For consultants assessing how work runs today
Gap Analysis Template and Worked Example
Today against the target, area by area: current state with its evidence, the gap, impact, priority, action and owner, plus a month-end close example.
| Area | Current state (evidence) | Gap | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reconciliations | 41 of 118 reviewed by day 5 (tracker) | 77 reviews land after day 5 | High · 4 × 5 = 20 |
| Intercompany | $310,000 unmatched on day 3 (IC report) | No cut-off and no shared report | High · 4 × 4 = 16 |
| Close ownership | 6 of 23 tasks have no owner (calendar) | Progress chased by email | High · 4 × 4 = 16 |
| Reporting pack | Built by hand from 4 exports (observed) | 1.5 days of manual work | Medium · 4 × 3 = 12 |
| Journal approval | Stricter than policy FIN-07 (journal log) | Approvals queue on days 3 and 4 | Low · 2 × 3 = 6 |
Invented example: a 9-day close against a 5-day target.
What you'll get
Current state with its evidence, the gap, priority and owner, plus an example
- A gap table with evidence, impact, priority, action and owner
- A 1 to 5 scoring guide for gap size and impact
- A worked month-end close example, or a first pass from your notes
Before and after
Your notes in. A first gap analysis out.
Close takes 9 working days, CFO wants 5 by year end. Recs are in spreadsheets, maybe a third reviewed by day 5. Intercompany agreed by email, still open on day 3. Only Dana can do fixed assets. Tom (controller) says day 2 is spent finding out who's doing what.
Target: month-end close in 5 working days by year end. Area: Account reconciliations. Current state: Reconciliations are kept in spreadsheets, and about a third are reviewed by day 5 (your notes). Gap: About two thirds of reviews land after day 5. Size 4 (proposed). Impact: 5 (proposed). Priority: High, 20 (proposed). Owner: [owner]. Area: Skills and cover. Current state: Only Dana can post the fixed-asset entries (your notes). Gap: No second person can cover. Size 3 (proposed). To confirm with the client: How many balance sheet accounts are reconciled each month?
Every line points back to your notes. Scores stay marked proposed, and owners and dates you didn't give stay in brackets.
Why it works
What is a gap analysis, and how do you do one?
A gap analysis template compares how something works today with where it needs to be, then turns each difference into an action with an owner. Every gap analysis has three parts: the current state, the target state and the gap between them. NIST's Cybersecurity Framework sets out the same steps, comparing current and target profiles, then building a prioritized action plan. This template applies them to any process, team or capability, one row per area. For an AI plan, the AI readiness assessment scores readiness area by area from your notes.
Most free gap analysis templates are empty grids, so the current state ends up as opinion. Here every current-state line names its evidence: an interview, a figure or a document. The guide shows how to gather all three. Ask people to walk through the last real example, then tag their notes by area so themes surface, as in thematic analysis. Then watch the work once: a gemba walk grasps the current situation through direct observation. A 1 to 5 scale sets each priority.
The second document works a full example: an invented finance team whose month-end close takes nine working days against a target of five. Paste your notes on how things work today, and River fills a first pass, pointing each line to your notes, with scores marked proposed and missing facts in brackets. To build the current state from transcripts, use interview synthesis. The SWOT analysis template gives the wider picture, and an issue tree helps find why a gap exists.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the gap analysis template
- A summary for the sponsor
Four to six sentences: how far today is from the target, the gaps that matter most and what to do first. - The target, with its measures
Today's figure, the target and its date, who agreed it, the budget, and where each number comes from. - The gap analysis table
Area, current state with its evidence, target state, the gap, impact, priority, action and owner, one row per area. - A 1 to 5 scoring guide
Gap size and impact defined in plain words, then multiplied into a High, Medium or Low priority. - How to gather the current state
Interviews, data, documents and observation: what to ask for, and what to do when they disagree. - A worked month-end close example
Seven areas of an invented finance team's close, scored and actioned, with notes on why each part works.
How it works
From notes on today to a gap analysis
Open the template
Click Edit with AI. The template opens in River with the month-end close example beside it.
Paste your notes
Optional. Paste notes on how things work today, and River fills a first pass of the table from them.
Check the evidence
Confirm each current-state line against an interview, a figure or a document, and agree the scores with the client.
Send the summary
Write the summary from the table, then ask River to turn the High-priority gaps into a plan.
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is a gap analysis?
A gap analysis compares the current state of a process, team or business with a target state, and names what has to change to close the difference. Each gap gets an impact, a priority, an action and an owner. Consultants use one before a change program or a system selection, and when a team keeps missing a target.
What's the difference between current state and future state?
The current state is how the work runs today, shown with evidence: what people do, how long it takes and what it costs. The future state, or target state, is where it needs to be by a date, agreed by the sponsor. The gap is the difference between them, described before anyone proposes a fix.
How do you do a current state assessment?
Use at least two of four sources for every area: interviews, data, documents and observation. Ask people to walk through the last real example, pull three to six months of the measure, and compare written procedures with what actually happens. Where sources disagree, record both and ask why. That difference is often the gap.
How do you prioritize gaps?
Score each gap from 1 to 5 for size and for impact on the target, using the definitions in the template, then multiply them. A score of 15 to 25 is High, 8 to 12 is Medium, and 1 to 6 is Low. Agree the scores with the client before you share them, because impact depends on what the client values.
How is a gap analysis different from a SWOT analysis?
A SWOT takes stock of a whole organization: internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and threats. A gap analysis measures one process or capability against a set target. A SWOT often comes first and shows where to look. A SWOT built from client files puts a source under every point.
Does River fill it in for me?
Only a first pass, and only from the notes you paste. Each current-state line points back to your notes, scores are marked proposed, and targets, owners and dates you didn't give stay in brackets. Open facts become questions for the client. You decide the scores and actions, and you can change every line.
Your next step
More for your project
Show the client exactly where they stand
Open the template with the worked example beside it, or paste your notes for a first pass where every line points to its source.