Gap Analysis Framework

Overview

The Gap Analysis Framework skill provides specialized capabilities for systematic comparison of current and future states, identification of gaps, root cause analysis, and prioritized improvement planning. This skill enables structured analysis that drives actionable improvement roadmaps.

Capabilities

Current-State vs Future-State Comparison

• Create structured current-state vs future-state comparisons
• Define comparison dimensions and criteria
• Quantify gaps with measurable metrics
• Generate visual comparison matrices

Gap Matrix by Capability Area

• Generate gap matrices organized by capability area
• Assess maturity levels for each capability
• Calculate gap severity by dimension
• Create capability heat maps

Root Cause Analysis

• Apply 5 Whys technique for gap root causes
• Create Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams
• Identify systemic vs symptomatic issues
• Link gaps to underlying causes

Gap Severity Scoring

• Calculate gap severity scores using standardized criteria
• Weight gaps by business impact
• Factor in urgency and risk
• Generate composite severity ratings

Impact/Effort Prioritization

• Prioritize gaps using impact/effort matrix
• Classify as Quick Wins, Major Projects, Fill-ins, or Thankless Tasks
• Calculate priority scores
• Generate prioritized gap lists

Improvement Roadmap Generation

• Generate phased improvement roadmaps
• Define milestones and timelines
• Assign resource requirements
• Create dependency mappings

Gap Closure Tracking

• Track gap closure progress over time
• Define closure criteria and metrics
• Monitor improvement velocity
• Generate progress dashboards

Usage

Create Gap Analysis

Perform gap analysis between current and future states:

Current State: [Description of current capabilities/processes]
Future State: [Description of desired capabilities/processes]

Identify gaps by capability area and calculate severity.

Root Cause Analysis

Perform root cause analysis on these gaps:
[List of identified gaps]

Apply 5 Whys technique and create Fishbone diagram structure.

Prioritize Gaps

Prioritize these gaps using impact/effort analysis:
[Gap list with descriptions]

Generate prioritization matrix and recommended sequence.

Generate Improvement Roadmap

Create an improvement roadmap to close these gaps:
[Prioritized gap list]

Include phases, milestones, and resource requirements.

Process Integration

This skill integrates with the following business analysis processes:

• process-gap-analysis.js - Core gap analysis activities
• change-readiness-assessment.js - Readiness gap identification
• change-impact-analysis.js - Impact gap assessment
• solution-options-analysis.js - Solution gap evaluation

Dependencies

• Comparison algorithms
• Visualization libraries for matrices and diagrams
• Prioritization calculation engines
• Roadmap generation templates

Gap Analysis Frameworks Reference

Gap Severity Scoring Matrix

Severity Level	Score	Description	Response
Critical	5	Prevents business operation	Immediate action
High	4	Significant business impact	Priority resolution
Medium	3	Moderate business impact	Planned resolution
Low	2	Minor business impact	Scheduled resolution
Minimal	1	Negligible impact	Monitor only

Impact/Effort Matrix Quadrants

Quadrant	Impact	Effort	Strategy
Quick Wins	High	Low	Do first
Major Projects	High	High	Plan carefully
Fill-ins	Low	Low	Do if time permits
Thankless Tasks	Low	High	Avoid or defer

5 Whys Template

Gap: [Statement of gap]
Why 1: [First level cause]
Why 2: [Second level cause]
Why 3: [Third level cause]
Why 4: [Fourth level cause]
Why 5: [Root cause]

Fishbone Diagram Categories (6M)

1. Manpower: People-related causes
2. Methods: Process-related causes
3. Machines: Technology/tool causes
4. Materials: Input/resource causes
5. Measurements: Metric/monitoring causes
6. Mother Nature: Environmental causes

Capability Maturity Levels

Level	Name	Description
1	Initial	Ad-hoc, unpredictable
2	Managed	Reactive, project-level
3	Defined	Proactive, organizational
4	Quantitatively Managed	Measured, controlled
5	Optimizing	Continuous improvement