A number of strategic analysis tools have been developed to assist in organisations to analyse the strategic situation in which they are currently positioned. Each tool provides one view of the strategic situation; a range of tools therefore need to be applied in order to obtain a richer understanding of the strategic situation. In this step, the key areas are identified which strategic tools can be used to analyse. This assists in the later selection of strategic tools to be applied. Factors to consider in selecting strategic tools include:
The underlying issues that need to be explored are then mapped into a framework. In the following example, Customer, Culture, Environment, Competition, Industry and Resources have been identified as key issues that need to be investigated further.