Similarities and Differences in Critical Success Factors across Context and Time: An Examination in the Setting of Shared Services

The principal objective of the current paper is to examine to what degree critical success factors (CSFs) are context and time dependent. The identification of CSFs is an established approach for providing guidance in business and information system (IS) related domains. There is considerable debate though as to whether CSFs are universal or not. Potential variations can occur within a context, between contexts or between different points in the lifecycle of an initiative. If CSFs are similar across contexts and time, organizations will be able to follow in the footsteps of others increasing their likelihood of success. A previously developed CSF framework is enhanced to include a time dimension. It is then used as a lens for a number of comparisons – between CSFs identified in the literature in different IS domains, between CSFs identified in two case studies of shared services at different stages in their lifecycle and between the literature and the case study CSFs. A mix of similar and different factors are found and potential reasons for this are suggested. It is concluded that while the experiences of others can provide some guidance, organizations need to be mindful of the influence of their own context and stage in the implementation lifecycle.