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| Criterion |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Business Strategy Ansoff Matrix |  Business Strategy SWOT Analysis |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. | The Ansoff Matrix organizes growth options by market and product relation. It helps weigh expansion, diversification, and adaptation cleanly against each other. | SWOT Analysis arranges strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats into a compact picture of the situation. It keeps internal capabilities and external influences separate before strategic options emerge from them. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-8 | 3-12 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Ansoff Matrix, Growth Options, Risk Notes | SWOT matrix, Strategic options, Action list | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes |
Tags1 shared | StrategyAnalysisOptions | GrowthStrategyMarketPortfolio | StrategyAnalysisMarketPositioning | StrategyAnalysisPlanning |