What is Gap Analysis?

Gap analysis is a technique that can be used to comparing the present state of the business with a conceptual and desired future state, with the objective of “closing the gap” E.g. imagine a situation where you have been asked to improve the performance or efficiency of a particular unit of an organization. You have no clue whatsoever as to what set of factors is the real cause of the degraded performance you have been asked to improve. Identifying the gap between what is expected and what you are delivering, that is, the difference between the current state and the future state, is referred to as “Gap Analysis” As far as business definition is concerned, gap analysis can be defined in a number of ways, which more or less point towards the same meaning: 1. It is the process through which a company compares its current or actual performance to its expected performance to determine whether it is meeting its objectives and using its resources effectively. 2. It is a technique that businesses use to determine what steps need to be taken in order to move from their current states to their desired future states. Important steps to follow for Gap analysis :  Identify your future state: Begin with identifying the objectives you want to achieve.  Analyze your current state: Current state of your project.  Identify how you will bridge the gap: Once you know both your current and future state of the project, think of bridging the gap and reach project objective. Different Stages of Gap analysis:  Review system  Develop Requirements  Comparison  Implications  Recommendation