This work product summarizes the results of doing a gap analysis on existing vs. target architectures.
Purpose
The gap analysis artifact provides a summary of the comparison done between the target architecture and the current
situation. Gaps are identified in terms of missing functions, entities or other aspects, changed aspects, or deleted
aspects.
This summary is subsequently used as input to the creation of a migration plan, which details the steps required
to move the IT architecture from the current state to the desired state, as defined by the target
(to-be) architecture.
The gap analysis identifies, in terms of entities and data, process and activities, locations and systems, and
roles/actors, the differences between the current situation and the target architecture.
This artifact is a summary of areas that need to be transformed in
order to achieve the target architecture. The areas requiring work have priorities applied based upon stakeholder need
for new or changed functionality. These priorities are adjusted, if needed, based upon the state of health of these
components in the current environment. This artifact is then used as input to the development of the migration plan.
Brief Outline
The gap analysis should be summarized in a table of the form:
Gap Analysis Summary Table
End State
Current State
Gap / Requirement
A description of the end state desired
A description of the current state
The specifics of the gap or statement of requirement to correct.
The gaps may also be classified in some fashion to facilitate analysis, for example the following categories could be
used:
Data Gaps - new, changed or deletions of data (models)
Process or Activity Gaps - new, changed or deletions of business activities/process (models)
Location Gaps - new, changed or deletions of location/system (models)
Role Gaps - new, changed or deletions of roles/actors (models)
A further sub-categorization could be applied:
Additions - new data, functions, locations or roles
Changes - changes to existing data, functions, locations or roles
Deletions - of data, functions, locations or roles
