Understanding Critical Success Factor Analysis

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

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF Analysis

Overview of CSF AnalysisCSF analysis is:

A method developed at MIT’s 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 Analysis

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 Analysis

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 Analysis

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 Analysis

Relationship to Usage ScenariosUsage 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?

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF Analysis

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

Plant plastic flag w/support wire

Recite heroicspeech

Mug forcamera

(…more CSFshere)

Spring 2002 Understanding CSF Analysis

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 Analysis

ConclusionCSF 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