Gap analysis at its simplest “is about identifying gaps and seeing how these might be filled to the profitable, long-term benefit of the organisation”*.
What kind of gaps should you look to fill? I have been giving thought this week to the most frequently considered type of gap, the Performance Gap. In other words, how will I plan to achieve the financial targets which I have set for myself in my overall strategy document? The gap in this instance is the difference between my ambition and my current performance, and it can be easily expressed and tracked in financial terms. I have already described in a different blogpost (how to develop a healthy business skeleton with planning and control) that I have applied the Ansoff matrix to my business development by considering market development and product development. These are the ferns which I will nurture to fill my gaps. I hope that the solutions which I have selected to fill my performance gap will be hardy and resilient like the ferns from which these fillers are inspired.
If you have a gap in your business’s current performance, please consider discussing a practical solution with me at my next marketing clinic event on August 16th. Register here: https://lisabeaumontmarketing.co.uk/marketing-clinic-form
*Fyfield Markting Strategy p.134