Gap Analysis

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Document current (as-is) architecture

• Define target (to-be) architecture

• Identify gaps between current and target states

• Explore technical migration options

Keywords: gap analysis, current state, target state, as-is, to-be, roadmap, migration, baseline, transition

Scope Warning

IMPORTANT: This analysis covers technical migration options based on code structure.

Complete migration planning requires business context including:

• Budgets and timelines (external to code)

• Organizational structure (external to code)

• Technical debt priorities (partially in code)

• Resource availability (external to code)

Use this as input to broader planning discussions, not as a complete migration strategy.

Gap Analysis Workflow

1. Document Current State (As-Is)

What can be extracted from code (Zachman rows 4-6):

Aspect Source Analysis

Technology stack package.json, pom.xml, etc. Frameworks, libraries, versions

Architecture patterns Code structure Monolith, microservices, layers

Data storage Config files Databases, caches, queues

Integration points API definitions REST, GraphQL, messaging

Infrastructure IaC files Cloud resources, networking

What requires human input (Zachman rows 1-3):

Aspect Source Needed

Business capabilities Business documentation

Process flows Stakeholder interviews

Strategic alignment Strategy documents

2. Define Target State (To-Be)

Target state should include:

• Vision statement: What does success look like?

• Technology targets: Specific technologies, versions

• Architecture targets: Patterns, structures

• Quality attributes: Performance, scalability, security targets

• Constraints: Budget, timeline, compliance requirements

3. Identify Gaps

For each architecture dimension:

Dimension Current Target Gap

Compute VM-based Containerized Container adoption

Data Monolithic DB Service-per-DB Database decomposition

Integration Point-to-point Event-driven Event mesh implementation

... ... ... ...

4. Categorize Gaps

Classify each gap by:

Type:

• Technical debt

• Missing capability

• Scalability limitation

• Security vulnerability

• Compliance gap

Complexity:

• Low: Configuration change

• Medium: Code modification

• High: Architectural change

• Very High: Platform migration

Risk:

• Low: Isolated change

• Medium: Cross-component impact

• High: System-wide impact

5. Explore Options

For each gap, document:

Gap: [Gap Name]

Current State

[Description of current situation]

Target State

[Description of desired situation]

Technical Options

Option A: [Name]

• Approach: [Description]
• Pros: [List]
• Cons: [List]
• Technical complexity: [Low/Medium/High]
• Dependencies: [List]

Option B: [Name]

• Approach: [Description]
• Pros: [List]
• Cons: [List]
• Technical complexity: [Low/Medium/High]
• Dependencies: [List]

Recommendation

[Technical recommendation with rationale]

Business Context Required

[What business input is needed to finalize decision]

Gap Analysis Output Structure

Gap Analysis: [System Name]

Date: YYYY-MM-DD Scope: [What's included/excluded]

Scope Limitations

This analysis covers technical migration options based on code structure analysis. Complete migration planning requires additional business context:

• Budget constraints and approval processes
• Team capacity and skill availability
• Business timeline requirements
• Risk tolerance and compliance needs

These options should inform broader planning discussions, not replace them.

Current State Summary

[Overview of as-is architecture]

Target State Summary

[Overview of to-be architecture]

Gap Inventory

Detailed Gap Analysis

G1: [Gap Name]

[Detailed analysis per template above]

Technical Dependencies

[Dependency graph showing which gaps must be addressed first]

Recommended Sequencing

[Technical sequencing based on dependencies]

Business Decisions Required

[List of decisions that require business input]

Integration with Other Skills

• architecture-documentation: Generate current state documentation

• zachman-analysis: Ensure gaps cover all relevant perspectives

• togaf-guidance: Align with TOGAF Phase E (Opportunities & Solutions)

• adr-management: Create ADRs for gap resolution decisions

Repository Location

Gap analysis documents should be stored at:

/architecture/ gap-analysis.md /transitions/ transition-1.md transition-2.md

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-05): Initial release

• Current/target state analysis workflow

• Gap categorization (type, complexity, risk)

• Technical options exploration

• Explicit scope limitations (requires business context)

Last Updated

Date: 2025-12-05 Model: claude-opus-4-5-20251101