Determination of what your department opportunities and challenges might be within the next 5 to 20 years is essential in planning, especially when consideration is given to personnel and funding needs. McGrath Consulting Group matches community's services with available resources, while examining future needs and capabilities. Master Planning is designed to focus on both the internal and external customer needs, and identify opportunities for both the department and the community.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) Analysis

A SWOT analysis is an analysis of the department's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This is an essential part of developing or amending a department's master and/or strategic plan.

Participants: (Maximum 20)

• All department officers
• Chief can or cannot attend

Process:

• The facilitators first address the strengths and weaknesses in the department (internal factors)
• Next, the facilitators address the opportunities and threats outside the department (external factors)
• The facilitator will highlight the top three items the group identified in each category

Follow-Up:

• The facilitators will send a complete prioritized list of all items derived from the SWOT exercise to the Chief.