This video explains how to turn documented compliance findings into a structured ISO 19650 gap analysis report that highlights what meets the standard, where gaps remain, and what actions are needed next. The written guide below covers how to generate the report from your checklist data, how to filter it by responsibility or status, how auto-versioning keeps the report current without manual effort, how to share it with team members and external advisers, and how to use the report as an active tool for prioritising actions and tracking progress toward audit readiness.

Why the gap analysis report is the centrepiece of your compliance programme

The gap analysis report is where everything comes together. All the work done during the readiness check and the documentation of findings feeds into a single, structured report that summarises your compliance status, highlights the gaps that need attention, and provides the action items your team needs to close them. Without this report, findings remain scattered across checklist items and individual tasks. With it, the entire team and any external advisers or auditors have a clear, filterable view of where you stand and what needs to happen next.

Generating the report is straightforward once your compliance checklist has been worked through and statuses have been assigned to each task. The report pulls directly from the checklist data, meaning that tasks marked as complete appear as met requirements and tasks with statuses like “identified gap” appear as areas needing action. Before generating, you can apply filters to customise the report for specific audiences. For example, you might filter by responsibility to produce a report showing only the items assigned to the appointing party or the lead appointed party. You might filter by status to create a focused view of identified gaps only. Or you might generate a detailed report covering every task across all stages for a comprehensive overview. Select the report type, apply your filters, give the report a name, and generate it. Within a few clicks, the structured gap analysis report is ready.

One of the most powerful features for keeping the report useful over time is auto-versioning. Compliance is not a one-time snapshot. As your team addresses gaps, updates processes, and resolves action items, the report needs to reflect the current state rather than a historical one. In the File Manager, you can set the report to auto-update on a schedule, for example every four days, weekly, or bi-weekly. Each time the report regenerates, it pulls the latest data from the checklist, meaning that completed actions are reflected automatically without anyone needing to manually re-export or compile a new version. You can also configure a team access list so that the updated report is distributed to the right people each time, along with a covering email that explains what the attachment contains and what is expected from the recipients.

Sharing the report is essential for keeping the compliance programme moving. Internally, team members need visibility into which gaps are their responsibility and how overall progress is tracking. Externally, sharing the report with a Plannerly representative or an independent adviser means you can receive feedback, suggestions, and guidance during regular progress sessions. The report becomes a communication tool, not just a document. It aligns everyone around the same data, reduces the time spent in status meetings by replacing verbal updates with a current, filterable record, and creates accountability because every gap has an owner, a status, and a documented action.

With the gap analysis report generated, shared, and automated, the next step is to start closing the identified gaps. Use the report to prioritise which actions to tackle first based on their impact on compliance and project efficiency. Track progress through the status tracking views in the Scope module, and periodically review the auto-updated report to ensure that the team is making steady progress. Every gap closed brings your company closer to audit readiness, and the report provides the evidence trail that demonstrates this progress when the auditor arrives.

How to create and use the gap analysis report

1. Ensure all checklist statuses are current – Before generating the report, confirm that every task in the compliance checklist has an up-to-date status: complete for met requirements, identified gap for items that need action. This ensures the report accurately reflects your current compliance position.
2. Apply filters to customise the report – Select the detailed report type and apply filters based on your needs. Filter by responsible party to create role-specific views, or by status to focus on identified gaps only. This allows you to generate targeted reports for different audiences.
3. Generate the report – Enter a name for the report and generate it. The report pulls directly from the checklist data, producing a structured summary of your compliance status with met requirements, identified gaps, and associated action items.
4. Set up auto-versioning – In the File Manager, select the report and configure automated updates on a schedule that matches your compliance cadence, such as weekly or bi-weekly. Each update regenerates the report with the latest checklist data.
5. Configure team distribution – Add team members to the access list so that each auto-updated version is distributed to the right people. Include a covering email that explains the content and sets expectations for feedback or action.
6. Share with external advisers – Share the report with your Plannerly representative or independent adviser so they can review findings, provide feedback, and offer guidance during progress sessions. This external perspective helps identify blind spots and accelerate resolution.
7. Prioritise action items – Use the report to identify which gaps have the greatest impact on compliance and project efficiency. Focus your team’s effort on these high-priority items first, using the action plan to structure the work.
8. Track progress and iterate – Review the auto-updated report regularly to confirm that gaps are being closed and statuses are moving from identified to resolved. Use grid, timeline, and Kanban views to monitor task progress across the team and ensure nothing stalls.

What you’ll learn

• Report generation from checklist data – How the gap analysis report pulls directly from your compliance checklist statuses, transforming individual task assessments into a structured summary that highlights met requirements, identified gaps, and action items in one document.
• Filtering for targeted audiences – How applying filters by responsibility, status, or stage allows you to generate customised reports for different team members, roles, or review purposes, ensuring each audience sees the information most relevant to them.
• Auto-versioning for current data – How scheduling automated report updates ensures the gap analysis always reflects the latest compliance status without manual re-export, keeping the report useful as a living tool rather than a historical snapshot.
• Sharing for collaboration and accountability – How distributing the report to team members and external advisers creates alignment around the same data, replaces ad hoc status updates with a structured record, and maintains accountability through assigned ownership of every gap.
• Prioritising and closing gaps – How using the report to identify high-impact gaps, focus effort on the most critical actions, and track progress through status views ensures that the compliance programme moves forward efficiently and visibly.
• Building the bridge to audit readiness – How the gap analysis report creates the evidence trail that demonstrates structured, deliberate compliance improvement, giving both your team and the auditor confidence that gaps were identified, understood, and addressed through a repeatable process.

Common questions

Explore further

• ISO 19650 gap analysis report – The full course lesson on creating and using the gap analysis report for audit readiness.
• ISO 19650 certification: step-by-step audit preparation – How to prepare for the certification audit once your gaps have been addressed.
• How to get ISO 19650 compliant – A practical guide to achieving compliance with actionable steps and tools.
• ISO 19650 concepts and workflows – The full help centre collection covering how each component of ISO 19650 works together in practice.