Help:Gap Analysis

Gap Analysis is one of the major features of the FREMA reference model.

It allows the FREMA user to see which, if any, real software components are available for a particular e-assessment function or subsystem. For example, a user may wish to begin generating usage statistics for assessment items. An obvious first question is "Are there any software systems out there which do calculate these values?".

FREMA's gap analysis tool allows the user to see, for a high level e-assessment function (such as generating usage data statistics), which service descriptions (if any) and real software components (if any) map on to it.

A major benefit of this tool is that the information it generates is always up-to-date, because it is generated from the latest data held in the reference model.

How Gap Analysis Works
The starting point for gap analysis is a use case component. Using the relationships stored in the reference model, the tools shows which, if any, service descriptions are matched to this use case. There are two types of matching or
 * a service description can (fully) fulfil a use case
 * a service description can partially fulfil a use case

Matching Service Descriptions to Use Cases
The following table shows this output for the has::Summative Assessment (Artefact Assessment) use case.



Is decomposed from::Summative Assessment (Artefact Assessment) Service Description (full) Service Description (part)

Here we see, for each use case decomposed from the Summative Assessment use case, a list of the service descriptions which fully or partially fulfil it. Notice that some use cases do not have any matching service descriptions, thereby identifying a "gap". In other cases there may be only be a partially matching service description, which means that no one, as yet, has specified the full functionality assumed in the use case under review.

Matching Software Components to Service Descriptions
Remember that service descriptions describe abstract implementation-neutral e-assessment services. The gap analysis tool allows you to see which, if any, real software components (e.g. web services) map onto these abstractions.

The gap analysis output example below takes each of the partially fulfiling service descriptions from above, and lists which, if any, software components match it. There are three ways in which a software component can match against a service description 
 * consumes
 * provides
 * implements

Partially fulfills:: [[Is decomposed from::Summative Assessment (Artefact Assessment) ]] Software Providers Software Consumers Software Implementers

The gap analysis output example below takes each of the fully fulfiling service descriptions from above, and lists which, if any, software components match it. 

Fulfills:: [[Is decomposed from::Summative Assessment (Artefact Assessment) ]] Software Providers Software Consumers Software Implementers