page 1/6University of TorontoDepartment of Computer ScienceCSC340S - Information Systems Analysis and DesignJanuary 16, 2003 John MylopoulosAssignment 1: Preparing a Feasibility StudyDue Date: 12:00 midnight, Monday February 10This assignment counts for 10% of your final gradeYou are expected to prepare a feasibility study for an information system project of yourown choice, to be carried out within an existing organization. This project is meant togive you exposure to basic concepts discussed in the course, but also to encourage you to"look around" for the type of work you may be doing in a few years as computer scienceprofessional. The project is to be carried out by teams of three.I. Doing the AssignmentThis assignment has ten steps. They are:1. Identify a problem within an existing organization that is amenable toinformation systems analysis techniques.2. Scope the problem, i.e., choose how small or large a problem you will tackleduring your feasibility study.3. Interview key people involved in the problem. These may include yourcontacts, others with responsibilities related to the feasibility study.4. Study relevant documents. This may involve reading policy documents,memos, documentation on current systems and new objectives/needs.5. Define alternatives for conducting business and for automation. Define thecriteria you will use evaluate and choose among these alternatives. Yourcriteria should include cost/benefit, where applicable.6. Conduct an assessment of unusual circumstances or special attention items.This may involve special requirements for particular employees or customersof the organization.7. Conduct an evaluation of the alternatives and choose the one that looks mostpromising.page 2/68. Use use cases, class diagrams, and state/activity diagrams to model businessprocesses for the alternative you have selected, along with relevant concepts.9. Write a report that describes the objectives of your study, the problem youidentified the alternatives you explored, as well as your recommendations.10. Document your team’s work and complete a team report (see attached form).II. What to Hand InPlease submit your assignment electronically by visiting the CDF electronic submissionsystem at http://www.cdf.toronto.edu/students/submit.html. If you have hardcopymaterial that needs to be handed in, please submit it directly to your tutor.The assignment you hand in should consist of a report on the feasibility study that wasconducted. Assume that the report is being prepared for management. This means thatyou need to be clear and concise about your recommendations and that you shouldpresent the basic ideas and recommendations in the report simply and with no extraneousinformation. Other relevant information and supporting evidence is to appear inappendices. Keep in mind that busy managers don't have the time to read long reports.Your writeup should include information on the following items:1. An introduction describing the organization you chose to study, the problemyou identified and the process you followed during your study.2. The basic alternatives you considered and the criteria you used to evaluatethem.3. A recommendation to proceed or not to proceed with an information systemdevelopment project, with supporting arguments.4. A conclusions section that summarizes the contents of your report andreiterates your recommendation.5. One or more appendices which describe in more detail (i) the organization forwhich the study was conducted, (ii) the process used to gather information(interviews, review of written material, etc.), (iii) the names and phonenumbers of people you talked to, details of any analyses you conducted, (iv)use case, class diagrams and state/activity diagrams that describe thealternative you have chosen in more detail, and the like.page 3/6III. SuggestionsFinding a ProblemThere are several things you may want to try here. Start by considering previousemployers, but also friends, relatives, acquaintances, who may be in a position to giveyou access to an organization that is willing to have you study one of their systems andprepare a feasibility study for an information system project. Ideally, the organizationyou find will be large with many departments etc. and you will be dealing with a fewpeople in one department. Failing this, you may want to try a small business (e.g., a retailstore, a professional office,...).Other possibilities for feasibility study projects include an information system for publicsoftware (e.g., a help facility for Windows or Unix), a public service that you areknowledgeable of, e.g., driver license registration, or one for which there is publiclyavailable information, e.g., OHIP-related information systems.In approaching an organization, you should always talk to someone who has theauthority to decide to assist you. Remember that this project should be mutuallybeneficial -- and make sure you tell your ``client'' this. In fact, you should offer to presenta copy of your final report to your client -- and make sure it is delivered. What kind of project should you choose? Ideally, the organizational information systemyou study will have several people involved and possibly could include an existingcomputerized information system. The following are examples of typical projects:• Computerize a given business system (e.g., inventory, sales).• Computerize a firm (usually small), which had not been computerizedbefore.• Evaluate an existing computerized business system and recommendingchanges and modifications or even a new system.Try not to bite off more than you can chew (remember, this is a course project). Youmay find fairly early on that the project you have chosen is too large. In this case,perhaps a subsystem of the original problem can be chosen. This should be done inconsultation with your instructor or tutor.In any case, before you start looking around for a problem, you may want to visit thecourse webpage (http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~jm/340S) and take a look at sampleassignments from previous years.Starting the ProjectBe sure to mention to the people you contact that you will need to conduct interviewswith the organization's staff, including the manager you are speaking with. The interviewsshould be short.page 4/6Try to collect some basic background information on the organization, its
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