A business analyst (BA) is eliciting requirements to automate existing manual processes for fulfilling end users service requests. There is pressure from management to automate the process quickly…

A gap analysis compares the current state (manual processes) against the desired future state (automated service request fulfillment) and evaluates whether the COTS module bridges that gap. Performing this analysis first ensures the BA understands missing capabilities before any implementation decisions are made. Skipping this step risks deploying a solution that does not fully satisfy the elicited requirements, wasting time and resources.

Implementing the COTS modules before confirming they meet requirements risks deploying an inadequate or misaligned solution.

Modifying a COTS tool to fit existing processes is generally discouraged and should only be considered after a gap analysis confirms that standard modules are insufficient.

Creating a change strategy is a later activity that depends on understanding the gaps first - it cannot be defined without knowing what is missing.