Chapter 3

Feasibility Analysis & Systems Project Management

Overview
Determining Feasibility,
Managing Analysis and ‰ project initiation
Design Activities ‰ determining
project feasibility
Professor Merrill Warkentin
‰ project scheduling
Mississippi State University
‰ managing project activities
‰ managingsystems analysis
team members
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Reasons for initiating projects Improvement possibilities

‰ Problems that lend themselves ‰ speeding up a process ‰ reducing redundant
to systems solutions ‰ streamlining a process storage
‰ combining processes ‰ reducing redundant
‰ Opportunities for improvement through
output
ƒ upgrading systems ‰ reducing errors
in input ‰ improving system and
ƒ altering systems subsystem integration
ƒ installing new systems

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Managing Design Activities Managing analysis & design

‰ teams and tension ‰ promote
communication between
members
‰ develop common norms
ƒ utilize feedback to minimize tension
‰ enhance communication/team-building ƒ create explicit norms

‰ agree on productivity goals ‰ set productivity goals

ƒ based on member expertise,
‰ motivate team members past performance,
nature of the specific project

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 Chapter 3
Feasibility Analysis & Systems Project Management

Managing analysis & design Project selection criteria

‰ motivate project team members ‰ backed by management
ƒ affiliation, control, ‰ timed appropriately for
independence, creativity commitment of resources
‰ avoid project failures ‰ moves the business toward
ƒ take advantage of training, attainment of its goals
experience, project analysis
‰ practicable
‰ important enough to be considered
over other projects

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Feasibility Technical Feasibility

‰ feasibilitystudy assesses the ‰ Can we do it? - Is technology available?
operational, technical, and economic ‰ are current technical resources sufficient
merits of the proposed project to build the new system?
‰ can resources be upgraded to provide the level of
‰ three type
technology necessary for the new system?
ƒ technical feasibility
ƒ economic feasibility
ƒ operational feasibility
ƒ schedule, legal, ethical

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Economic Feasibility Economic Feasibility Analysis

‰ Can we afford it? Will it pay for itself? ‰ Costs
‰ whether the time and money are ƒ development costs
available to develop the system ƒ operating costs
‰ includes the purchase of
‰ Benefits
ƒ new equipment
ƒ hardware ƒ tangible (quantifiable)
ƒ software ƒ intangible - important!
‰ How do we decide?

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 Chapter 3
Feasibility Analysis & Systems Project Management

Operational feasibility Other Feasibility Factors

‰ Should we do it? Can we make it work? ‰ schedule feasibility
‰ determines if the human resources are ƒ can it be completed on time?
available to operate the system
‰ legal feasibility
once it has been installed
‰ users that do not want a new system ƒ does it violate any laws?
may prevent it from becoming ‰ social and ethical feasibility
operationally feasible
ƒ is it right?

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Feasibility Analysis Feasibility Study

‰ define project objectives ‰ define problem, objectives, scope
ƒ determine organizational objectives
‰ identify constraints and limitations
ƒ verify that objectives are acceptable
‰ develop alternative solutions
‰ determine resources
‰ estimate costs & benefits
‰ judge feasibility
ƒ decision is made by management ‰ prepare feasibility report
ƒ systems analyst provides expert advice ‰ system proposal for senior mgt.

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Feasibility Impact Grid (FIG) Activity planning

‰ used to assess the impact of any ‰ design team selection & assignment
improvements to the existing system
‰ estimate task time
‰ can increase awareness of the impacts
made on the achievement of ‰ schedule project / task
corporate objectives
‰ current or proposed systems on the left
‰ objectives listed on the top
‰ red arrows indicate a positive impact
‰ green arrows indicate implementation

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 Chapter 3
Feasibility Analysis & Systems Project Management

Activity control Activity planning & control

‰ estimate time required
‰ monitoring using feedback
ƒ major phases
‰ expediting or rescheduling ƒ individual tasks
ƒ time for each task
‰ motivating teams
‰ scheduling
ƒ Gantt charts
ƒ PERT diagrams
‰ expediting
ƒ constantly review schedules and
costs over life of project
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Scheduling tools Computer-based project scheduling

‰ benefits
Gantt Charts PERT Diagrams
ƒ low cost
ƒ simple, intuitive, GUI
ƒ variety of display options

‰ programs
ƒ Microsoft Project
ƒ Symantec’s Timeline
ƒ CA-Super Project

‰ personal information managers (PIMS)

ƒ ECCO
ƒ Organizer

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GANTT charts PERT charts

‰ project scheduling technique ‰ nodes = events
‰ each bar represents a task ‰ establishes critical path
‰ length of bars = relative length of task (longest, no slack time)

‰ visual, simple ‰ portrays order of precedence

A

‰ enhances
B ‰ helps identify critical activities
C

communication D and slack time A,4

20
C,5

E 10 40 E,6 50

B,2 D,3
30

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 Chapter 3
Feasibility Analysis & Systems Project Management

PERT diagram advantages Team management

‰ easy identification of the ‰ teams often have two leaders:
order of precedence ƒ one who leads members to accomplish tasks
‰ easy identification of the critical path ƒ one concerned with social relationships
and thus critical activities ‰ the systems analyst must manage
‰ easy determination of slack time, ƒ team members
the leeway to fall behind on ƒ their activities
non-critical paths ƒ their time, and resources

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Goal setting
‰ set for tangible outputs and Copyright Notice
process activities This document may not, in whole or part,
be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, transmitted,
‰ must be reasonable
or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form
‰ help to motivate without explicit permission and written authorization
from Dr. Merrill Warkentin.
team members mwarkentin@acm.org
MISProfessor.com

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