Gap Analysis Scenarios
Part of the Business Analyst Roadmap
In short
'Our sales team misses targets. How would you find the gap?' Gap analysis questions test whether you can describe today, describe tomorrow, and explain clearly what stands in between.
'How would you identify gaps between current and desired state?' — testing structured analytical thinking from Phase 4, applied to a concrete scenario.
Think of it like this
Training for the college run
You can jog 2 km today. The college run is 10 km in three months. The gap isn't just 8 km. It's stamina, shoes, sleep and a training plan. Name each gap, then plan how to close it.
Watch it happen
The gap analysis answer
1/5Describe the current state with evidence: data, process maps, interviews. 'Leads take 3 days to get a call.'
The big ideas
What you need to know
Measure both states
A gap is clearest as numbers: 3 days now, 4 hours target. Vague states make vague gaps.
Look across four areas
People, process, technology and data. Many candidates only talk about systems.
Root cause over symptom
'Leads are slow' is a symptom. 'Leads land in a shared inbox nobody owns' is a cause.
A simple table works
Current state, desired state, gap, action. Mention you'd present it as a one-page table.
Save yourself the pain
Common mistakes
Oops
Jumping straight to 'buy a new CRM'.
Do this instead
Find the gaps and causes first. The fix might be ownership, not software.
Oops
Describing the future state as 'better' or 'faster'.
Do this instead
Make it measurable so the gap can be sized and progress tracked.
Your mission
Run a personal gap analysis
Quick check
Which future-state statement best supports a gap analysis?
Go deeper
- 1Practice running a gap analysis on a sample scenario, categorizing gaps by type.
- 2Prepare to discuss how you'd prioritize which gaps to close first.
- 3Practice explaining your reasoning process, not just presenting a final gap list.
More process & analysis at this stop
Process Modeling Questions
Data Analysis Questions
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