Understanding Critical

Success Factor Analysis

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

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF

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

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF

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
Spring 2002 Understanding CSF
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

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF

Relationship to Usage
Scenarios
Usagescenarios 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?

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF

Example: From Goal to
Requirements
Put a man on the moon in 10 years

Invent orbital Create landing Invent re-entry

rocket module vehicle

Invent space
suit

(more CSFs
here)

Mug for Recite heroic Plant plastic flag

camera speech w/support wire
Spring 2002 Understanding CSF
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!

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF

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

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF