How to perform a gap analysis

for business process

improvement

 Tapera Mangezi

Gap analysis for business process improvement is a vital step to meeting strategic
business goals. Here’s what you need to know to perform an effective gap analysis.
What is a business process?
A business process is a series of tasks that employees within an organization
repeatedly perform to create a product or service. It starts with an objective and ends
with the achievement of a goal, which provides value for the stakeholders.
What is business process improvement?
Business process improvement is the collection of methodologies to identify, analyze
and improve on the existing processes within an organization so as to achieve
organizational objectives in a more efficient way. Examples of business process
improvement initiatives include automation of manual processes using workflow,
reduction of waste in production processes, redesigning of employee responsibilities
and streamlining of the approval processes. Typical methodologies that are used for
business process improvement include Six Sigma, Lean, Scrum, Kaizen, and
Total Quality Management.
The steps typically involved in business process
improvement are:
 Identifying the business process – After deciding on
which process needs to be improved; the process can
be documented using a process flow diagram.
  Analyzing the business process – Use the process
flow diagram to investigate the problems within the
process.
 Redesigning the business process -The process is
now redesigned to eliminate the problems that have
been identified.
 Acquiring project resources – Resources needed for
implementing the improved process will need to be
secured at this stage and can be part of the project
team.
 Implementing the changes – After acquiring the
necessary resources, the changes to the business
process can be implemented and may involve
changing existing systems and processes.
 Reviewing the business process – To ensure
continuous improvement after implementing the
changes, there is a need to monitor the progress to
ensure that the process is performing according to
expectations.
What is a gap analysis?
Gap Analysis is the comparison of actual performance with potential or desired
performance i.e. the current state with the desired future state for a business
process. The current performance of a process is compared to key metrics such
as costs, time, and quality. Knowledge of the existing gaps in a business process
can help the business analyst implement programs to address the shortcomings in
the current business processes.
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Steps to perform during a gap analysis

Step 1: Understand the current state – e.g. review business processes and discuss
problems in the current environment.
Step 2: Define the desired future state – The future state represents the ideal
condition in which you want your business to be.
Step 3: Identify and document the gap – A gap is a deficiency existing
between what a business would like to do, and what the business actually does.
Step 4: Plan to evolve to future state – Develop a project plan for redesigning
business processes to ensure that they align with the organizations’ strategic goals.
Gap analysis tools and techniques
Brainstorming
A series of meetings can be held for the business analysis team to brainstorm ideas
about the problems that exist in the business process and how to resolve them.
SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The weaknesses
and threats that are identified should be the result of gaps existing in the business
process.
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is the process of comparing the current project, methods, or
processes with the best practices used by other organizations and using this
information to drive business process improvement.
Documentation Review
Review the documents such as functional requirements documents, process flow
diagrams and change requests help to obtain more information on the current
business processes within an organization.
Benefits of performing gap analysis
A gap analysis can help an organization understand and prioritize business needs by
helping identify any deficiencies or shortcomings that need to be overcome. It gives
decision-makers a comprehensive overview of the entire company or particular
function such as accounting, information technology, or operations. Conducting a
gap analysis can also help a business focus its efforts and make informed decisions
on business process improvement. It can provide clarity on where an organization is
and where it wants to go, baselined against project delivery best practice  that can
add real value to the business. Finally, a gap analysis establishes the link between the
requirements and their traceability in the Requirements Traceability Matrix.