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"Skills gap" gets used loosely — as a vague sense that the workforce isn't quite where it needs to be. A proper competency gap analysis replaces that vague sense with a specific, evidenced list: this person, this competency, this level of shortfall.

The process typically follows four steps:

1. Start from the Job Competency Profile (JCP). You can't measure a gap without first defining the target — the specific knowledge, skills, and behaviours required for a given role, at a defined competency level.

2. Assess current competency using custom-built tools. Generic quizzes don't reveal much about whether someone can actually perform a task. Effective gap analysis uses methods matched to the competency being measured: oral and written questioning for theoretical understanding, direct observation at work for practical skill, and review of work products for applied quality.

3. Document the gap precisely. Not "needs more training" — specifically which competency, at what level, with what evidence. This is what makes the resulting development plan targeted instead of generic.

4. Convert findings into an Individual Development Plan (IDP). Effective plans specify when, where, how, and by whom the gap will be closed — whether through instructor-led sessions, coaching and mentoring, on-the-job training, or blended learning — with a follow-up assessment to confirm the gap has actually closed.

Done well, gap analysis turns training budgets from a blanket expense into a targeted investment, and gives supervisors a defensible answer to "why is this person doing this task" — because the evidence, not assumption, says they're competent to.