SOAR Analysis
SOAR Analysis is a strategic planning framework developed by Jacqueline Stavros and colleagues in the early 2000s as an appreciative inquiry-based alternative to SWOT. Where SWOT dedicates half its frame to weaknesses and threats — a deficit-focused lens that can create defensive, demoralised conversations — SOAR redirects energy toward what is possible by examining Strengths (what we do exceptionally well and what we are most proud of), Opportunities (the external possibilities and market dynamics we can leverage), Aspirations (who we want to become and what we most care about achieving), and Results (how we will know we have succeeded — measurable outcomes and milestones). SOAR is grounded in the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry, which holds that organisations move most effectively in the direction of what they study and what they appreciate. This makes SOAR particularly powerful in contexts where morale is low, change resistance is high, or teams need to reconnect with a sense of purpose and agency. It is not a naive tool that ignores problems — rather, it reframes challenges as constraints to be navigated on the path to aspirations, rather than as identity-defining deficits. In workshops, SOAR consistently generates more creative, commitment-based strategic conversations than SWOT, and produces action plans that participants actually want to execute.
Facilitation script
- 1
Set the appreciative frame: explain that the session builds from what works rather than cataloguing what doesn't, and acknowledge upfront that some participants will expect a problem-first conversation.
10 min - 2
Strengths: ask 'What are we best at? What are we most proud of?' Use the peak-experience prompt — 'Think of a moment when this team was at its best; what made that possible?' — and capture answers on sticky notes.
15 min - 3
Opportunities: ask which external trends, market shifts, or unmet needs the group could uniquely capitalise on given those strengths. Push for specificity: which customer, which trend, which window?
15 min - 4
Aspirations: ask 'Who do we want to become in 3–5 years? What would extraordinary success look like for our customers, our team, and our community?' Encourage ambition — this is a vision box, not a planning box.
15 min - 5
Results: convert each major aspiration into 1–2 observable outcomes with a date attached. Push for leading indicators, not just lagging measures.
15 min - 6
Integrate across quadrants: look for the golden thread where the strongest Strengths point toward the most compelling Opportunities and Aspirations, and name the strategic themes that emerge.
10 min - 7
Prioritise and commit: dot-vote the top 2–3 strategic priorities, then assign an owner and a concrete next action to each before closing.
10 min
Tips
The shift from SWOT to SOAR is partly psychological. Brief participants clearly upfront — some will expect (and prefer) a problem-first conversation. Acknowledge this and explain why you're choosing a different approach.
Aspirations is the most important and most under-served quadrant. Give it real time. Vague aspirations produce vague strategies.
In the Results quadrant, push for leading indicators, not just lagging measures. 'Grow revenue 20%' is a lagging measure; 'increase trial-to-paid conversion to 35% by Q3' is a leading one.
SOAR works particularly well in the early phase of a strategy cycle. SWOT may be more useful later for risk analysis once the direction is set.
For large groups (20+), run SOAR in parallel breakout groups and then synthesise common themes in plenary.
Common pitfalls
Skipping the framing briefing — participants who expected a problem-first analysis will read the session as naive optimism and quietly disengage
Rushing the Aspirations quadrant or treating it as another planning box; vague aspirations produce vague strategies, and the whole canvas inherits the mush
Accepting only lagging measures in Results — 'grow revenue 20%' gives the team nothing to steer by; push for leading indicators like 'trial-to-paid conversion at 35% by Q3'
Using SOAR to dodge real problems: the method reframes challenges as constraints to navigate, and pretending they don't exist means they resurface mid-execution
Running 20+ participants as one plenary conversation — quieter voices vanish; split into parallel breakout groups and synthesise common themes together instead
Variations
For a team health variant, focus the Aspirations quadrant on team culture and ways of working rather than market outcomes. For a personal development context, SOAR works beautifully as a coaching or career planning tool with individuals. Combine SOAR with OKR Planning to translate aspirations directly into objectives and key results.
Where it fits
When to use it
Early in a strategy cycle, when the direction is still open and you want the group building from what already works
Morale is low or change resistance is high, and a deficit-focused analysis would deepen the defensiveness
Post-crisis recovery planning, where the team needs to reconnect with a sense of purpose and agency before it can plan
A new leader needs a direction-setting session that surfaces the team's strengths and ambitions rather than its complaints
Previous SWOT sessions have collapsed into demoralised problem-listing and you need a frame that generates commitment instead
When not to use it
The direction is already set and you need rigorous risk analysis — SWOT Analysis is the better tool later in the strategy cycle
Genuine existential threats or compliance issues must be confronted head-on; a SWOT or a pre-mortem serves those better than reframing
The group needs to choose between already-defined options — a prioritisation method such as an Impact/Effort Matrix fits better than a visioning frame
You have less than an hour: each of the four quadrants needs about 15 minutes, and a rushed Aspirations quadrant produces vague strategies
Leadership intends to use the session to announce decisions already made — an appreciative frame used as spin destroys trust in the method
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is a SOAR analysis?▾
SOAR analysis is a strategic planning framework that examines four quadrants: Strengths (what you do exceptionally well), Opportunities (external possibilities you can leverage), Aspirations (who you want to become), and Results (the measurable outcomes that define success). Developed by Jacqueline Stavros and colleagues in the early 2000s, it is grounded in Appreciative Inquiry and builds strategy from what works rather than from deficits. A typical session takes 60–120 minutes with 4–30 participants.
What is the difference between SOAR and SWOT?▾
SWOT analyses Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats — half of its frame is deficit-focused, which can produce defensive, demoralised conversations. SOAR keeps Strengths and Opportunities but replaces Weaknesses and Threats with Aspirations and Results, redirecting the energy toward what is possible and how success will be measured. SOAR suits the early, direction-setting phase of a strategy cycle; SWOT remains useful later for risk analysis once the direction is set.
Does SOAR analysis ignore weaknesses and threats?▾
No. SOAR is not naive optimism — it deliberately reframes challenges as constraints to be navigated on the path to aspirations, rather than as identity-defining deficits. The underlying Appreciative Inquiry philosophy holds that organisations move in the direction of what they study, so SOAR studies possibility. If rigorous threat analysis is genuinely needed, run a SWOT as a complement once the direction is set.
When should you use SOAR instead of SWOT?▾
Choose SOAR when morale is low, change resistance is high, or a team needs to reconnect with purpose and agency — situations where a deficit-focused SWOT would deepen defensiveness. It also fits the early phase of a strategy cycle, post-crisis recovery, new-leader direction-setting, and team visioning workshops. Once the direction is chosen and you need risk analysis, SWOT becomes the more useful tool.
How long does a SOAR analysis take?▾
Plan 60–120 minutes: about 10 minutes to set the appreciative frame, 15 minutes per quadrant for Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results, then roughly 20 minutes to integrate themes and commit to the top 2–3 priorities. For groups over 20, run the quadrants in parallel breakouts and add time to synthesise in plenary.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Jacqueline Stavros, David Cooperrider & D. Lynn Kelley.