18
Jul
Would you like to better understand how the environment impacts your business, project or educational activity? Discover what is PESTEL and how to practically carry it out using a board! This article provides step-by-step instructions, guiding questions, and inspiration using a glass magnetic board, flipchart or dry erase board.
PESTEL Analysis Using a Board – a Strategic Look at the Business Environment
In this article, you’ll learn:
- what is a PESTEL analysis and when to use it,
- how to carry out a PESTEL analysis step by step,
- what questions to ask in each of the six categories (P, E, S, T, E, L),
- how to use magnetic, dry erase and cork boards from the ALLboards offer to carry out the analysis,
- how PESTEL analysis can support the development of a business, school or organization.
What Is PESTEL Analysis — Definition and Key Environmental Factors
PESTEL analysis is one of the most essential tools used by strategists, team leaders and project managers — wherever a broader view of the external environment is needed. It helps you understand how various factors — beyond the product or internal processes — can influence the success of an initiative.
The PESTEL model is based on six key areas of the macro-environment that make up the framework:
- P – Political: government decisions, political stability, tax policies, government financial support
- E – Economic: inflation, currency exchange rates, unemployment levels, customer purchasing power
- S – Social: demographics, lifestyles, values, shifts in consumer behavior
- T – Technological: innovation, speed of technological progress, automation
- E – Environmental: environmental protection trends, regulations, climate change, social pressure for sustainability
- L – Legal: labor laws, industry regulations, data protection laws
Identifying these areas helps evaluate risks and opportunities — both in the short and long term. Importantly, PESTEL is not exclusive to large corporations! It’s widely used by small businesses, startups, schools, foundations and NGOs — wherever strategic, well-informed decision-making is essential. It’s a method that encourages forward-thinking and helps you look beyond your business and into the broader external context.
How to Carry Out a PESTEL Analysis — the Right Steps
STEP 1 – Create a workspace
Choose the right tools to make note-taking and collaboration easy. A magnetic panel or glass whiteboard is great for building clear and categorized notes. A portable flipchart is perfect for brainstorming and workshops, helping your team smoothly move through the stages of the PESTEL analysis. Prefer simple solutions? Use a classic dry erase board for dynamic idea sharing.
STEP 2 – Divide your board into six areas
Define and clearly mark the six categories — political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal — using color frames, magnets or markers. This helps visualize relationships and keep everything organized.
STEP 3 – Ask guiding questions
Each area should be examined from different perspectives by asking specific questions. For example:
- Political: What changes in law or government policy could impact our project?
- Economic: Could inflation, exchange rates, or unemployment pose a risk or opportunity?
- Social: Are customer needs and expectations evolving? Is our marketing aligned with them?
- Technological: What innovations could disrupt the market – and how quickly must we respond?
- Environmental: Could new eco-regulations or sustainability expectations affect us? What environmental impact do we have?
- Legal: Which regulations (e.g., GDPR, industry standards) apply now or will apply soon?
STEP 4 – Gather data and record observations on the board
Team members can collaborate by writing down their thoughts, commenting, and updating notes. The board enables fast reactions, rearranging elements, and visually organizing data. When done, take a photo or rewrite the content for future reference.
How ALLboards Products Support PESTEL Analysis
Any thorough analysis — especially one as detailed as PESTEL analysis — requires structure, clarity, and the ability to adapt quickly. Choosing the right visual tools makes the process significantly easier. ALLboards boards support teams at every stage — from gathering data and categorizing insights to presenting final conclusions. Depending on your workflow and space, choose from several practical options:
- Glass magnetic board – minimalist, modern and elegant. Ideal for offices, training rooms or coworking spaces. Helps you present your findings clearly and professionally.
- Magnetic panel – practical and stylish wall solution. Great for pinning notes, cards or diagrams that help visualize each PESTEL category.
- Flipchart – a must-have for workshops and team sessions. Lets you save pages for future use and move the analysis anywhere in your office.
- Dry erase board – universal and ideal for phase-by-phase work. Helps you quickly add, remove and reorganize ideas. Often used with tools like SWOT analysis, which complements PESTEL well.
- Cork board – classic and tactile. Perfect for pinning notes, clippings, printouts or photos, and for building your PESTEL map in a highly visual and intuitive way.
Why Use PESTEL analysis?
- Supports strategy development for businesses and organisations – in the context of long-term planning PESTEL analysis helps align development directions with market trends and environmental changes. It assists in making decisions that are not only effective but also resilient to threats.
- Ideal for leaders — project managers can use it to identify risks and opportunities before decisions are made. PESTEL is a tool for thinking strategically, not just operationally.
- Improves understanding of external impacts — changing regulations, economic shifts, or social pressures affect all projects, even local ones. PESTEL captures and clarifies these dynamics.
- An educational tool —suitable for use in schools during business or entrepreneurship lessons and workshops. Its clear structure and collaborative potential make it a great teaching aid. It encourages analytical thinking, supports teamwork, and develops strategic skills across different educational levels.
- Supports sustainable innovation — whether technological, social, or legal. PESTEL highlights necessary changes in a global context, helping implement innovations responsibly by anticipating their impact on people, the environment, and institutions.
PESTEL analysis is a fundamental tool for understanding external factors that affect a project, product, or organization. Though simple in concept, it provides a broad, structured view — incorporating environmental, economic, social, technological, political and legal influences. This type of detailed evaluation makes it easier to introduce innovation responsibly and anticipate the real-world impact.
Combined with the right board, it becomes a convenient and powerful method in the hands of any manager, educator, or entrepreneur.
Explore ALLboards tools and choose the board that helps you think wider – and plan smarter.
