Impact-driven organisations need to name “what must be true” before they can deliver results. Here we explore how to spot these factors early in any strategic collaboration.
Every strategic project or partnership has a visible layer and an invisible one.
The visible layer is the scope of work, the deliverables, the timelines, KPIs. The invisible layer contains assumptions and critical success factors: the conditions that must hold true for the work to succeed.
In my experience, when these assumptions are purely implicit, teams can struggle to perform. They are trying to operate in an undefined environment, or they are trying to conform to a set of norms or expectations that have not been codified. This can cause all kinds of problems – including different parties blaming each other when something goes wrong.
On the other hand, When assumptions are surfaced and documented, we have seen partnerships become much stronger and more resilient.
This struck me today as we held an exit interview with one of our consultants whose current assignment has come to an end. We’ve worked with this client for almost five years, so we know each other well, and we found ourselves reflecting on how decisive these hidden success factors are. With hindsight, the critical success factors are clear – now we know each other well, we understand that access to information and a clear workflow are essential in this particular project. The lesson is to surface them much earlier and include them in our onboarding steps and even our proposal writing.
What are critical success factors and assumptions?
Critical success factors are the non-negotiable conditions that make performance possible. Without them, the work will stall or underperform, regardless of talent or effort. When they are in place, the effort has the basics it needs for success.
Assumptions are the beliefs we hold about how the project environment will function. It can be hard to realise what assumptions we have, until reality contradicts them and we realise there’s a problem.
As one colleague put it, when your output depends on information but you can’t consistently get the latest updates, “you can’t do the job to the best of your ability.” In this example, sharing information is a structural condition for performance: a critical success factor.
Why this matters in impact-driven organisations
When working with purpose-led professionals, there is often a strong sense of mission. People are committed to making a difference. But even the strongest mission-driven motivation can’t compensate for the lack of an enabling envrionment.
Impact-driven organisations frequently operate in complex ecosystems: multiple stakeholders, changing needs, political and reputational sensitivities, procurement and reporting requirements, pressure to quantify results.
In such contexts, we can easily make assumptions like:
- We assume information will flow from programme teams to communications.
- We assume everyone understands the current mandate.
- We assume consultants will be able to “create their own work” when needed.
- We assume alignment on qualitative versus quantitative success.
When these assumptions are untested, friction follows.
This week I was also reviewing applications for Theirworld’s Education Innovation Awards, an accelerator programme I co-designed and have led for the past five years. One of the most revealing questions is the one that asks organisations what assumptions they want to test during the accelerator period.
The strongest applications go deep. They do not say, “We assume teachers will adopt our tool.” They say:
- We assume school leaders will prioritise this intervention within existing timetables.
- We assume parents will trust digital platforms for learning.
- We assume government partners will permit data-sharing under current policy frameworks.
It strikes me that the depth of thinking around assumptions often correlates directly with the maturity of the strategy.
How to spot critical success factors in a new partnership
In my example above, experience enabled us to recognise the patterns in success. After several years in a partnership, sure, you can clearly see what must be true for success. But how do you spot those factors on day one, not year four?
Here are practical steps to map assumptions and success factors on a new project, in 30 minutes:
1. Map dependencies
Ask: what do we depend on in order to deliver? For example:
- We depend on weekly access to programme updates.
- We depend on named decision-makers for approvals.
- We depend on clarity about which stories can and cannot be told.
- We depend on alignment about success metrics.
Write these down. If you feel slightly uncomfortable naming them, that is usually a sign they matter.
2. Write a list of assumptions
Document what must be true in order for the goals to be met. This can include:
- What we assume will remain stable
- What we assume will change
- What we assume about stakeholder behaviour
- What we assume about information flow
Revisit this log quarterly.
3. Write out success factors as shared obligations
A partnership is not a transaction. It is a collaboration. It is not enough to contract a provider and say, “Deliver.” Success depends on mutual conditions being met, and an open conversation about those conditions between both (or multiple) parties.
When critical success factors are framed as shared, they can look like:
- [Party 1] will deliver high-quality outputs.
- [Party 2] will ensure information flow and clarity of mandate.
- [Party 1] will proactively propose ideas.
- [Party 2] will provide clear tasking and feedback loops.
Refreshing transparency and clarity for everyone.
To summarise…
So to summarise: Behind every successful strategic project lies a set of conditions that make success possible. The more complex the environment, the more important it is to surface and agree on those conditions early. The above method can give everyone clarity on the hidden architecture of a relationship, in half an hour – time worth investing for a project that’s set up for success.
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AMS is a boutique communications agency that helps purpose-driven organisations with their communications strategy and execution. We work with clients to identify and document the critical success factors that underpin complex projects, ensuring alignment, accountability and stronger long-term partnerships. To find out more, visit our website or get in touch for a conversation.
