In the Enter the GAP process model, the first challenge is to insert a gap between question and answer, between problem and solution. A break is deliberately made in order to develop a good and stable problem solution.

In theGAP. the first step is to understand the problem well enough, that it does not feel bigger than it actually is. 

Next, the necessary characteristics of a good solution are determined. This creates a compass for orientation in solution space, well before entering it for the first time. 

The third step in the gap consists of a change of perspective from a feeling of lack to a feeling of competence. The journey goes from "what do we not have?" to "what can we build upon? This analysis step also provides easily overlooked requirements in the area of "what do we need to preserve?", so that the solution of the current problem does not break something elsewhere.

Now we understand the problem, we know exactly what a possible solution must achieve, and we know the foundations on which our solution can be built. We are excellently prepared to carry out a successful search for the optimal solution.

Of course, immediate action may be urgently needed in an escalated situation. When the oxygen tank in the service module of Apollo 13 exploded, the first actions were to ensure the immediate survival of the crew. One acts immediately to buy the required time to solve the problem properly. One can only enter the gap if this does not increase the problem.

After the problem analysis, the priorities are sorted out. They need to be clear for a stringent solutioning process. In the case of Apollo 13, it was self-evident that the life and health of the astronauts were above the mission goal of the moon landing. In our lives on Earth it is not always as easy to have our priorities as clear as in this case. And on the question of resources: in the case of Apollo 13, they rebuilt the situation in the spacecraft on Earth to know exactly what is available above. And the rest is history.

If we perceive a situation as difficult or complex, it means that the solution is not immediately clear to us. It is therefore essential to know and master a procedural model that will take us from the problem to the solution: easy to use, reliable, effective and efficient. That is Enter the GAP process model.