PESTLE analysis is a framework often used by businesses to identify and assess the external factors that can have an impact on their operations.

What are the 6 PESTLE factors?

These factors can be grouped into six broad categories:

• Political;
• Economic;
• Social;
• Technological;
• Legal; and
• Environmental.

Businesses use PESTLE analysis to gain a better understanding of the operating environment they're in and to make informed decisions about their future strategy and direction. It helps you get a big picture of the macro environment; what's going on that's beyond your direct control? And how might those things affect your day-to-day actions and strategic direction?

PESTLE Analysis Examples

So, what exactly are some examples of factors that might fit under each of the big 6 categories?

Political

• Trade Policies
• Lobbying
• Funding
• Foreign Pressures

Economic

• Foreign Exchange Rates
• Unemployment Levels
• Disposable Income
• Inflation Rate
• Trade Tariffs

Social

• Health
• Shifts In Population
• Demographics
• Major World Events
• Ethical Issues
• Ethnic & Religious Factors
• Recent History
• Brand Preferences

Technological

• Research & Development
• Patents
• Licensing
• Consumer Tech Trends
• Trends In Global Technology

Legal

• Future Legislation
• Regulations
• Consumer Protection

Environmental

• Ecological
• Stakeholder Values
• Customer Values

Using this Notion PESTLE Analysis Template

The Notion template comes pre-filled with some example factors, but you can always delete these and add your own.

Each factor is an item in a Notion database--which means you can assign it properties, write notes about it and add attachments. The properties set by default are:

• Importance;
• Factor 'Tags';
• Industry-specific factors; and
• Research/Attachments

If you are going to run a PESTLE Analysis, you might as well do it in Notion and leverage the flexibility of Notion databases--because, once you're done, you can always relate these factors to other areas of your Notion workspace for reference ;)

Enjoy!

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