Gap Report Template
Use this structure for the gap analysis output. Adapt section depth to the scope — a focused analysis (e.g., CI/CD only) can skip irrelevant sections.
Executive Summary
3–5 sentences covering:
What was assessed and against what target
Overall posture (strong / adequate / significant gaps)
Where the gaps are concentrated (deployment, security, observability, etc.)
Key takeaway for decision-makers
1. Technology Stack Comparison
Table format:
Dimension
Target Standard
Current State
Assessment
Python version
3.11
3.14
⚠️ Different — not a blocker, separate service
API framework
Flask / Gunicorn
FastAPI / Uvicorn
⚠️ Different — valid modern choice
...
...
...
...
2. Architecture & Design Quality
Split into two tables:
Where the codebase is ahead
Area
Detail
...
Concrete evidence of superiority
Where the target is ahead
Area
Detail
...
Concrete evidence of what's missing
3–N. Dimension Gap Tables
One section per analysis dimension. Table format:
Aspect
Target Standard
Current State
Gap
Recommendation
...
What the target requires
What exists (with evidence)
Gap / Aligned / Ahead
Action to take
Overall Assessment
Scorecard table:
Dimension
Rating
Rationale
Architecture & design
★★★★★
Brief justification
Deployment readiness
★☆☆☆☆
Brief justification
...
...
...
Use 1–5 stars. Anchor ratings:
- ★☆☆☆☆ — Nothing in place
- ★★☆☆☆ — Minimal / placeholder only
- ★★★☆☆ — Functional but incomplete
- ★★★★☆ — Good with minor gaps
- ★★★★★ — Meets or exceeds target
Priority Actions
P0 — Required for Initial Deployment
#
Gap
Effort
Notes
1
...
Small
...
P2 — Recommended for Operational Maturity
P3 — Nice to Have / Cross-Pollination
#
Opportunity
Direction
Notes
1
Practice name
Source → Target
Why it's valuable
Key Decisions Required
#
Decision
Options
Recommendation
1
Short description
(A) Option. (B) Option.
Recommended option with rationale.
Bottom Line
1–2 sentences: overall quality, where effort should focus, and whether remediation is straightforward or requires significant rearchitecting.