What type of analysis compares required resources and available resources?

A gap analysis is used to identify the difference between the resources that are required to meet a specific goal or standard and the resources that are currently available. This type of analysis is particularly important in business continuity planning, as it helps organizations understand their shortcomings in resources, processes, or capabilities.

By conducting a gap analysis, organizations can pinpoint specific areas where improvements are needed, enabling them to allocate resources more effectively and prioritize actions to ensure that they can meet their objectives in the event of a disruption. This tailored approach assists in the development of strategies to bridge these gaps, ensuring an organization is better prepared for potential incidents.

In contrast, other analyses like needs assessments focus primarily on determining what resources are necessary without directly comparing them to what is available. Risk assessments concentrate on identifying and evaluating risks rather than analyzing resource availability, and SWOT analysis assesses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats without directly addressing the comparison of required versus available resources. Each of these analyses serves a distinct purpose, but the gap analysis specifically focuses on the comparison that is central to this question.