Think about your approved/proposed systems, is it worth the three or more years of learning you get from the university? Describe how you arrived with

I would honestly admit that the first time this question was thrown at our class; I instantly raised an eyebrow. I could never blame myself for doing that because I personally knew how my teammates struggled to arrive with that proposal.

We had landed on our current proposal by initially experiencing negligence from the company which we actually thought our best choice. It was not an institution owned by a government or a small-time local enterprise. It was a national corporation with big time attachment to its investors. We pursued them politely with our intentions for the company however one representative from them told us that we could never be entertained at all due to the reason that they were extremely busy especially for the fact on global crisis. So what else did we have to take? Explore the city and get some luck. The rest was history. Until we set our foot on a barangay station. We interviewed one person from them and acquired the station’s profile. After having the observations on the regular events inside the building, we arrived with the proposal.

I should probably ask myself,” What have I learned within three years of education?” I have known a lot of theories and the facts regarding IT. Through experiences, I have gained knowledge and lessons. We had programming, database analysis, human resource management, and everything that was necessary for the course. Unlike traditional students whose learning stays within the four corners of the classroom, we were exposed to different types of working environment wherein we could somehow see the big difference between school and the outside world, the industry. Moreover, it had been a common understanding that IT improves the quality of life. Then that was it! What should be the role of Information Technology? When I thought of the proposal, I certainly weighed its worth. Partly, it would be of help to those people working for the barangay station but then there were just few of them. Pertaining to our proposed system, how could this be a contribution to the quality of living when only few could benefit?

Reality check, someone had been right all along that what we have come up for a proposal was not the exact representation of those three years being at school. Besides, it did not justify the purpose of the emergence of IT. On the other hand, one thing that is also true: we could never develop a highly commendable system with just a small amount of time especially when we are not only focusing on one requirement. And also, to program and implement a system is not as easy as to conceptualize it. So please, we need some consideration.

C.S.F.

Aiming for success is not a very simple task. For a person to think of succeeding, an hour for him to become one is obviously impossible. To head start the way of succeeding in whatever field, either in an ongoing project or future plans, a mission should be defined in a specific and measurable manner. It will serve as a guide and as a focus. Next is to identify the goals that should be significantly aligned with the mission. Goals are the things that must be accomplished to solidify the mission.

However, a mission and a list of goals are not enough to accomplish what has been aimed. There has to be a list of factors that should also be considered. It is important for a business organization or a certain person aiming for success to formulate this because these are the areas that will serve as the point of direction towards the achievement of each goal that has been included. This concept is called the CSF or the Critical Success Factors.

Critical Success Factor was first conceptualized in the 1960s by D. Ronald Daniel and was later popularized by John F. Rockart. It is defined as the limited number of areas in which results, if they are satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the organization. These are the few key areas where the things must go right for the business to flourish. If results in these areas are not adequate, the organization’s efforts for the period will be less than desired (John F. Rockart, http://www.mindtools.com ).

To determine the activities or the areas in which critical success factors are to be identified, six steps are listed down:

Step One: Establish your business or project mission and strategic goals.

For a project to have its significance and completion in due time, it would start with a mission and a set of goals. A project can also be done without these goals and mission but it is best for a team to be specific in what they would want to conquer within the whole development duration. It would also be easy for them to identify the activities that they will be dealing with towards the endpoint since a precise set of targets are known from the very beginning.

Before, whenever I was asked to complete an assignment or I would want to accomplish a task, the only thing clear to me was to get it done. It did not matter how I was going to do it and what exactly I would want my output to be. I did not care if it would be of great significance to other people or it would satisfy me as the doer. It was so easy at that point especially when pressures were less and the society was still not expecting too much. I never took notice of setting a mission and goals before I would plunge into something that would need and consume my time, creativity, effort and my parents’ money. It was until times became tough and people who did not have a clearer understanding on what they want to achieve were meant to falter. I was in third-year college then. Being a college student meant bigger responsibilities and one great example was the arrival of inevitable batches of serious projects every semester. It was far different during the elementary and high school wherein projects could be done in less than 24 hours. Project developments were so hard for me that in those times that I forced myself to get started, I just ended up thinking out of nowhere because I had no idea what to hit first, how I would strategically do it, what precisely I would want to invest for the task and the areas that I would want to deal with towards the success of my project. As for the result, I was such a TIME WASTER.

Step Two: For each strategic goal, ask yourself "what area of business or project activity is essential to achieve this goal?" The answers to the question are your candidate CSFs.

A mission comes into life through the support of realistic and impressive goals. Goals should be pointed towards the mission of a certain business organization or a project. To achieve it, a person must think of the possible ways. This is what step two is all about. There has to be an area in which goals could probably be attained. This is the first stage of determining the Critical Success Factors.

Relating this to my experience as a student, I realized that somehow this was one part that I failed to perceive. I had plenty of goals in mind including some were completing projects in time, achieving not just passing grades but really good grades, gaining a better impression from professors and mostly, graduating on time with flying colors. I may have planned all of these since the beginning and I may have imagined myself in these goals however I missed to witness these things coming into reality. When I would reflect on myself regarding these failures, I just simply reason out that it was not meant for me, it was not just my luck and that I had other purpose and maybe my best was not that enough. This brought me into awareness that perhaps I would be in my desired situation if I followed step two of Critical Success Factor approach. If only I was able to match my every goal with the appropriate means to achieve it.

Step Three: Evaluate the list of candidate CSFs to find the absolute essential elements for achieving success - these are your Critical Success Factors. As you identify and evaluate candidate CSFs, you may uncover some new strategic objectives or more detailed objectives. So you may need to define your mission, objectives and CSFs iteratively.

In evaluating the candidates for the Critical Success Factors, each element has to be weighed depending on its impact toward each goal. Those chosen will be the final list and will be called the Critical Success Factors.

Step Four: Identify how you will monitor and measure each of the CSFs.

The Critical Success Factors have to be observed and studied. In this manner, the approach to assessing and testing the potentiality of each factor will be identified.

Step Five: Communicate your CSFs along with the other important elements of your business or project's strategy.

Step Six: Keep monitoring and reevaluating your CSFs to ensure you keep moving towards your aims. Indeed, while CSFs are sometimes less tangible than measurable goals, it is useful to identify as specifically as possible how you can measure or monitor each one.

Critical Success Factors are the areas of your business or project that are absolutely essential to it success. By identifying and communicating these CSFs, you can help ensure your business or project is well-focused and avoid wasting effort and resources on less important areas. By making CSFs explicit, and communicating them with everyone involved, you can help keep the business and project on track towards common aims and goalshttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_80.htm ). (

Upon reflecting on this paragraph, I have come to ponder that CSF or the Critical Success Factor approach does not only apply to making a project successful or to a business organization. In my case, I have an idea of using the CSF to help me focus on the things that I desire to have and in the pursuit of my goals – not to waste my effort on dealing with less important areas in my life.