A traditional SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is often a static exercise—a snapshot in time captured on a whiteboard or a PowerPoint slide that becomes outdated the moment the meeting ends.

In this lesson, we will use Cascade’s Tapestry engine to build a Live SWOT Dashboard. This dashboard updates in real-time as your underlying data changes, meaning your analysis evolves alongside your business.

The Setup: 4 Widgets

To build this view, you will use four standard AI widgets arranged in a grid.

• Top Row: Strengths (Left) | Weaknesses (Right)
• Bottom Row: Opportunities (Left) | Threats (Right)

Each widget requires a specific configuration to pull the right insights.

Part 1: Strengths & Weaknesses (Internal Focus)

Configuring the top row is straightforward because Cascade is designed to be an expert on your internal data.

1. Add Widget: Insert an AI widget.
2. Prompt: Ask the AI to identify top strengths (or weaknesses) based on the current data scope.
3. Result: The AI scans your goals, KPIs, and progress updates to find where you are over-performing (Strengths) or falling behind (Weaknesses).

Part 2: Opportunities & Threats (The "External" Prompt)

This is where advanced users separate themselves from beginners.

By default, Cascade’s AI is conservative. It is tuned to avoid hallucination and speculation, meaning it strictly sticks to the internal data (your entered goals and metrics) unless told otherwise. However, "Opportunities" and "Threats" often rely on external factors like market trends or competitor moves.

How to force the External View:

You must specifically instruct the AI via the Custom Prompt Editor to look outward.

The "External" Prompt Strategy:

When writing the prompt for Threats or Opportunities, you must explicitly steer the AI.

• Role: "You are an expert in SWOT Analysis."
• Task: "Create an overview of the Threats component."
• The Twist: "Reference external perspectives such as competitor intelligence, market headwinds, and industry trends."

By explicitly asking for this, you permit the AI to speculate on how external factors might impact your internal strategy, moving beyond just "we missed a deadline" to "market conditions may be affecting our deadline."

(Note: Cascade is actively adding native external data sources like stock prices and news feeds to Tapestry, which will make this even more powerful in the future.)

The "Real-Time" Advantage

The true power of this setup is that it is dynamic.

• Static vs. Dynamic: If you write a SWOT analysis on a slide, it is frozen in time. If you build it in Cascade, and your sales team closes a massive deal overnight, the "Weaknesses" widget might automatically shift that data point to "Strengths" the next morning.
• Exporting: While the view is live, you can still export it for board packs. The report supports PDF exports and screenshots, ensuring you can capture the "state of play" for any specific meeting.

Summary

• Internal Data is Easy: Strengths and Weaknesses are naturally derived from your daily performance data.
• Force the External: For Opportunities and Threats, use custom prompts to tell the AI to consider "external factors" and "competitor intelligence."
• Alive: A Cascade SWOT analysis is not a document; it is a monitor. It updates as your business executes.