Gap Analysis:

In the preceding discussion of the current and desired states of the audit
engagement, I identified impediments in the areas of scope,
accountability, prioritization, work environment, and requirements
management. This section presents a gap analysis, utilizing the McKinsey
7S Framework, to bridge the divide between the current state and the
desired goals. The McKinsey 7S Framework, which considers strategy,
staff, skills, systems, style, shared values, and structure, is well-suited to
address the factors previously identified. The following table outlines the
specific challenges, corresponding goals, and the resulting gaps:

Challenges Goals Gap

• Undefined • Achieve a clear • Lack of
scope; Reactive and adaptive differentiation
responses scope using between urgent
hampering rolling-wave and priority
planned tasks planning; Focus tasks; No
on core structured
objectives approach for
dynamic
planning
• Confusion arises • Implement a • Deliverable
from overlapping transparent and ownership is
decision-making proven decision- unclear, causing
roles. making confusion within
methodology the project
• Accountability is such as RACI. team.
lacking in critical
decision-making
processes.

• There is a lack of
structured
decision-making
understanding,
impeding project
progress.

• The absence of a
decision-making
hierarchy among
leadership
creates
ambiguity.

• The team • Establish a clear • A proper

struggles to task escalation
focus on current prioritization matrix is
 priorities due to system to missing,
unrealistic protect against hindering the
timelines and disruptive ad- resolution of
ad-hoc hoc requests. team issues and
demands, concerns.
leading to stress. • Leadership
should provide
• Poor workload support to
management balance
contributes to workloads and
team stress. shield the team
from
unnecessary
escalations.

• Requirement • Improve • Reactive

elicitation lacks requirement leadership
structure and elicitation driven by
consistency. techniques pressure leads to
through frequent shifts in
• Gaps exist in continuous priority
stakeholder stakeholder deliverables.
management engagement,
and frequent • Transparency
requirement- demonstrations, and feedback
gathering and consistent mechanisms are
techniques. feedback loops. insufficient.

• Reactive • Foster a • Adopt a servant

leadership under collaborative leadership style
pressure and transparent (aligning with
resulting in leadership style. Agile practices)
frequent and utilize
changes to • Solicit regular retrospectives to
priority feedback from gather ongoing
deliverables the team. team feedback.
• Limited
transparency
and feedback
mechanisms

Evidence supporting gap analysis:

Action Findings
Analyzed project • The Cost Performance Index (CPI) and
performance data, Schedule Performance Index (SPI) were
comparing key metrics both below 1, indicating the project
against established was over budget and behind schedule.
standards to assess the
current project status. • Sprint deadlines were missed
frequently, with an average overrun
of 33%.

• Increased defect rates correlated

with accelerated development cycles.

• A work utilization rate exceeding 96%

suggested team overutilization,
potentially leading to burnout.

Conducted interviews • 69% of team members reported stress

with key stakeholders related to ad-hoc tasks and tight
(customers, team leads, timelines.
and developers) to
• 72% cited a lack of accountability as
identify challenges and
the main obstacle to efficient
understand expectations. decision-making.

• 81% identified scope creep and

frequent priority changes as
significant factors contributing to
delivery delays.

• A Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score

of 2 out of 5 indicated customer
dissatisfaction, likely due to missed
milestones.

The PMO's revised project • Inconsistent application of

workflow documentation dashboards that do not align with
outlines requirements for individual project needs.
data collection, decision-
• Absence of a decision-making matrix
making, and escalation
(e.g., RACI) hinders effective
procedures. stakeholder management.

Bridging the gap:

To resolve the urgent issues, the project manager must closely collaborate
with the decision-makers (LT team and the Customer) to execute the
proposed solutions. This will be achieved through the following plan,
implementation, and expected results:

Plan Implementation Result

Collectively define the Segregate the • The decision
core objectives and objectives for the maker will
priorities with an upcoming 2 sprints support the
agreement that the and based on the prioritization
scope is adaptive deliverable user process by
- Implement a rolling stories, a review can highlighting the
 wave planning be done to adjust and critical
methodology that adapt. requirements
is milestone-based - Prioritize tasks that are
using the MoSCoW developed first
technique ensuring • PM ensures the
that each sprint implementation
focuses on the set of the rolling
priorities wave method
keeping close
traction on the
core objectives
A proactive approach A close track of the • The decision
is defined to make the workload metrics (e.g., maker will
objectives clear to the sprint capacity, facilitate the
team with enough velocity, burned hours) incorporation of
time to work on the is ensured checkpoints to
deliverables - Regular interaction address the
- A balance between with the team concerns of the
the team’s current followed by team and work
workload and the retrospectives and toward
timelines is carved implementation of resolution
with buffers and lessons learned. • PM constantly
achievable monitors team
milestones capacity and
workloads for a
healthy and
pressure-free
work
environment
Collaboratively curate Integrate Power-BI • The decision
the key performance with JIRA, CI/CD maker will work
indicators (KPIs) for pipelines, and code closely with the
tracking progress, quality metrics project team in
scope changes, and (SonarQube) defining the key
decision impacts - Technical debt can metrics for them
- A dashboard be considered to make
update is required before pushing new decisions
highlighting the features into the • PM will ensure
key metrics like development cycle the dashboard is
velocity, defect constantly
rates, backlog updated
status automatically
showcasing the
real-time
outcomes of the
engagement for
swift
identification of
the challenges
Efficacy of the measures:

I have considered different approaches in the process to address the gaps

in this engagement. The effectiveness of the measures proposed is
calculated based on its capabilities.

A quick re-cap of the proposed alternatives,

1. Streamline decision-making processes by introducing the RACI

matrix
2. Rolling wave planning to handle dynamic scope
3. Frequent retrospectives for continuous improvement
4. Enhanced dashboard depicting project health in real-time
5. Focussed approaches for requirement clarity

Measure Effectiveness Capabilities

RACI and High • Clear
transparent accountabili
decision-making ty of each
stakeholder
in the
engagemen
t
• Easy to
manage
dynamic
scope
Rolling wave High Ease in adapting
planning to change with
flexible scope
management
Frequent Medium Proactive
retrospectives problem-solving,
process
optimization, and
team resilience
Real-time Medium • Decision-
monitoring making
dashboards driven by
real-time
data
• Capability
to identify
and
mitigate
 risk at early
stages
Frequent High Reduce scope
Stakeholder creep, bring
Engagement clarity in
expectations, and
improve CSAT

Proposed Solutions and Implementation:

A multi-faceted solution is required to bridge the gap between the current

state and the desired state. An integrated solution comprising structured
decision-making, real-time monitoring, adaptive planning, and improved
stakeholder communication. This initiative asks for support and involves
costs.

1. Rolling wave planning for adaptive scope management

Objective:
Revisit the project planning approach and make amendments to
accommodate evolving priorities and requirements with close
traction on near-term deliverables and milestones.

How:
Implement a clear and effective work breakdown structure (WBS)
spread across phases with flexible plans for future works and
deliverables.

Costs:
Billing Costs: Additional billing to the project from PM and BAs for
regular replanning and tracking
Time Investment: Initial setup for stakeholder education on the
measures proposed

Help:
Project Manager: Sets priorities, coordinates planning, and ensures
alignment with business objectives.
Business Stakeholders: Provide feedback during re-planning and
milestone reviews
Development Team: Provide inputs on deliverables and timelines
required to achieve the results desired

2. RACI Matrix
 Objective:
For effective communication, decision-making, and ownership a
clear framework for role clarity and decision accountability is
required.

How:
Develop and implement a RACI Matrix for each key deliverable,
outlining clear roles for all team members and stakeholders.
Communicate decisions clearly with updated decision logs for every
major decision made.

Costs:
Time Investment: Initial setup of RACI matrix, followed by reviews,
updates continuously as engagement progresses.
Billing Costs: Team members will have to update their progress on
the assigned tasks regularly and on an ongoing basis

Help:
Project Manager: Develops RACI matrix and makes sure of its
adherence throughout the project lifecycle.
Leadership Team/Stakeholders: Responsible for decision-making and
ensuring alignment with business objectives and project goals

3. RTM Dashboards

Objective:
To monitor key metrics and provide actionable insights for decision-
makers to react to emerging issues

How:
Develop, and customize real-time dashboards by integrating JIRA,
Power-BI, and CI/CD pipelines for tracking project metrics and
identifying impediments.
Bring in automated reports to update the team and stakeholders on
the progress.

Costs:
Time Investment: Initial time required for dashboard setup,
customization, and regular maintenance
Billing Costs: A new team member was bestowed with the
responsibility of customizing dashboard and reporting systems

Help:
 Project Manager: Ensure that key metrics are tracked, and decisions
are made based on data.
Data Analyst/BI Specialist: Create real-time dashboards to ensure
accuracy of metrics and maintain the accuracy of the reports
continuously
Development Team: Provide insights into technical debt and backlog
issues.

4. Regular stakeholder engagement and requirement

clarification

Objective:
Ensure continuous alignment with stakeholders through regular
demos, feedback, and updates to clarify requirements and
expectations.

How:
Schedule demos at the end of each sprint to showcase the features
developed, gather feedback, and clarify requirements.

Costs:
Time Investment: Time required towards the preparation of the
demo, demo time, and feedback
Billing Costs: Stakeholder's time for the demo and feedback. PM
time billed to facilitate the demo sessions

Help:
Project Manager: Facilitate and coordinate the demo sessions and
ensure the stakeholder’s feedback is captured
Development Team: Prepare, present, update, and clarify the
questions in a demo session
Stakeholders: Time invested in the demo sessions to ensure
requirements are developed as per expectations meeting business
objectives