Professor Tom Wilson discusses using the critical success factors (CSF) approach to identify an organization's information needs. CSFs are the key areas an organization must perform well in to achieve its goals. Wilson reviews literature showing managers readily identify CSFs to understand information needs. He applies the CSF approach to an academic setting, identifying potential CSFs for a department such as research performance, teaching quality, and relationships. Wilson concludes the CSF approach is suitable for defining both individual and organizational information needs.