How to identify your skills gap with Cinode’s Skills Gap Analysis

Most consulting firms have a rough idea of what skills they have today. Fewer know what they will need in a year. And almost none can clearly show the gap between the two with real data as a basis.

It’s an expensive blind spot. Skills are perishable, and their shelf life is shrinking. AI is not only changing how consultants work, but also what clients actually buy. Roles that were in high demand three years ago look different today, and new ones are emerging faster than most organisations can plan for. The World Economic Forum estimates that a large share of today’s skill requirements will change by 2030. For a consulting firm that relies on selling the right expertise at the right time, this is not a future concern. It shows up in utilisation rates long before that.

The challenge is rarely a lack of ambition, but rather a lack of visibility. When skills data is scattered across CVs, LinkedIn profiles, Excel sheets, and gut feeling, it becomes difficult to see the bigger picture, prioritise correctly, and act before the gap becomes critical.

This is exactly what Cinode Skills Gap Analysis solves.

Current and future demand vs supply

With Skills Gap Analysis, you can see where demand for a specific skill exceeds the supply within your organisation. The report shows the gap between what you need and what you have, while also taking into account what you plan to build through growth plans. The data is automatically drawn from the work you already do — skills linked to projects, CVs, and forecasts. No separate input is required.

The result is a kind of X-ray of your skills base. Where are you short of demand, and where do you have excess capacity?? It is this imbalance that a leader needs to see — not that you lack skills in general, but that you risk having the wrong skills relative to what the market is demanding right now.

You can adjust the time horizon to view the current situation or the expected need twelve months ahead, switch between list and bar views, and broaden the matching to include adjacent skills.

From insight to action

A number in a report is meaningless if it doesn’t lead to action. The value of seeing the gap clearly is that the next step becomes obvious.

Once you see where the shortage is greatest, you can act proactively instead of panic-hiring when the assignment is already on the table. Upskill those who are closest to the required profile through a growth plan. Recruit for what you cannot build internally in time. Bring in the right subcontractor or partner for the period until the in-house capability is in place.

That is the difference between constantly chasing demand and staying one step ahead. As AI reshapes what clients are actually buying, the ability to steer skills, not just measure them, becomes increasingly critical.

Find the report

You can access Skills Gap Analysis under Reports → Competences → the Skills tab, and then Gap Analysis.

Want to see what it looks like in practice? Learn more about Cinode Skills Management or book a demo.