University of Toronto Department of Computer Science is it possible is it justified To suggest possible alternative solutions To provide management with enough information to know Types of feasibility Technical Economic Schedule Operational Quantifying benefits and costs Whether the project can be done Whether the final product will benefit its intended users What the alternatives are so that a selection can be made in subsequent phases Whether there is a preferred alternative A management oriented activity After a feasibility study management makes a go no go decision Need to examine the problem in the context of broader business strategy Payback analysis Net Present Value Analysis Return on Investment Analysis Objectives To find out if an system development project can be done What is a feasibility study What to study and conclude Comparing alternatives 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license University of Toronto 1 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license Department of Computer Science University of Toronto Content of a feasibility study Things to be studied in the feasibility study Problems with the present system The PIECES framework Is current throughput and response time adequate inconsistencies inadequacies in functionality performance Information Goals and other requirements for the new system Do end users and managers get timely pertinent accurate and usefully formatted information Which problem s need to be solved What would the stakeholders like to achieve Economy Constraints Are services provided by the current system cost effective Could there be a reduction in costs and or an increase in benefits including nonfunctional requirements on the system preliminary pass Control Possible alternatives Are there effective controls to protect against fraud and to guarantee information accuracy and security Sticking with the current system is always an alternative Different business processes for solving the problems Different levels types of computerization for the solutions Efficiency Does current system make good use of resources people time flow of forms Advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives Services Things to conclude 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license Department of Computer Science Useful for identifying operational problems to be solved and their urgency Performance Stakeholders users policies functions objectives Feasibility of the project The preferred alternative 2 Exploring Feasibility The present organizational system Department of Computer Science Why a feasibility study Lecture 7 the Feasibility Study University of Toronto Are current services reliable Are they flexible and expandable See the course website for a more specific list of PIECES questions 3 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license 4 1 University of Toronto Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science University of Toronto Four Types of feasibility Technical feasibility What are the consequences of delay Any constraints on the schedule Can these constraints be met Is it available locally Can it be obtained Will it be compatible with other systems Economic feasibility Is the project possible given resource constraints What are the benefits Both tangible and intangible Quantify them What are the development and operational costs Are the benefits worth the costs 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license University of Toronto 5 Department of Computer Science University of Toronto Is the proposed technology or solution practical Potential labour objections Manager resistance Organizational conflicts and policies Social acceptability legal aspects and government regulations 6 Department of Computer Science Can the bottom line be quantified yet a judgment of whether solving the problem is worthwhile Once specific requirements and solutions have been identified the costs and benefits of each alternative can be calculated Is relevant technology mature enough to be easily applied to our problem What kinds of technology will we need Cost benefit analysis Purpose answer questions such as Some organizations like to use state of the art technology but most prefer to use mature and proven technology A mature technology has a larger customer base for obtaining advice concerning problems and improvements Is the required technology available in house Is the project justified i e will benefits outweigh costs What is the minimal cost to attain a certain system How soon will the benefits accrue Which alternative offers the best return on investment Examples of things to consider Hardware software selection Selection among alternative financing arrangements rent lease purchase If the technology is available does it have the capacity to handle the solution Difficulties If the technology is not available benefits and costs can both be intangible hidden and or hard to estimate ranking multi criteria alternatives can it be acquired 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license If the system is developed will it be used Human and social issues Very early in the project and is the schedule reasonable for this team Operational feasibility 2 Economic Feasibility Do we currently possess the necessary technology Do we possess the necessary technical expertise 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license 1 Technical Feasibility Schedule feasibility Is it possible to build a solution in time to be useful Is the project possible with current technology What technical risk is there Availability of the technology 7 2004 5 Steve Easterbrook This presentation is available free for non commercial use with attribution under a creative commons license 8 2 Department of Computer Science University of Toronto Benefits Tangible Benefits Readily quantified as values Examples Costs But maybe more important business analysts help estimate values Cost of development team Consultant
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