Turning the SWOT into an action plan
This article is the final installment in our Industrial SWOT series, which explores how Hawai‘i industrial owners can use a SWOT analysis to evaluate their properties more strategically. In this post, we focus on the most important step: turning the SWOT into action — prioritizing what matters most, assigning responsibility, and translating insights about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats into a practical plan for improving performance.
A SWOT analysis only matters if it leads to action.
Otherwise, as Cosner put it, “You can put this together and it just sits there without a call to action, and it’s useless.”
That is why the most important step comes after the analysis: prioritization.
A good SWOT review may surface 10 or more issues. But most owners cannot address all of them in a quarter — or even in a year. The key is to identify the top two or three realistic priorities that can be executed in the near term, and within the budget, while keeping larger strategic items on a longer-term plan.
“I think it’s categorizing certain things and being realistic about what you can take on,” Cosner said. “What are the top three realistic things that you and the asset manager or landlord can execute on?”
The output should look less like a report and more like an operating plan. That plan should include:
Near-term priorities
Longer-term strategic goals
Ownership of each action item
Required resources or vendors
Estimated costs
Timelines
A way to measure progress
A schedule for reevaluation
Cosner described it as “making a declaration of what we need to do short term, long term, who’s the team that we need to put together, what resources do we need, what’s the timeline, and what’s the assessment of whether we’re hitting our mark or not.”
Both the broker and the asset manager have roles to play.
The broker provides market guidance, strategy, competitive context, tenant feedback, positioning recommendations, and follow-through. The asset manager or owner makes key decisions and approves capital, vendors, and direction.
“I think it has to be together,” Cosner said. “The broker is giving the guidance. The asset manager or landlord pulls the trigger to go or not. But to make sure it gets completed, a lot of that falls to the broker and their team to follow through.”
In practice, that often means two action lists: The owner or asset manager may be responsible for items like restriping parking, repairing pavement, addressing deferred maintenance, pricing a capital improvement, or approving a construction budget.
The broker may be responsible for repositioning the property, updating marketing materials, targeting a new tenant segment, adjusting lease strategy, canvassing specific users, or reframing the property’s competitive advantages.
Together, those actions turn the SWOT from an abstract exercise into a practical plan for improving performance.
For owners and asset managers, that is the real value. A good SWOT analysis does not simply describe the property. It helps clarify what to do next.
In a market that is constantly shifting, that clarity matters. The owners who revisit their strategy regularly, compare their asset honestly against the market, and act on the highest-value opportunities are better positioned to protect occupancy, improve asset value, and stay ahead of the competition.
10 questions to turn analysis into action
A SWOT is only useful if it changes decisions. These questions are designed to help owners and brokers move from observation to execution by prioritizing the right actions, assigning responsibility, and building a realistic plan.
What are the top three issues or opportunities from this SWOT that deserve action first?
Which items are urgent near-term priorities, and which belong on a longer-term strategic roadmap?
What can realistically be executed in the next quarter or next 12 months, given budget, staffing, and operational constraints?
Which action items belong to the owner or asset manager, and which belong to the broker and leasing team?
What outside resources are needed — contractors, engineers, designers, property managers, insurance advisors, or marketing support — to move key items forward?
What is the estimated cost, expected return, and likely leasing impact of each proposed action?
Which improvements or strategic moves are most likely to improve leasing velocity, tenant retention, or rent growth?
How should we measure success — occupancy, downtime, tenant feedback, rent growth, reduced concessions, improved inquiry volume, or something else?
What decisions need to be made now to avoid being reactive later — especially around maintenance, capital planning, lease rollover, or market positioning?
When will we revisit this SWOT, and how will we hold ourselves accountable for progress between now and the next review?
A SWOT analysis only creates value if it leads to decisions, accountability, and follow-through. That is the purpose of this series: to help owners move beyond surface-level market commentary and toward a more strategic, more actionable understanding of their property’s position.
Explore the full Industrial SWOT series:
If you’d like help building a SWOT-based action plan for your property or portfolio, contact Alika Cosner and the Colliers Hawai‘i industrial Advisors team for a complimentary SWOT consultation or request the full downloadable guide.
