5 Areas to Apply Gap Analysis

[Monirul Islam]

Workforce organization
The overall efficiency of your company must be examined, from top to bottom. Redundant positions should be cut or combined, and poorly performing business segments should be eliminated or merged into existing ones. If you company has shifted in direction from one industry to another - for example, from personal computers to cloud computing - then your workforce must be restructured to reflect this, and to shed the extra weight.
Business direction
Everyone must be on the same page in the pursuit of your company's goals. A poorly timed chang in business direction can alienate your existing customers and make it difficult to gain new ones. If your company's industry is becoming crowded, then a change in direction may be inevitable - but you have to make sure that your employees, shareholders, stakeholders and debtholders are all in agreement.
Production capabilities
If your company is still relying on domestic production plants, then you may have to consider outsourcing your labor to close the gap with larger competitors. Keeping all your production plants within the United States could cripple your margins and affect your ability to price products competitively.
Customer base
Has your company reached the full breadth of its potential customer base, or is it dwindling in a corner, marginalized by larger companies? If there are still a large number of unreached potential customers, it may be time to invest in expensive advertising and PR campaigns to thrust your product into the public eye.
Market Potential
Is the current market saturated? If it's too saturated, then you should only produce products that have fewer competitors but broader appeal. A vigorous needs analysis can help you craft better products that appeal to more consumers.

A well crafted combination of thoughtful, repeated needs analysis and expansive gap analysis can transform your company and its products for the better. By using both, you can toss out the old and renew your company, allowing you to see avenues of growth that were previously obscured by daily habits, routines and mediocre expectations.

Source: http://www.businessdictionary.com/article/617/6-principles-of-needs-analysis/