Gap analysis

The gap analysis or gap analysis is a management tool of business administration to identify strategic and operational gaps by analyzing the gap between target specification and - while maintaining the company's previous policy - expected development of the base business. Gap analysis is a derived analysis, the environment and corporate analysis is graphically related.

The principle of the gap analysis is based on future projections, which are compared with each other:

For a quantifiable elements of corporate objectives (eg revenue, profit or return on investment ( ROI) ) are projected as reference variables with the desired development in the future. On the other hand is determined by the extrapolation of past values ​​of the expected evolution of the target variables. Both are broken down into milestones. Sound knowledge of mathematical and statistical prediction methods are therefore essential for the analysis. As a necessary assumption is made that no corporate activities take place during this time.

Steps of the gap analysis

Strategic and operational gap

A distinction in the gap analysis:

Strategic gap

The strategic gap ( from potential business base to the target value ( = development boundary) ) can only be closed by additional strategic measures. This gap can be closed by new product / market combinations are developed taking into account all future available potentials of the company ( see product-market matrix).

Operational gap

The operational gap can be explained by the utilization of all resources close (optimization of the current base business ), this distinction is further between performance and competitive gap. Both together constitute the operational gap, the level reached would be the potential underlying ( the actual value of the underlying).

  • Performance gap

Range of surgical gap that could be closed by a realistic perception of all the potential for rationalization. This performance gap is undergoing an analysis of the income generated by the sales.

  • Competitive gap

Portion of the operating gap ( on the rationalization potentials beyond ) could be closed by exhausting all other opportunities for the company.

Critical appraisal of the gap analysis

Forces you to define goals and quantitative to concretize. But you tempted to give strategic consideration within existing business areas and production lines and neglecting an overall consideration. As a weakness factoring out non- quantifiable variables must be considered. The strategic relevance of qualitative variables ( such as stakeholder value ) is not involved. Of measurement problems is largely abstracted. Also too little attention to corporate external developments, which are often subject to highly dynamic changes and can not be perfectly extrapolated. Even the mere extrapolation of past values ​​could be considered critical from this point. With consistent implementation, the gap analysis act as an early warning system.

Variants of the method

Instruments of strategic planning, such as life-cycle approach, experience curve, portfolio technology, benchmarking, target cost management, lean management.

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