Techniques

There is an array of techniques that may be used to conduct the feasibility study,

Including techniques to:

Conduct the current state assessment

Plan the feasibility study effort
Identify solution options
Assess the feasibility of each solution option

1 Technique to Conduct the Current State Assessment

There is an array of techniques the Business Analyst uses to capture the current state of
the business. If the organization has an up-to-date Business Architecture, the task to
Document the current state will have been completed, and the Business Analyst needs
only to review and glean as much understanding as possible about the business from
the Business Architecture documentation. If this is not the case, documentation that is
developed during the current state assessment by the feasibility study team will serve as
a basis for the first iteration of the Business Architecture for the current state. Therefore,
most if not all of the techniques used to develop the Business Architecture are applicable
when assessing the current state, including:

Organization Charts to depict business entities impacted by the study.

Geographical Maps to depict the physical locations of the business entities.
Data Flow Diagrams to describe the major types of information required by the
business processes that will be impacted
Technology Architecture Diagrams to show the interfaces between current business
technologies
Process Flow Diagrams to depict the flow of process steps to complete a business
function
Domain Modeling techniques are used to provide a simplistic visualization of the
business area under consideration to understand the scope of the initiative
Six Sigma techniques to use data and statistical analysis to measure both current and
future state process efficiency
Root Cause Analysis to identify the conditions that initiate the occurrence of the
undesired activity or state
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to provide a decomposition of each
Proposed solution as part of the description of each option

.3 Techniques to Identify Solution Options

During this step, the Business Analyst facilitates a creative session to identify as many
potential options as possible. Techniques include:

Brainstorming techniques to identify as many potential solutions as possible that will

meet the requirements
Business Process Reengineering techniques may be used by the study team to
foster fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve
dramatic improvements.

Cause-and-Effect diagramming techniques graphically summarize the results of

a brainstorming session, identifying the causes of a specified undesirable outcome

4 Techniques to Conduct the Analysis of the Feasibility of each Option

During this step, the Business Analyst involves all members of the study team.
Techniques that may be used include:

Market Surveys to prove acceptance and to forecast demand in the marketplace.

Technology Feasibility Assessment to ensure the option is not beyond the

organizations current limits of technology.

In Interviews
Business staff interviews to determine operational feasibility in the workplace
IT staff interviews to determine operational feasibility in the technical operating
environment
Finance staff and project manager interviews to estimate the cost of the
alternative solution to ensure economic feasibility.

Prototyping to build the highest risk component of a proposed solution to prove that
solution is technically feasible.

Risk identification, assessment, ranking and risk response planning

Benchmarking Analysis to determine best-in-class practices

Competitive Analysis to examine the viability of market success of the solution

Environmental Impact ct Analysis to determine the likely environmental impacts of

the proposed solution

Technology Advancement Analysis to examine the latest technical approaches to

solving the business problem
Early Cost Vs Benefit Analysis to determine the economic viability of the each option
(this will be covered in more detail under the task to develop the business case)

COTS Package compare/contrast analysis to decide whether to select a commercial-

off-the-shelf product for a part of all of the solution option

Issue identification, assessment, ranking and issue response planning

Pareto Diagram to be used as a presentation device to help assess the relative value
and cost of potential solutions
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to help study teams make the best decision,
capturing both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the decision. The process is used
to reduce these complex decisions to a series of simple comparisons. Its power is that it
provides a clear rationale for the decision.

Decision Analysis is also used to help study teams make the best decision by
providing a statistical method to delineate the probabilities of various outcomes.

Decision Tables are a matrix representation which can be used to communicate the
logic of the decision for the recommended option.

Structured Problem Solving Techniques to provide mechanisms to receive and

retrieve new information in a systematic manner, e.g., the explicit method

Data Gathering and Research Approaches to conduct a systematic investigation,

including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or
contribute to the knowledge about each option.

Probability Analysis is also used to help study teams make the best decision by
providing a mathematical description of the likelihood of a specific event.