Gap analysis template
Created by:
Close and identify business gaps in your strategic planning.
Categories
- Product Management
- Marketing & Sales
- Finance & Ops
- Whiteboard Template
KEY FEATURES
Analysis
Marketing Research
Risk Assessment
A gap analysis is crucial to understanding where you want to be as a business and what you must do to get there. Once you set goals for your business, you can use a gap analysis template to figure out what you’re missing. This valuable knowledge can help you create a strategic plan that aligns with your long-term goals.
Streamline the gap analysis process with a simple template that includes all the details you need to perform a successful analysis. Understand where you’re at, where you want to be, and the gaps you need to fill.
What is a gap analysis template?
A gap analysis template is a document that includes everything you need to cover in your gap analysis. Using a suitable template can help you better understand how you’re performing, what you can improve on, and what changes you need to make to close the gap between your current state and where you want to be. It streamlines the analysis process, allowing you to spend less time analyzing and more time taking action while ensuring all key areas are covered.
By integrating detailed analysis, marketing research, and risk assessment, this template simplifies performance evaluation and highlights areas for improvement, market trends, and potential risks, leading to a clear path from your current position to your goals.
Benefits of using a gap analysis template
Identifies areas for improvement
A gap analysis template helps you pinpoint areas for improvement. When you understand where your business is currently and where you want it to be, it’s easier to see what you need to improve to reach those long-term goals. Using a gap analysis template helps you home in on the crucial details and make targeted adjustments, ensuring you effectively bridge the gap between your current state and desired outcomes.
Analyzes performance
Gap analysis templates help you analyze your business's current performance to understand better how well it’s operating. You can evaluate existing processes, systems, and skills to figure out how effective they are and what you need to do to improve in these areas.
Enhances decision-making
Using data-driven insights to make decisions and take action is critical to business success. A gap analysis template simplifies the decision-making process by giving you a better picture of your business's current state, long-term goals, and what you need to improve to achieve them.
Streamlines strategic planning
Effective strategic planning helps you create a better action plan. Using a sample gap analysis template is a simple way to understand better your long-term goals and how you plan to meet them. Once you identify gaps, you can strategically plan to bridge them.
Improves resource allocation
Limited resources can challenge many businesses, but a gap analysis template improves resource allocation by saving time and allowing teams to focus on critical tasks. By streamlining the planning process, the template enables more efficient use of resources and provides more time for actionable steps.
How to create a gap analysis
- 1
Assess current state
The first step in creating a gap analysis is examining the current state of your business. In the first column of the template, add notes to describe the current situation in detail. Determine where you are right now compared to where you want to be. Assessing the current state of your business helps you better understand what you can improve on.
- 2
Define the desired state
Next, clearly define your objectives and the desired state of your business. Consider what you want to accomplish for your business, such as increasing productivity or boosting sales. Defining these goals is central to your gap analysis.
- 3
Identify gaps
Now that you know where your business is and where you want it to be, you can identify the gaps keeping you from reaching your goals. Identifying these gaps helps with project planning and management, empowering you to make the necessary changes to achieve your long-term goals. Be as specific as possible when identifying the gaps.
- 4
Analyze root causes
Perform a root cause analysis to find underlying reasons for the gaps you’ve identified. Once you’ve nailed down the root causes of your gaps, you can start figuring out ways to fill those gaps. A cost-benefit analysis can also be helpful at this stage.
- 5
Develop an action plan
Once you’ve identified your gaps and their root causes, you can create a plan with specific action items and start working to close them. Review and discuss the gaps as a team to identify the following steps, roles, responsibilities, and desired outcomes. Your plan should include your objectives, a timeframe for completing those objectives, and the resources you’ll need to meet your goals.
- 6
Implement and monitor
Now that your plan is in place, you can start executing it and tracking your progress. If you’re not making progress or progressing too slowly, you can make adjustments as needed. Your plan should play a role in everything you do, from long-term planning to project management.
Create a practical gap analysis in Confluence whiteboards
Confluence whiteboards are a simple solution for visual brainstorming. You can start with a template and visualize your ideas, plus you can edit Jira issues and Confluence pages within your whiteboard. As you perform your gap analysis and develop an action plan, you can use Confluence whiteboards to connect your work and keep all your teams on the same page.
Start using Confluence whiteboards to brainstorm and take action more efficiently.
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