A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis can help you identify and understand key issues affecting your business, but it does not necessarily offer solutions. You should be aware of the limitations as well as the benefits of a SWOT analysis before you decide to conduct one. Knowing what you can reasonably expect to achieve will make the SWOT analysis more useful for your business, and will save you time. Ultimately, you must be prepared to spend the time to review your SWOT analysis and use it to determine the best way forward in your business.