Critical success factors it-start-up companies

Table of contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose and target audience of Critical Success Factor research

1.2 Definitions

1.3 Problems

2 Hypothesis

3 Approaches

3.1 Sources in existing Literature

3.2 Expert interview(s)

3.3 Founder interviews and questionnaires

4 Existing Literature

4.1 Definition of Success in various Sources

4.2 Books

4.3 Periodicals

4.4 Other sources

5 Classification of Success Factors

5.1 Hard Factors vs. Soft Factors

5.2 Endogenous Factors vs. Exogenous Factors

5.3 Generic vs. Specific Factors

5.4 Functional Categorization

5.5 Critical Success Factors in general companies

5.6 Success Factors especially for IT start-up companies

6 Empirical Part

6.1 Overview

6.2 Goals

6.3 Questionnaire design

6.4 Questionnaire ‘distribution’ and feedback rate

6.5 Problems

6.6 Expected results

6.7 Results

6.8 Result summary

7 Planning a Project Management System for an IT Start up company

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Definitions

7.3 Case Company: a game publishing company

7.4 Requirements on the Project Management System

7.5 Procedure

7.6 Components of the Project Management System

7.7 Methods

7.8 Planning the „Project Management System” project

7.9 Summary

8 End

8.1 Conclusion

8.2 Findings on the 7 Hypothesis

8.3 Ranking the Success Factors

8.4 Outlook

Research Objectives and Key Topics

This thesis aims to identify and analyze the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) specifically for IT start-up companies. It investigates the commonalities and hierarchical structures of these factors and examines how they vary by company size, age, and individual business functions. Additionally, the work provides a practical guide for implementing a project management system within a newly founded IT company.

• Identification of common Critical Success Factors for IT start-ups.
• Categorization and hierarchy of success factors within the IT sector.
• Evaluation of the impact of organizational culture and team dynamics.
• Empirical analysis through expert interviews and online questionnaires.
• Practical framework for developing an IT project management system.

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Summary of Chapters

1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the IT start-up landscape and defines the scope, audience, and central problems of success factor research.

2 Hypothesis: Outlines seven central working hypotheses regarding the nature, hierarchy, and variability of success factors in IT start-ups.

3 Approaches: Describes the methodology, including the use of existing literature, expert interviews, and founder surveys to gather data.

4 Existing Literature: Reviews previous research on success definitions and critical factors in various business and technology-focused studies.

5 Classification of Success Factors: Proposes a functional framework for categorizing success factors, grouping them into areas like Founder, Team, Environment, Marketing, Product, and Finances.

6 Empirical Part: Presents the findings from the online questionnaire, analyzing feedback from IT start-up founders and employees regarding their perceptions of success.

7 Planning a Project Management System for an IT Start up company: Offers a roadmap for setting up a project management system, using a game publishing company as a case study.

8 End: Summarizes the conclusions, discusses the findings related to the initial hypotheses, and provides an outlook for future research.

Keywords

IT Start-ups, Critical Success Factors, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Foundation, Market Strategy, Product Development, Financial Planning, Founder Personality, Empirical Research, Organizational Structure, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Success Indicators, Virtual Organizations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this research?

The research focuses on identifying and evaluating the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that determine the viability and growth of IT start-up companies.

What are the primary themes covered in this work?

The main themes include founder personality, marketing strategies, product differentiation, financial sustainability, and the practical implementation of project management systems.

What is the primary objective of the study?

The objective is to provide a structured understanding of what makes IT start-ups succeed and to offer a functional framework that founders can use to evaluate their own companies.

Which scientific methods were employed?

The author used a three-tier approach: a comprehensive literature review, in-depth expert interviews, and a wide-reaching quantitative online survey of founders and employees.

What is discussed in the main part of the thesis?

The main part covers the classification of success factors, detailed empirical analysis of survey data, and a practical guide to building an IT-specific project management system.

Which keywords characterize this thesis?

Key terms include IT Start-ups, Critical Success Factors, Project Management, Founder Personality, and Organizational Structure.

How do IT start-ups differ from traditional companies according to the text?

IT start-ups often benefit from low initial investment, high scalability, and the ability to operate across borderless, digital markets, though they face unique challenges in rapid market entry.

What role does the "Founder Personality" play?

The literature and empirical data consistently rank founder personality as the number one success factor, as it drives the fundamental early decisions and organizational culture of the company.

What does the case study on a game publisher reveal?

The case study illustrates the necessity of specific project management standards and knowledge management systems (like Wikis) to handle distributed virtual teams and development outsourcing.