in village A. Construct a table under the headings: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, and enter your analysis in the relevant boxes.
When you have finished, compare your analysis with the table below, which shows a SWOT analysis of village A. You can see how setting out the analysis like this helps to clarify the situation and points the way to possible ways to improve things.
SWOT analysis of village A.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
|
Hard working health professionals Motivated workers and volunteers Good support from community leaders |
Absence of a health plan Weak recording systems Poor communication skills |
| Opportunities | Threats |
|
Good strategic health policy Literacy rate high High monthly income in community Volunteer health promoters recruited |
Flood Malaria |