Minority attack

Are there any general positional guidelines when a minority attack would prove useful?

Hmm, I'd say as long as there are still a good number of pieces on the board (not an endgame for example) and your opponent doesn't have much faster play somewhere else (like a quick attack on your king which requires preparing defensive moves) then it's always a reasonable idea... sometimes best, sometimes just OK.

Thanks for your responses.  So in the sicilian defense, for example, the half-open c-file and lack of play in the center and kingside for black make a minority attack the correct choice.

Minority attacks are common in the QGD exchange variation.

Thanks for the great insights!