Project Feasibility Feasibility is the measure of how beneficial or practical the development of an information system will be to an organisation.

Feasibility Analysis It is the process by which feasibility is measured. The objective of assessing feasibility is to determine whether a development project has a reasonable chance of success. It is the process of selecting the best system that meets the following requirements.   

Requirements The user has recognised a need.      User requirements are determined and the problem has been defined.     An initial investigation is launched to study the existing system and verify the problem. The analyst has verified the objective constraints and required output

Five Areas Of Risk Economic Feasibility Organizational and cultural feasibility Technology Feasibility Operational Feasibility Schedule Feasibility Resource Feasibility

Economic Feasibility It is a measure of the cost effectiveness of a project or a solution. It consists of two tests: ·        If the anticipated value of the benefits greater than projected cost of development ·        Does the organisation have adequate cash flow to fund the project during the development period?  A new system must increase income, either through cost savings or by increased revenues. And this is determined by cost/benefit analysis.  

Organisational & Cultural Feasibility ·        A currently low level of computer competency ·        Substantial computer phobia ·        A perceived loss of control by staff or management ·        Potential shifting of political & organisational power due to the new system. ·        Fear of change of job responsibilities ·        Fear of loss of employment ·        Reversal of long standing work procedures.

Technology Feasibility A new system brings a new technology into a company. The new technology could be: ·        A state-of-art of technology ·        Existing technology with new configuration ·        Lack of expertise within the company  Technical feasibility looks at what is practical and reasonable. It addresses three major issues. ·        Is the proposed technology practical ·        Do we currently possess the necessary technology ·        Do we have necessary expertise & is the schedule reasonable.  

Technology Feasibility Once the risks are identified, the solution provided, which could be ·        Additional training ·        Hiring consultants ·        Hiring more experienced employees.

Schedule Feasibility Some projects are initiated with specific deadlines. It is required to determine if the deadline is desirable or mandatory. If the deadline is mandatory then penalty could be associated with missing such a deadline. If deadline is desirable then the analyst can propose alternative schedule.

Operational Feasibility It is a measure of how well the solution will work in the organisation. It is a measure of how people feel about the system/project. It measures the urgency of the problem or acceptability of a solution. There are two aspects of operational feasibility to be considered: ·        Is the problem worth solving ·        How do the end user and management feel about the problem  

Resource Feasibility The project management must assess the availability of resources for the project. Development projects require the involvement of system analysts, system technicians and users. And one risk is that the required people may not be available to the team when needed. An additional risk is that the people who are assigned may not have the necessary skills. And continual risk that member might leave the team.  

Cost/Benefit Analysis  The cost/benefit analysis is a three-step process. 1.      Estimate the anticipated development and operational cost. Development costs are those that are incurred during the development of the new system. And operational costs are those that will be incurred after the system have been put into production. 2.      Estimate the anticipated financial benefits. Financial benefits are the expected annual savings or increases in revenue derived from the installation of the new system. 3.      The cost/benefit analysis is calculated based on detailed estimates of costs and benefits.

Step-1:Development Cost The cost of developing an information system can be classified according to the phase in which they occur. System development costs are usually onetime costs that will not recur after the project has been completed. Many organisations have standard cost categories that must be evaluated ·        Salaries and wages – The salaries of system analyst, programmers, consultants, data entry personnel, computer operators, secretaries and the like who work on the project make up the personnel costs.       

Development Cost Equipment and installation – Computer time will be used for one or more of the following activities: programming, testing, conversion, maintaining project dictionary, prototyping, loading data etc. This cost could also include charges for computer resources such as disk storage, report printing.    

Development Cost Software and license ·        Consulting fees and payment to third parties ·        Training ·        Facilities ·        Utilities and tools ·        Support staff ·        Travel and miscellaneous

Operational Costs Operating costs tend to recur throughout the lifetime of the system. The cost of operating a system over its useful lifetime can be classified as fixed and variable.  Fixed Costs occur at regular intervals but at relatively fixed rates. E.g. ·        Lease payment and software license payments ·        Prorates salaries of information system operators and support personnel  

Operational Costs ·        Variable Costs occur in proportion to some usage factors. E.g.: ·        Cost of computer usage (i.e. CPU time used, terminal connect time used, storage used), which vary with the workload. Supplies (pre-printed forms, printer paper used, punched cards, floppy disks, magnetic tapes and other expendables), which vary with workload. ·        Prorated overhead costs (utilities, maintenance, and telephone service) which can be allocated throughout the lifetime of the system using standard techniques of cost accounting.

Step-2 Benefits Benefits normally increase profits or decrease cost, both highly desirable characteristics of a new information system. Benefits are classified as tangible or intangible

Tangible Benefits They are those that can be easily qualified. Tangible benefits are usually measured in terms of monthly or annual savings or profit of the firm. They can be measured or estimated in terms of money and that accrue to the organisation. Fewer processing errors Increased throughput Decreased response time Elimination of job steps Increased sales Reduced credit losses Reduced expenses

Intangible Benefits They are those benefits believed to be difficult or impossible to qualify. Unless these benefits are at lease identified, it is entirely possible that many projects would not be feasible. These are benefits that accrue to the organisation but that cannot be measured quantitatively or estimated accurately. Improved customer goodwill Improved employee moral Better service to community Better decision-making

STEP 3:Financial Calculations The financial calculations are based on “The Time Value of Money” concept i.e. a dollar today is worth more than a dollar one year from now. The time value of money is extremely important in evaluation processes. Say, for an opportunity that generates $3000 a year, how much is needed to invest. Obviously one would like to invest less than $3000. To earn the same money five years from now, the amount of investment would be even less. The time value of money is usually expresses in form of interest on the funds invested to realise the future value  

Formula-F = P( 1 + i )n Where F = Future value of an investment P = Present value of investment I = Interest rate per compounding period N = Number of years $3000 invested in Treasury notes for three years @ 10% interest would have a value at maturity of   F = $3000(1 + 0.1) 3 = $3000(1.33) = $3993  There are three popular techniques to assess economic feasibility: ·        Net Present Value ·        Payback Technique ·        Return on Investment

NPV It is the present value of dollar (i.e. money) benefits and costs for an investment such as a new system. The two concepts of net present value (NPV) are 1.      All benefits and costs are calculated in terms of today’s money i.e. present value 2.      Benefits and costs are combined to give net value  The future stream of benefits and costs is netted together and then discounted by a certain factor for each year in the future. The discount rate is the annual percentage rate that an amount of money is discounted to bring it to a present value.  

NPV  To compute present value, we take the formula for future value i.e. F = P( 1 + i )n Thus P = F/( 1 + i )n   So, the present value $1500 invested at 10% at the end of forth period is P = 1500/(1 + 0.1) 4 = 1500/1.61 =1027.39  Thus, if we invest 1027.39 today we can expect to have 1500 after 4 years.

Payback Analysis The Payback Analysis technique is simple and popular method used to determine if and when an investment will pay for itself. Because system development costs are incurred long before benefits begin to accrue, it will take a long time for the benefits to overtake the costs. After implementation there are additional expenses that must be covered. Payback analysis determines how much time will lapse before accrued benefits overtake accrued and continuing costs i.e. Payback Period or Breakeven Point. It is defined as the time period at which the accumulated cash flow (including capital expenditures) becomes positive.

Example $20,000 is being invested in two proposals Proposal A: Positive net cash flow of $3200 annually for the first 7 years. Proposal B: Net cash flow Year 1 -$2000, Year2 $2675, Year 3 $3200, Year 4 $4550, Year 5 $6550, Year 6 $7000,Year 7 $8000 Compare the proposals using payback method

Solution Year Flow in Year Cumulative cash flow at year end -20000 1 -20000 1 -2000 -22000 2 2675 -19325 3 3200 -16125 4 4550 -11575 5 6550 -5025 6 7000 1975 7 8000 9975

Comparison Proposal A: Payback Period = 20000/3200 = 6.25 years Proposal B will recover the initial cost before end of year 6. If we assume that the $7000 net cash inflow occurs in 12 equal monthly cash inflows, it will be nearly ninth month of the year before payback is achieved i.e. approximately 5.75 years  

Return on Investment Analysis It is a measure of the percentage gain received from an investment such as a new system. The ROI for a solution or project is percentage return needed (like an interest rate) so that the costs and benefits are exactly equal over the specified time period.   Lifetime ROI = (Estimated Lifetime benefits – Estimated lifetime costs)/ (Estimated Lifetime costs)  

ROI-3 Periods When a system is being developed, initial costs is high i.e. it is an investment period. When both costs are equal, it is break-even. Beyond that point, the new system provides greater benefit (profit) than the old system. This is the return period.