Are you looking for a way to evaluate where your own or your customer’s organization stands?
With the right gap analysis template you get everyone on track to make the necessary improvements.
Pointerpro is the 2-in-1 software that combines assessment building with personalized PDF feedback report generation.
Trusted by 1.500+ consultants, coaches, marketers, HR specialists and companies worldwide
3 reasons to use Pointerpro as a gap analysis tool
Thanks to your setup in the Report Builder, and its Aggregate Reports feature, employees get a detailed PDF report: with personalized feedback, useful tips, and an action plan.
Mind the gap! As the term suggests, a gap analysis is an objective assessment of where an organization currently stands versus where it aspires to be. Typical gap analyses exist in the domain of business strategy, the evaluation of businesses’ services, or skills assessment
It’s a strategic planning tool often employed in business, project management, and various other contexts to identify areas for improvement and guide decision-making.
A solid gap analysis is based on the following:
Note: You can add various layers to your assessment and pre-defined action plan. For instance, you can define different categories that are part of the overall assessment and define advice or required actions per each category.
E.g., A marketing strategy assessment could consist of “brand strategy”, “digital strategy,” “content strategy.”
When talking about gap analysis templates, people tend to confuse methods (or models) with tools.
Gap analysis methods or models refer to the conceptual frameworks used to conduct a gap analysis. A simple maturity model, as explained above, is an example of such a framework. A well-known example of a gap analysis method/maturity model in the world of consultancy is the McKinsey 7S framework. This model assesses seven key elements of an organization (strategy, structure, systems, shared values, skills, style, and staff) to identify gaps and ensure alignment for effective performance.
Gap analysis tools range from basic tools to full-fledged tools. The most basic tool example would be a spreadsheet tool, like Excel. Excel is often used for basic gap analysis by creating spreadsheets to compare current and desired states, calculate discrepancies, and visualize data using charts or graphs. The most advanced – though user-friendly – tool example would be Pointerpro. It offers data collection through questionnaires (a Questionnaire Builder), a powerful assessment engine to set up custom scoring logic, and automated feedback report generation based on respondent answers (a Report Builder). This includes a limitless array of charts.
Here’s a simple explanation of custom scoring and why it’s important in assessments:
Needs assessments are often conflated with gap analyses. Though often complementary, they are not the same.
The essential difference between gap analysis and needs assessment lies in their primary focus and purpose. A gap analysis aims to compare the current state of affairs or performance with a desired future state or goal, identifying discrepancies or “gaps” between the two. It evaluates existing situations or processes relative to predefined standards or expectations, with the intention of developing strategies to bridge these gaps and improve overall performance.
In contrast, a needs assessment is centered on better understanding the specific needs to bridge identified gaps.
Maturity assessments and gap analyses are also often conflated. And conceptually a maturity or gap analysis template is indeed highly similar. Both can be based based on the same maturity model, with the same predefined maturity levels.
The subtle difference is that a gap analysis concentrates on identifying gaps between current and desired states, while according to its definition, a maturity assessment seems to be focused on simply determining the organization’s maturity level.
However, the power of any assessment lies in the follow-up action it inspires. So, as far as Pointerpro is concerned, you can consider a gap analysis and a maturity assessment to be the same thing.
Here’s a short video of our colleague Stacy, explaining “maturity models:”
Here are 30 gap analysis example questions divided into 3 categories
These gap analysis template questions can serve as a starting point for conducting a strategic gap analysis, helping organizations identify areas where improvements or interventions are needed to bridge the gap between their current state and desired future state.
Strategy gap analysis plays a pivotal role in ensuring the alignment between an organization’s current and desired state. By systematically comparing existing strategies, processes, and performance against predefined goals and benchmarks, strategy gap analysis reveals critical discrepancies and areas for improvement.
A well-crafted gap analysis report is a cornerstone for organizational improvement and strategic decision-making. It not only distills complex findings and insights into a clear and actionable format but also provides a roadmap for addressing identified gaps and achieving desired outcomes.
A good report not only communicates the current state of affairs and areas for improvement but also provides stakeholders with the necessary context, analysis, and recommendations to drive meaningful change.
By synthesizing data, analysis, and recommendations into a coherent narrative, a good report empowers leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and prioritize initiatives that will have the greatest impact on organizational success.
Here are some best practices for creating a comprehensive and effective gap analysis report in a PDF document:
"We use Pointerpro for all types of surveys and assessments across our global business, and employees love its ease of use and flexible reporting."
Director at Alere
"I give the new report builder 5 stars for its easy of use. Anyone without coding experience can start creating automated personalized reports quickly."
CFO & COO at Egg Science
"You guys have done a great job making this as easy to use as possible and still robust in functionality."
Account Director at Reed Talent Solutions
“It’s a great advantage to have formulas and the possibility for a really thorough analysis. There are hundreds of formulas, but the customer only sees the easy-to-read report. If you’re looking for something like that, it’s really nice to work with Pointerpro.”
Country Manager Netherlands at Better Minds at Work