Introduction
In today’s world, we see different challenges related to project management processes every day and everyone competing to achieve their goals. Still, there is a difference between their target and achievement.
The gap is the difference between customers’ expectations and perceptions, while in terms of project management, a gap means delivering the best service quality based on customer’s expectations and needs.
As a project manager, determining the right requirements is your top priority, thus closing any gaps will be crucial to achieving the greatest results.
Importance of Gap Analysis
In any kind of industry, the project process contains various steps and techniques involved to achieve the desired goal. In each process, certain requirements and details are regularly considered so that we can have a clear understanding and proper decisions can be made accordingly.
Here are some basic important aspects of filling gaps in project management which are as follows:
Identifying Discrepancies
Gap filling in project management helps the project manager find all the discrepancies between the desired state and the actual state. Due to this analysis, most of the challenges were resolved and discrepancies in the project process.
Enhance Decision Making
Decision-making is a particularly significant role for the Project manager. Comparing the desired state and the actual state enhances the decision-making process and also creates a profitable process for the project as well as the organization.
Boost Efficiency
As studies confirm when the project team properly understands the desired output it will boost the efficiency of the team as well as improve the overall performance of the project team. It generates the best output which results in high profit as well as growth enhancement.
Mitigate Risk
If all the gaps are properly addressed, then the chances of risk become extremely low also high accuracy can be achieved to get the best desired results for the project development. By understanding potential challenges, the team can minimize the impact of risks on the project process.
Techniques of Gap Analysis in Project Management
Various methods engage in the Gap Analysis to fill the gap between desired results and the current state. The following are the methods which define the Gap Analysis in project management.
- Defining the goal and requirements.
- Identify the current state and baseline.
- Determine desired outcomes.
- Analyze the gap.
- Develop an action plan.
Defining the goal and requirements
Any project’s design must have a deeply and precisely defined set of goals and objectives—the project’s motivation. It should be understood that unless you can sell your endeavour to your stakeholders, you won’t have much luck presenting it to them. And without a clear understanding of your goals, it’s impossible to sell anything.
Identify the current state and baseline.
In any process, the main task is to analyze the current state and baseline to analyze the risk and the best outcome this analysis helps maintain the KPIs of the development growth. It is important to note that the current state determined must be relevant to the goal.
Determine desired outcomes.
Using the map analogy again, knowing where you are is just as important as knowing where you are going. Here, it’s critical to establish a realistic timeline for moving your project from its current form—which we previously identified—to the intended future state.
It is helpful to divide the job into more manageable segments that are identified by milestones to better assess how long it will take to attain your aim. It is possible to measure the difference, or more precisely the gap, between the desired and current states.
Analyze the gap.
Determining what is causing the uncovered gap in the first place is the next task. Why? Because the seed of every problem’s solution is always present. Put another way, all it takes is a careful examination of the data and the correct questions to identify the problems that are responsible for the gap between the desired and actual states and to trace them back to their source. It is highly unlikely that a gap analysis would identify a single, significant issue that, if fixed, will bring you to the intended state.
Most of the time, there will be several little problems that, when added together, become the equivalent of a monkey wrench in your work. After you have discovered them, you may assess their relationship to one another and their effect on your achievement, at which point you can start setting priorities.
Develop an action plan.
It is highly unlikely that a gap analysis would identify a single, significant issue that, if fixed, will bring you to the intended state. Most of the time, there will be several little problems that, when added together, become the equivalent of a monkey wrench in your work. After you have discovered them, you may assess their relationship to one another and their effect on your achievement, at which point you can start setting priorities.
Frameworks for Gap Analysis
We will go over a few more great techniques for efficient gap analysis that you can use to assess your current situation more accurately and find paths to the ideal state. They can all offer their special insights.
McKinsey 7Ss Framework
The seven categories of the McKinsey framework include staff, shared values, skills, style, strategy, structure, and systems. It is thought that the latter are “soft,” and the first three are “hard.”
A production line that needs twenty workers to run at maximum capacity can have a misalignment if the graveyard shift only has 15 workers available. Systems and personnel are not aligned in this instance.
Nadler-Tushman Congruence Framework
Four categories are used in this methodology to analyze an organization’s performance: work, people, structure, and culture. After noting the advantages and disadvantages of each location, contrast it with the others. The aim is to determine whether the work being done in each area complements the others. The people and structure are not congruent, for instance, if a compliance group is operating at a high level and discovers areas in which the business is not abiding by specific rules and regulations, but the organization of the business lacks the means to put these changes into action.
SWOT analysis
The letters SWOT stand for opportunities, threats, weaknesses, and strengths. Although some experts consider SWOT and gap analysis to be distinct tools, SWOT is a helpful tool for arranging the recommendations as well as the causes. But as was already said, a gap analysis is not a risk assessment, and the danger section verges into a risk assessment.
PESTEL Framework
Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal is another abbreviation, or PESTEL. A business can utilize it as a framework for gap analysis as well as a stand-alone examination.
Fishbone Framework
Japanese quality control specialist Kaoru Ishikawa invented the fishbone graphic. As with the previous frameworks, the approach is meant to pinpoint the root causes of issues and group them into distinct groups. Although the manufacturing industry uses the six categories shown in the graphic above, other business fields also utilize different sets of categories. Below is an outline of a couple of these.
Conclusion
Going through all the concepts and techniques involved in Gap Analysis, understandably, it plays a very vital role in the Project process and in understanding the desired state. So as a Project manager, it’s a duty to check all the gaps and address all requirements to achieve the desired and appropriate state.