A gap assessment is a structured review of your quality system against the standard you are held to, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or AS9100, done before a registrar does it for you. Used well, it is the cheapest insurance you will buy all year. Used poorly, it is a long document nobody opens.
What a real gap assessment delivers
A useful assessment answers three questions in plain language.
- Where you already conform, so you can stop worrying about it.
- Where the gaps are, ranked by risk, not an undifferentiated list.
- What to fix first, in a sequence your team can actually execute.
What it should not be
It should not be a printout of the standard with checkmarks. It should not bury a major nonconformity next to a minor documentation note. And it should not require a follow-on retainer just to interpret. The deliverable is a prioritized plan you can act on the same week.
When to do one
The two best moments are a few months before a scheduled audit, and right after you win a customer whose requirements exceed your current system. Both are points where the cost of an unseen gap is highest and the time to close it still exists.
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