GOAL DEFINITION AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS IN SOFT PROJECTS: BUILDING A
COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM (CIS)
François Lacasse
Université du Québec à Hull
INTRODUCTION
This paper describes a "soft" project:
the setting up of a competitive
intelligence system (CIS) in an agency
of government. This case serves to
illustrate:
1. how project management methods can be
successfully applied to situations
where the objectives are, at the
outset, relatively unclear
2. how success requirements were
determined and subsequently used to
keep the project on track and how,
even in nebulous areas such as
"managerial technology," such
indicators can be selected and
applied
3. how ...view middle of the document...
In this context, the need was felt by
management for a competitive
intelligence system to generate high
quality information for itself and the
various line managers.
As with all such systems, this CIS was
to inform management about the actions
and the intentions of Canada's chief
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competitors for tourist dollars in
markets identified as among the most
promising (e.g., Pacific Rim countries).
This intelligence was to focus on other
countries' marketing strategies and on
trends in new tourist products. When
arrayed against information on the
evolving state of Canadian attractions,
such intelligence was intended to
provide 1) a continual monitoring of how
Canadian destinations were likely to
fare in the competition for tourist
dollars, and 2) early identification of
threats and opportunities in this
sector.
Initial Goals, Assumptions and Structures
In its original formulation, the goal of
the project was: "to have in place,
fully operational, within two years a
complete CIS which would be at least as
good as the best ones existing in the
private sector."
The first project plan, described below,
made the following assumptions, albeit
implicitly:
1. A clear set of rules or a dominant
model for setting up and successfully
running a CIS existed in...
