While an audit typically focuses on cataloging specific technical issues page by page, a gap analysis takes a step back to look at broader patterns: which categories of issues recur most often, whether the gaps stem from a lack of process rather than one-off mistakes, and how the organization’s current practices compare to where it needs to be.
This wider view is what makes a gap analysis particularly useful as an input to a roadmap or a digital accessibility policy, since fixing recurring root causes tends to prevent far more future issues than fixing each individual instance in isolation.