Catalog
method#Product#Governance#Delivery

Gap Analysis

Structured method to identify and prioritize deviations between current and desired states.

Gap analysis is a structured method to identify discrepancies between the current and desired state across products, processes, or organizations.
Established
Medium

Classification

  • Medium
  • Organizational
  • Organizational
  • Intermediate

Technical context

Jira for backlog and action trackingConfluence or wiki for documentationGoogle Sheets / Excel for gap matrices

Principles & goals

Explicit definition of current and desired stateUse measurable criteria for assessmentEngage stakeholders early and clarify responsibilities
Discovery
Enterprise, Domain, Team

Use cases & scenarios

Compromises

  • Wrong prioritization due to incomplete information
  • Stakeholder conflicts delay implementation
  • Measures remain ineffective without clear ownership
  • Use both quantitative and qualitative data
  • Work iteratively: small experiments instead of big bangs
  • Document assumptions and evaluation rules transparently

I/O & resources

  • Documentation of current processes and systems
  • Requirements or target catalog (desired state)
  • Stakeholder interviews and performance metrics
  • Prioritized gap list
  • Action plan with schedule estimates
  • Risk assessment and ownership assignment

Description

Gap analysis is a structured method to identify discrepancies between the current and desired state across products, processes, or organizations. It produces prioritized action areas and concrete recommendations. Typically executed in facilitated workshops with stakeholders and measurable criteria. The approach includes evaluation criteria, gap categorization and concrete closure steps.

✔

  • Clear prioritization of action areas
  • Improved resource allocation
  • Transparent decision basis for actions

✖

  • Outcome depends on data quality and participation
  • Can lead to superficial solutions if root causes aren't analyzed
  • Requires facilitation and methodological skills

  • Number of identified gaps

    Counts all gaps and categories identified during analysis.

  • Implementation rate

    Percentage of planned actions that have been implemented.

  • Time-to-close

    Average time until a identified gap is closed.

Product strategy workshops of a SaaS provider

Several workshops yielded prioritized feature gaps and a revised roadmap.

ISO preparation in a public authority

Gap analysis revealed missing controls; short‑term measures enabled audit approval.

Support process improvement at a telco

Identified information gaps reduced escalations and lead times significantly.

1

Preparation: define goals, scope, stakeholders

2

Collect data and information

3

Workshop: document current and desired state

4

Identify, classify and prioritize gaps

5

Plan actions, assign owners and define metrics

⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks

  • Incomplete data collection hinders repeatability
  • Missing integration points complicate action tracking
  • No metrics defined → no success measurement
insufficient data qualityinsufficient resourcesstakeholder conflicts
  • Gap analysis used as a bureaucratic exercise without implementation budget
  • Focusing only on superficial symptoms while ignoring root causes
  • Burying results in long reports instead of using them as an action plan
  • Scope too broad without clear priorities
  • Interviewing non‑representative stakeholders
  • Lack of measurable criteria leads to opinion conflicts
Facilitation and workshop skillsDomain expertise in the area under reviewBasic data analysis competence
Clarity about target stateStakeholder alignmentMeasurable evaluation criteria
  • • Limited time for workshops
  • • Limited budget for investigations
  • • Restricted access to relevant data