Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: Four Important Books You Need to Read (Not Just Say You Have)
Marcy’s Musings: Advancing the Advanced Materials Discussion
The Marketing Minute: Cracking the Code of Technical Marketing
Happy’s Essential Skills: Project/Program Management
July 27, 2016 | Happy HoldenEstimated reading time: 13 minutes
What if you have just been assigned a difficult but important project. You already have some possible solutions in mind. However, before you choose a best solution, you need to identify what needs to be done to meet this project's objectives.
This is where Gap Analysis is useful. This simple tool helps you identify the gap between your current situation and the future state that you want to reach, along with the tasks that you need to complete to close this gap.
Gap Analysis is useful at the beginning of a project when developing a business case and it's essential when you're identifying the tasks that you need to complete to deliver your project.
Using Gap Analysis
To conduct a Gap Analysis for your project, follow these three steps:
1. Identify Your Future State
First, identify the objectives that you need to achieve. This gives you your future state—the "place" where you want to be once you've completed your project.
2. Analyze Your Current Situation
For each of your objectives, analyze your current situation. To do this, consider the following questions:
- Who has the knowledge that you need? Who will you need to speak with to get a good picture of your current situation?
- Is the information in people's heads, or is it documented somewhere?
- What's the best way to get this information? By using brainstorming workshops? Through one-to-one interviews? By reviewing documents? By observing project activities such as design workshops? Or in some other way?
3. Identify How You'll Bridge the Gap
Once you know your future state and your current situation, you can think about what you need to do to bridge the gap and reach your project's objectives.
Table 2: Example of element of a GAP Analysis to improve call-handling in your organization's contact center.
References
Happy Holden has worked in printed circuit technology since 1970, with Hewlett-Packard, NanYa/Westwood, Merix, Foxconn and Gentex. He is the co-editor, with Clyde Coombs, of the Printed Circuit Handbook, 7th Ed. To contact Holden, click here.
Page 5 of 5Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
HyRel Technologies Showcases Summer Intern Success Through Hands-On Innovation
09/16/2025 | HyRel TechnologiesHyRel Technologies, a global provider of quick turn semiconductor modification solutions, proudly highlights the accomplishments of its two recent summer interns, Danny Hoang and Nisarg Jadav.
Automation Meets Sustainability
09/08/2025 | Rick Nichols, GreenSource EngineeringGreenSource Engineering (GSE) is proud to have contributed to the first successful reshoring of a PCB facility on a greenfield site in the United States. While we are honored to have played a key role, full credit for this achievement goes to SEL for its vision, commitment, and professionalism.
Japan’s OHISAMA Project Aims to Beam Solar Power from Space This Year
07/14/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamJapan could be on the cusp of making history with its OHISAMA project in its quest to become the first country to transmit solar power from space to Earth, The Volt reported.
Connect the Dots: The Future of PCB Design and Manufacturing
07/02/2025 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsFor some time, I have been discussing the increasing complexity of PCBs and how designers can address the constantly evolving design requirements associated with them. My book, "The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Designing for Reality," details best practices for creating manufacturable boards in a modern production environment.
Project GENESIS Minimizes Ecological Footprint in Europe’s Semiconductor Industry
06/06/2025 | Fraunhofer IPMSA pan-European consortium dedicated to developing sustainable processes and technologies for the semiconductor-manufacturing supply chain announces the launch of the GENESIS project.