Strategic Gap Analysis

In general, a Gap analysis compares where you are to where you want to be. In strategic planning, Gap analysis is relating your position and your condition to the overall market of Optometry. Just like the SWOT and PEST analysis, a Gap analysis is an integral part of strategic planning. In business operations, it is a tool or a technique that employs evaluating differences between the ideal outcomes that a business effort can have and the actual outcomes. The Gap analysis comprises outlining the different stages or steps that can be carried to close the gap.

When a Gap analysis is performed for Optometry strategic planning it can help the Optometrist determine whether the business is getting the best returns from its resources. It can identify areas of improvement, required resources, and processes to achieve the business profit formula and strategic goals. If the Optometrist is benchmarking to the market to assess the performance of the practice he can -with the resources in hand- test and modify processes to hit a required profit formula. Most of the time it’s not the lack of resources that is causing the gap between the two outcomes, but the inability to think of the practice’s capability to be the direct result of its individuals’ capabilities. If the resources show what he’s capable of doing, processes show what affects those capabilities. Therefore, it is very important to find the right person for the right job. And it is very important to distinguish between formal explicit processes and informal processes that are routine and evolve with time.

Other than the resources and time frame, the budget constraint is among the factors considered during the development of a Gap analysis. Contemplating all three factors provides a critical look at identifying shortcomings. After identifying the areas that need to be improved, a target is set and a rigorous SWOT analysis to determine the current state of stuff is required. It is very important when setting targets and goals to be realistic and never exaggerate. Once the information and data of the current state and the future state are identified, the Optometrist must identify what’s keeping the business from reaching its goals.

At this stage, he envisioned the steps required to close the gap and he based his intervention on the management performance, the cost to implement his strategy, and the end dates to have the gap closed.