SWOT Matrix

This activity can be conducted at the start of your HUB-IN project – following the ‘Hopes and fears’ activity with your team and partners – to gain a more in-depth insight into your core and wider teams Strengths, Weaknesses, knowledge and ways of working in relation to co-creation. Alongside this, you aim to understand Opportunities and Threats related to co-creation in your Historic Urban Area (HUA).

Therefore, this activity will be useful for:

• Developing strategies to utilise your Strengths and Opportunities
• Support, resolve or mitigate your Weaknesses and Threats
• Working with your Strengths, as well as areas of support needed where gaps are highlighted, and shape partnerships supporting along understood Weaknesses

This is beneficial for the general direction of the project on one hand, and on the other hand for the collaboration approach, co-creation experiences and methods to employ.

Format:

• You can run this activity once or several times with groups of 5 to 10 people,
• This activity can take place in person or remotely.
• Activity duration: 30 to 60 minutes
• Material needed: post-its, pens, SWOT worksheet printed or drawn by end for in person sessions or an online whiteboard tool (e.g. Miro or Mural) for remote sessions.

Activity steps:

Work together within your HUB-IN teams (and wider teams/networks) to complete this activity. As for the Hopes and Fears activity you will need to use this SWOT matrix in relation to implementing a co-creation approach along your HUB-IN journey.

As defined in the HUB-IN Framework, co-creation¹ is a collaborative innovation approach actively involving stakeholders (and experts) in the design process towards HUB-IN Places. From discovery to implementation (and beyond), stakeholders are informed, consulted, involved and empowered, with their insights and efforts strengthening the outputs and impact, increasing the sense of agency and pride. This results in social, economic and environmental outcomes that are essential and (in combination with greater value creation) are more likely to remain sustainable.

If you haven’t done it already with your team or the participants involved in this activity, consider starting this session with an introduction to the project and a quick-fire presentation on co-creation by one of your more experienced colleagues or partners. You can read more about co-creation in the Current Landscape report (pages 20-29).

The SWOT Matrix Worksheet provided on this page will guide you to conduct this activity step by step.

1. Map your Strengths & Weaknesses in relation to implementing a co-creation approach for this HUB-IN project.
2. Map the Opportunities & Threats in relation to implementing a co-creation approach for this HUB-IN project.
3. In reflection of steps 1 & 2 start crossing the group’s first answers to explore how you could mitigate your Weaknesses and Threats thanks to your Strengths and Opportunities.

The output of this activity should support you to share forward your experience and communicate where you need support for successful co-creation (e.g. utilise existing networks, aligning with trends, building upon what already exists, etc.).

Following steps:

• Compile the questions raised which haven’t found answers yet and aim to answer them along your journey.
• Compile the Threats uncovered in this activity and add them in a risk register that your team will keep up to date throughout the entire project and establish mitigation strategies for each risk.
• This tool/activity is also complementary with the following activities to define the goals, potential outcomes and approach of your HUB-IN project: Hopes & Fears, City Moodboard and Survey guide.

• Think about your answers from different perspectives – whether that be the understanding of your direct team, wider team, your networks, your citizens etc.