Gap analysis from current to future state
The path from a validated current state to an agreed, stored future state: define the future state with stakeholders, run a gap analysis, assess the options against value, effort and risk, challenge steps that only exist for legacy reasons, build shared understanding with side-by-side maps, whiteboarding and journey maps, and phase the change when it exceeds the budget.
Explain how to move from current state analysis to an agreed future state design.
~7 min read · 14 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Order the steps from a validated current state to an agreed future state, and name gap analysis as the step after both states are described.
- Assess competing design options against the gaps, effort, risk and value, and help stakeholders decide.
- Challenge "keep this step" and "replicate what we do today" by tracing steps back to the underlying need.
- Build shared understanding with side-by-side current and future maps, whiteboarding, role-by-role walkthroughs and customer journey maps.
- Protect the agreement (store and sign off the future state) and phase it into interim states when it exceeds the budget.
Key terms: current state (how the process works today, validated by the people who do it); future state (the desired process); transition state (an interim step toward the future state); gap analysis (identifying what differs between current and desired state); customer journey map (the customer's experience across touchpoints and channels).
Key facts
- Detail
- Business need, current state, future and transition states
- Detail
- What is different between current and desired state
- Detail
- Assess options incl. work or scope; recommend highest value; assess risks
- Detail
- Describes gaps between current and intended processes
- Detail
- Workers who do every step fill gaps and correct the draft
- Detail
- Illustrate how things have improved
- Detail
- Release cycle with versioning; sign-off on each diagram
- Detail
- Customer steps, challenges, touchpoints and channels; exposes gaps
- Detail
- Whiteboarding, journey map, process design, solution roadmap
Sources for this section (6)
- Explore Techniques for Information Discoverytrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Explore Documentation Typestrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Learn the Customs of Your Customertrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Create a Business Process Maptrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Add Journey Mapping to Your Solution Toolboxtrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Review Collaboration with Stakeholderstrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- What comes immediately after the current state is validated and the future state is described?
- Why should a BA question a step the business insists on keeping?
- When is a customer journey map the right artifact?
- What does a gap analysis document describe?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Business Analyst pack
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The pack includes:
- All 22 lessons of the Business Analyst guide, with reading progress
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- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (14 questions for this lesson)
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