A gap analysis measures the distance between where your business is and where it needs to be — and turns that distance into an action plan. It’s one of the simplest planning tools there is: current state, desired state, the gap between them, and the actions that close it. The free templates below put that four-column structure into editable MS Word documents. Beneath the downloads you’ll find the four-step process, a filled-in example, and the common variations, including the skills gap analysis used by HR and training teams.

The Four Steps of a Gap Analysis

1. Define the desired state first. Counterintuitive, but the target is your yardstick — you can’t audit the present until you know what you’re measuring it against. Make the desired state specific and dated: “respond to all support tickets within 12 hours by end of Q2,” not “improve response times.”

2. Document the current state honestly, with data. Pull the actual numbers — response times from the ticket system, sales from the reports, skill levels from assessments — rather than impressions. A gap analysis built on how things feel produces an action plan for problems you don’t have.

3. Identify and quantify the gap. State the difference as a measurable amount: 36 hours of response time, three untrained staff, a 15% shortfall against target. Quantifying does two jobs — it makes the gap undeniable, and it tells you later whether your actions actually closed it.

4. Build the action plan. For each gap: the actions that close it, who owns each one, and by when. An action without an owner and a date is a suggestion. This column is where the analysis becomes a plan — and where most gap analyses either succeed or quietly die.

Gap Analysis Example: The Four-Column Format

Here’s the standard format filled in for a fictional customer-support team — the templates below contain blank versions of this table:

Note what makes this usable: every gap is a number, every action has an owner and a date, and the third row honestly records that one gap depends on closing the others — real gap analyses have dependencies, and writing them down is part of the analysis.

Types of Gap Analysis

Skills Gap Analysis

The HR and training version: list the skills a role or team needs, assess the current level of each (a simple 1–5 scale works), and the gaps become the training plan. It’s the most searched and most used variation — the same four columns, with “desired state” defined by the role’s requirements and “actions” being training, hiring, or mentoring, each with a completion date.

Compliance Gap Analysis

Requirements versus current practice: take a standard or regulation (ISO, data protection, safety codes), list each requirement, and record whether current practice meets it. The gaps become the remediation plan — this version is usually the first step before a formal audit.

Product and Market Gap Analysis

What customers need versus what the market currently offers — the version that hunts for opportunities rather than shortfalls. It pairs naturally with a competitive analysis: the competitor matrix shows what rivals cover, and the gap analysis states what nobody does.

Performance Gap Analysis

Targets versus actuals: sales against quota, output against capacity, spending against budget. The gap column is straightforward arithmetic; the value is in the actions column, where you commit to what changes next quarter.

Free Gap Analysis Templates in MS Word

Every template below is editable in Word — add rows for each gap you’re tracking, and keep the discipline of the example above: quantified gaps, named owners, real dates.

The standard current state / desired state / gap / actions table from the example above, ready to fill in.

The four-column format extended with priority ratings and a status column — for tracking multiple gaps through to closure over several review cycles.

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Gap Analysis vs. SWOT Analysis

Both are planning tools, but they answer different questions. A SWOT analysis surveys the whole landscape — your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats — without committing to any particular destination. A gap analysis measures one specific distance precisely and plans the crossing. They chain together naturally: a weakness surfaced in your SWOT (“support response times lag competitors”) often becomes the subject of a gap analysis, which turns the observation into quantified gaps and owned actions. Survey with SWOT; close with gap analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the four steps of a gap analysis?

Define the desired state (specific and dated), document the current state with real data, quantify the gap between them, and build an action plan with owners and deadlines for closing each gap.

What is included in a gap analysis template?

Four columns: current state, desired state, the gap (stated as a measurable amount), and the actions to close it with owners and dates. Extended versions add priority ratings and a status column for tracking gaps through to closure.

What is a skills gap analysis?

A gap analysis applied to capabilities: the skills a role or team requires versus the level each person currently has, usually rated on a simple scale. The gaps become the training and hiring plan, with target dates for reaching the required level.

What is the difference between a gap analysis and a SWOT analysis?

A SWOT surveys your overall position — internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and threats. A gap analysis measures one defined distance between current and desired states and plans how to close it. SWOT findings often supply the subjects for gap analyses.

What is the difference between current state and desired state?

The current state (“as-is”) is where you are now, documented with evidence. The desired state (“to-be”) is where you’ve committed to being, stated specifically with a deadline. The gap analysis exists to measure and close the distance between the two.