Situation Analysis

A public relations situation can be described as the set of circumstances or problem an organization faces. A situation analysis is the detailed explanation of everything the communication professional can learn about the problem at hand. Ronald D. Smith wrote, “Without a clear and early statement of the situation to be addressed, you will not be able to conduct efficient research or define the goal of your communication program later in the planning process” (2002, p. 19).

The situation analysis makes it possible to develop hypotheses about causes of and solutions to the problem. Through research, the public relations practitioner can gain a thorough understanding of the organization's relevant publics, its environment (see Environmental scanning), and opportunities as well as challenges related to solving the problem. The situation analysis also helps identify the additional research needed in order to develop a successful plan. As Donald Parente (2000) wrote, the situation analysis should be organized, structured, detailed, and focused.

Why is situation analysis important to public relations practitioners? Public relations planning begins with a situation analysis—whether the planning is for a comprehensive public relations campaign or just one element, such as a writing project. Because the effectiveness of the plan correlates directly to the quality of information gathered in the research process, a thorough situation analysis is critical to a successful outcome of the project.

A situation analysis is also a key to successful decision making. Before a situation or problem can be addressed, the communication team and the organization's leadership must come to a shared understanding of the issue. The situation analysis should clarify the current situation and provide evidence to support any hypotheses.

A situation analysis can be useful as an initial step in crisis communication planning as well.

How do practitioners conduct a situation analysis? Situation analyses can be structured in a variety of ways, posing a myriad of questions about the current problem, the background of the organization, the organization's environment, and the significance of the situation. The situation analysis may also reveal gaps in existing information, pointing the way to the development of a plan for primary research.

Smith (2002) wrote that a traditional method of conducting a situation analysis drawn from the discipline of marketing is the SWOT analysis. Looking both inside and outside the organization, its strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) are analyzed, and its opportunities (O) and threats (T) are identified. Robert A. Sevier (1998) described strengths and weakness as internal/institutional, whereas opportunities and threats are typically external/environmental. Sevier cautioned that different audiences may place the same characteristic in opposite categories—one considering a characteristic to be a strength whereas another considers the same characteristic to be a weakness.

Another approach is to divide a situation analysis into categories of internal and external factors. Content of the internal factors that should be examined includes

• 1.
  Mission: Organization mission statement, charter, bylaws, structure
• 2.
  History: Descriptions of programs, services, products of the organization
• 3.
  Resources: Statistics on budget, staffing, sales, profits, stockholders
• 4.
  Policies: Policies and procedures related to the problem
• 5.
  Position statements: Opinion quotes from key executives regarding the problem
• 6.
  Current plan: Description of the current handling of the problem
[Page 775]
• 7.
  Stakeholders: Description of the organization's current internal stakeholders
• 8.
  Media: Samples of internal communication tools such as newsletters and memos

Content of the external factors that should be examined

...