Certification Objective 2.02: Analyzing the Feasibility of a Solution

Once you have developed a solution concept, it is time for a reality check: is the project feasible? Feasibility is the “go or no go” decision part of the envisioning phase. There are many factors that enter into the equation when discussing feasibility, such as

• Business feasibility

• Technical feasibility

• Availability of skills and resources

Business feasibility is simply an honest analysis of whether the solution concept meets the needs of the business. Does this solution make things easier or harder for the business? Does it increase profits (by increasing sales or decreasing expenses), or will it cost the business money? By analyzing the business feasibility, we will determine whether it is worth it to proceed from the point of view of the business. Will the benefit outweigh the investment of time, money, and effort?

Technical feasibility is an analysis of whether the solution concept is technically wise and possible. Can the solution scale to meet the growing needs of the business? Are there any performance or security issues that need to be addressed? If there are any technical reasons why this solution can’t or shouldn’t be implemented, this is the first place to bring them up.

Another important aspect of feasibility, of course, is the availability of resources. It’s fine to propose a system that will follow the XML web services model running in a .NET environment, but if no one in your organization has .NET skills, this could be a problem that needs to be addressed before the project can continue. Furthermore, if your project will need the full-time involvement of three developers and no one on your project team has any spare time, that also needs to be addressed before the project can go any further.

On The Job

The MSF team model is a helpful guide when forming teams for development projects. The team model states that there are six main roles in any team- based development effort; however, those roles do not necessarily directly correlate directly to job titles or individuals.

Case Study: Analyzing Feasibility for the RPM System

Now that Jack has designed a solution concept for the Retailer Promotion Management system, he can begin to analyze the feasibility of his solution. To facilitate the process, he decides to analyze business feasibility, technical feasibility, and resource availability separately.

To help himself come to a conclusion about business feasibility, Jack decides to develop a few screen shots of the application. How will the data entry clerk use the application? How will the sales manager use the application? Jack uses a graphical design program to create a few screens. After he is able to see for himself that the user interface could be quite simple, Jack comes to the conclusion that the RPM system really would make things easier for the business.

The overall goal for the coupon-entry user interface is simplicity. Jack calculates that it will take only ten seconds to enter the coupon information for each retailer, as opposed to the two minutes it takes using the current accounting system. The amount of time saved will greatly reduce the workload of the data entry clerks. In addition, the system will provide additional flexibility for creating and managing promotions in a way that does not currently exist within BWI, and this potentially could lead to increased sales. After analyzing the various possibilities, Jack is able to make a convincing case that this application is feasible from a business perspective.

Regarding technical feasibility, Jack believes that the application will not be a burden on technical resources. The application will be able to scale easily as the business grows, since it will be able to handle multiple users and a large pool of retailers. Because the application will not be exposed to the Internet and only a handful of people within the company will have access, an appropriate security system will be fairly simple to implement. Jack concludes that the project is technically feasible and sound.

On the subject of organizational skills and technical resources, Jack’s boss assures him that, when the time comes, the proper team with all the necessary skill sets will be able to be formed. Product and program managers will be assigned, and the team will have appropriate developer and tester resources available to it. Given the size and scope of the project, Jack is confident that getting the appropriate resources and skills together on a project team will not be a problem.

Jack is able to conclude that the project is feasible from business, technical, and resource perspectives. The decision is made that the project should proceed.