Using GAP analysis to identify and coordinate project tasks

There are many methods for assessing the performance of a company as a whole or at the level of certain business processes, which include identifying “bottlenecks”, describing the problems directly, identifying the difference between the desired level of efficiency and the actual situation. I have already talked about how in practice you can use various methods to identify problem bottlenecks, to plan work, to interact with the customer and to demonstrate the proposed solutions. You can read all this and more in the articles. A brief description of BPMN with an example and Introduction to the IDEF0 notation and an example of use.

Now I want to talk about one of the most common methods today - the use of GAP-analysis. Translated from English, “gap” means “gap”, i.e. This type of analysis can be called completely in Russian analysis of gaps. Here graphs of the desired development of events and the real are shown in a visual graphic form, problematic “bottlenecks” in business processes are visible, which allows the manager to concentrate on the area that really requires rethinking and implementation of changes, and, as a result, making management decisions .

For professionals in the field of business consulting, this tool can be an effective assistant in the following issues:
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• Determining the area of ​​application of effort;
• Setting goals and planning activities;
• Valuation of the work;
• Coordination of necessary works and decisions with the customer.

But let's get everything in order. And for starters, you need to figure out how cooperation of consulting specialists and customers is built. Moreover, we are talking here about any type of consulting in the business sphere: IT consulting, business consulting, optimization of business processes, implementation of various hardware and software solutions, etc.

The main stages of the project

The company’s cooperation with invited experts on the terms of consulting is most often realized in one of two options - permanent service and a project limited to performing a specific task within a certain time frame. And if the service simply specifies the duties that should be performed by invited specialists on an ongoing basis and as needed, the project stages should be considered in more detail.

The main stages of the project cooperation (Source “Management Consulting. Introduction to the Profession” edited by Milan Kubra):

1. Acquaintance;
2. Diagnostics;
3. Action planning;
4. Implementation;
5. Completion of cooperation.

If the stage of familiarization usually does not cause questions, as well as the introduction or completion of cooperation, then it is worth talking about diagnostics in more detail. I consider diagnostics to be the most important stage of work, which can also be conditionally divided into a certain sequence of actions:

1. Goal analysis;
2. Problem analysis;
3. Collection of information;
4. Customer Feedback.

It is competent analysis and understanding of what needs to be done and what results should be obtained, which is the key to the quality of the output. Next is planning - based on an understanding of the real situation and the tasks set, a sequence of necessary actions is created. The approved plan is implemented at the implementation stage. After that, the customer takes the work done, and the project is completed.

Why is diagnostics so important?

To begin with, let's see what the customer expects from diagnostics, and what result of this stage is important for a specialist performer.

The main goal of diagnostics is to obtain a ready-made list of tasks agreed upon with the client, on the basis of which it will be possible to implement the subsequent stages of work.

For the customer, in addition to this, the cost of the work is also important, which no real specialist can name until the list of tasks has been accurately formed. As you know, a service without a price is not a service, but simply a list of ideas. Therefore, the agreed list of tasks and the amount are equally important components of diagnostic results.

In various cases, the stage of diagnosis may take less than 1 day and 2 weeks or even more. It all depends on the complexity of the tasks and the necessary work relating to this stage. In some cases (when performing a pre-project survey, etc.), the stage of diagnosis can be very time consuming, and the result of this stage will be a separate paid service.

But in any case, the results should be as follows:

1. List of tasks (based on discussion with the customer or on the basis of a survey of the situation in the company);
2. Proposed solutions and their rationale;
3. The price of each task and the deadline for its implementation.

This list is necessary for the customer to make a decision, and the contractor for the implementation of the next stages of work after agreeing on all the nuances.

Types of diagnostics

Depending on the complexity of the work required, as well as on what the customer wishes to receive, diagnostics can be either very simple or even “symbolic” or a full-fledged and complex step.

The most common options I share as follows:

• Express diagnostics;
• Development of technical specifications (TZ);
• Pre-project examination;
• GAP analysis.

Let's look at each of these types in more detail.

Express diagnostics

In this case, the customer sends or voices the list of tasks that are typical from the point of view of the contractor. Those. the performer understands how the tasks will be implemented, can quickly estimate the time and voice the cost of the work. The maximum that may be required in the process of express diagnostics is to conduct an interview with the customer or the head of the department with whom the work will be carried out to clarify certain features of the company.

For example, it may be necessary to clarify with which accounting system the company works, on which CMS the site is implemented, who is the telephone provider, or to clarify some other points that may affect the implementation methods and, as a result, the total cost of the work. This type of diagnostics can be used in cases where the customer needs some type of typical services that will be conducted on a template. The duration of this type of diagnosis is up to 1 business day (usually 1-2 hours). The result is a cost estimate for the customer or an invoice for payment.

Development of technical specifications (TZ)

In some cases, the client sends the finished TZ, then the diagnosis and even planning are minimized. But often, specialists have to draw up a technical task independently, based on interviews with the customer and analysis of problems. This document describes all the requirements, the desired result, a complete list of tasks for the project, the necessary technical solutions, etc. The terms of reference is also a basis for estimating the timing and calculating the cost of work.

TK from the customer: pros and cons:

• The advantage of getting a technical task is obvious - saving time specialists. The finished document with a list of all the tasks that are maximum, may require minor adjustments by a specialist, and, by no means always.
• The main disadvantage is that customers are rarely competent enough to make a quality TK. If they had the necessary knowledge, most likely they would not turn to third-party specialists, with the exception of certain technical executives with a narrow specialization (1C specialist, web developer, etc.).

The desire of the customer to faithfully describe all his wishes sometimes results even in anecdotal cases. So, once I received a technical task, consisting of 300 pages! Attached to him was a letter from the customer, who complained that he could not choose the performer in any way, since all those whom he addressed either refuse to work or issue invoices, obviously very high. Obviously, such TK is simply not read by anyone; that’s why the problems listed in the letter arose.

As a result, very often the customer most often in free form lists all his wishes, the contractor draws up the terms of reference independently, after which this document is agreed with the customer (possibly with the involvement of experts).

Pre-project examination

Such a survey is in itself a separate type of work, relatively complex and time consuming. In the process of examination specialist:

• Examines the work of the company based on documentary information;
• Conducts interviews with the head of the company, heads and employees of various departments;
• Often happens in person at work or supervises the work of a warehouse, a sales department, a shop, etc.

As a result of the survey, a third-party specialist (business consultant) independently analyzes the existing business processes, their various stages, evaluates the effectiveness of work, identifies "bottlenecks". Evaluates the possibilities in one way or another to solve the tasks set by the customer in the process of preliminary negotiations (at the stage of acquaintance), can identify some related problems and continue to solve them.

In contrast to the technical project, the result of a pre-project survey is a report, which reflects the description of the environment, perspective, the current situation. The report also describes what needs to be done to solve the set tasks, what strategic proposals may be, etc.

This is not just a task, but a kind of comprehensive document that describes what is in reality, what needs to be done, what will be the output, and how much it will all cost. Such a document can take from 2-3 pages to 15 and more. Moreover, often a pre-project report with all its information richness is less voluminous than the technical task.

The reason for this phenomenon is the absence in the report of the pre-project survey the technical data required in the TOR, often collected in tables: the correspondence and description of certain parameters, for example, the correspondence of fields in CRM and 1C when setting the integration task, other tables with technical parameters. One such description, along with comments to it, may take 3-5 pages.

There are no such technical details in the report. They are not needed by the client to make a decision. But here there is everything that is necessary for the customer: the identified problems, a detailed description of the solution, information for assessing possible risks. Such a document contains a lot of useful information and solutions, but in itself it is usually relatively expensive.

GAP analysis

When conducting a GAP analysis, a kind of business process notation is compiled, which simultaneously reflects the existing situation in reality and the result that the customer would like to receive. Most often, the results of the GAP analysis are displayed graphically. A textual description of breaks is also possible, but in this case, the results of the analysis lose their visibility.

GAP-analysis notations allow in the shortest possible time to evaluate the most problematic places, the so-called “gaps”, to focus on them maximum attention when choosing a solution and detailed development of the stages of its implementation. In some cases, a solution is also attached to the GAP analysis for customers.

It is very important to understand the line. Often, specialists who themselves identify “thin spots” in business offer solutions for implementing business processes the way they see what should be and how it should be. When working with GAP-analysis, I always show the gap between the real situation and how it should be from the point of view of the customer, in his formulations, in his vision. Those. I concentrate on solving the tasks. And here, graphic notations are needed precisely for the customer to understand all the nuances.

I can offer my vision of how it should be to customers as part of a pre-project survey, since in this case, they often order the services of a business consultant to identify problems and find solutions from a specialist’s point of view. But if a clear task is set, then it is necessary to work within the framework of exactly how the customer sees the desired result.

Also, I usually propose certain solutions that will help correct the “breaks”, i.e. go from what is now, to the results that are desired for the customer.
Most often, a similar analysis option is carried out in the case of working with a specific business segment, for example, the business process of shipping goods, processing an application from a website, etc. is described separately.

Graphic solutions are made in a convenient format, I personally prefer the BPMN format. In any case, as a result, customers see clearly existing problem areas in the business process, as well as ideas and solutions. The customer sees in a simple and visual form that you have precisely understood the task and are proposing its solution.

Benefits of GAP Analysis

The fact that graphical notation is one of the very convenient and effective options for working with customers when discussing any changes in business (introduction of IT-programs, equipment for automation, introduction of changes in the management process, etc.). Graphical notation can get rid of a thousand words, and mutual understanding with the customer will be much higher than when sending a multi-page text report. This saves time - and yours, and your client.

At the same time, GAP analysis or, in other words, gap analysis is an opportunity to show on the same graphical diagram both the actual situation and the desired one, and also to see visually at what particular stages the quality of work decreases. The use of this type of notation is convenient both in the process of analyzing and searching for effective solutions to the set task, and at the stage of substantiating your decisions to the customer.

At the same time, as a tool in the work, GAP analysis is simple enough to be used not only by a professional marketer, but also by a software developer engaged in consulting, or any other specialist who offers various solutions for business.

Also, currently I am preparing a book for publication and an online course in which I will describe in detail my own vision of the process approach to business, as well as my own practical experience in the field of functional and process modeling. Anyone can subscribe to the notice of the release of a new book on and other news link .