Understanding Critical Success Factor Analysis

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Understanding Critical Success Factor Analysis

• Daniel Austin
• W. W. Grainger, Inc.
• W3C / WSAWG Spring 2002

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Overview of CSF Analysis

• CSF analysis is
• A method developed at MITs Sloan school by John
  Rockart to guide businesses in creating and
  measuring success
• Widely used for technology and architectural
  planning in enterprise I/T
• A top-down methodology that is especially
  suitable for designing systems as opposed to
  applications
• A reductionist method for going from an abstract
  vision to concrete requirements

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What Is a Critical Success Factor?

• A key area where satisfactory performance is
  required for the organization to achieve its
  goals
• A means of identifying the tasks and requirements
  needed for success
• At the lowest level, CSFs become concrete
  requirements
• A means to prioritize requirements

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The CSF Method

• Start with a vision mission statement
• Develop 5-6 high level goals
• Develop hierarchy of goals and their success
  factors
• Leads to concrete requirements at the lowest
  level of decomposition (a single, implementable
  idea)
• Along the way, identify the problems being solved
  and the assumptions being made
• Cross-reference usage scenarios and problems with
  requirements

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Results of the Analysis

• Mission statement
• Hierarchy of goals and CSFs
• Lists of requirements, problems, and assumptions
• Analysis matrices
• Problems vs. Requirements matrix
• Usage scenarios vs. Requirements matrix
• Solid usage scenarios

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Relationship to Usage Scenarios

• Usage scenarios or use cases provide a means of
  determining
• Are the requirements aligned and self-consistent?
• Are the needs of the user being met as well as
  those of the enterprise?
• Are the requirements complete?

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Example From Goal to Requirements
Put a man on the moon in 10 years
Invent orbital rocket
Invent re-entry vehicle
Create landing module
Invent space suit
(more CSFs here)
Plant plastic flag w/support wire
Recite heroic speech
Mug for camera
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Things to Think About

• Brainstorming if we do all of these things,
  will we succeed?
• Refactoring and rearranging the hierarchy are
  part of the process (the hierarchy itself is
  important information)
• Leave no stone unturned every idea is a good one
• Different levels of abstraction require careful
  navigation!

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Conclusion

• CSF analysis
• Produces results that express the needs of the
  enterprise clearly and (hopefully) completely
• Allows us to measure success and prioritize goals
  in a sensible way
• When used together with traditional usage
  scenarios, ensures that the needs of both the
  user and the enterprise are being met