Key Leverage Points to Improve the Financial Performance

							Feasibility Analysis
            Feasibility Analysis
            3 types of feasibility


 Financial
 Organizational
 Technical
     Feasibility Information Gathering Tasks


1.   Define the business and work environments

2.   Describe current system of work

3.   Identify key benefits and leverage points

4.   Identify broad system requirements
                 Feasibility Analysis
                     Leverage Points


            Business or application benefits
           that provide competitive advantage.

Examples:
Increase market share
Increase linkage to vendors or customers
Provide desired information that is not currently
available
                  Tangible Benefits



 Measurable benefits

Examples:
  Decrease operating cost by 10% this year
  Increase market share by 5% per year for three years
  Decrease headcount by 5%
                     Intangible Benefits


 Non-quantifiable

Examples:
  Increase goodwill
  Improve company image
  Increase customer satisfaction
  Improve employee job satisfaction
  Provide faster and more accurate information to
  customer services representatives
  Preventive
  Avoid staff increase
                    Sources of Risk
                    Hardware Risks

   Not installed when needed
   Cannot do the job
   Does not work as advertised
   Installation not prepared in time, insufficient, wrong
   Hardware delivery incorrect, with damage
                    Software Risks


   Not installed when needed
   Cannot do the job
   Does not work as advertised
   Contains ‘undocumented features’ that cause
    compromise on application requirements
                Group Risks


 Key person(s) quit, are promoted, go
  on jury duty, etc.
 Skill levels inadequate
 Training not in time to benefit the
  project
Project Management Risks

Schedule not accurate
Budget not sufficient
Manager change
        User Risks

Quits, transfers, is replaced
Not cooperative
Not supportive
Does not spend as much time as
  original commitment requested
     Computer Risks


Test time insufficient
Inadequate disk space, computer time
               Developing Technical Alternatives

 Define the overall application concept
 Evaluate usefulness of existing hardware/software
 If new equipment or software is needed:
      Determine data sharing requirements
      Determine the criticality of data to the company
           If shared or critical data, select equipment (either LAN or
            mainframe) and software that allow centralized control over data.
           If non-critical and single location, select the smallest equipment
            that allows centralized control.
           If non-critical and multi-location settings, consider decentralizing or
            distributing the application.
 Define special hardware/software requirements
     More on Technical Alternatives

   Performance – SLA, environment
   Information – I/O form and format
   Economy – budget, cost/benefit
   Control – audit & security: physical, logical
   Efficiency – improves work flow and practice
   Services – functionality and operational support
                Security Review Topics

1. Physical facility -- fire prevention, fire drills, and
   minimize threats from fire.
2. Electrical routing, distribution of power, backup
   power, etc.
3. Environmental monitoring and control mechanisms,
   e.g., 'housekeeping' functions of the maintenance
   staff.
4. Evaluate and protect against:
    o   Storm, bomb threat, etc.
    o   Unwanted external perimeter access.
    o   Unauthorized use of equipment.
    o   Unauthorized computer access.
    o   Potential database damage.
      Data Security Design Process

 Users and IS developers consider each process and
  the data being manipulated, to define classes of users
  and their allowable actions.
 A hierarchy of access rights is built to identify, by data
  item, which actions are allowed by which class of
  users.
 A scheme for implementing the access restrictions is
  designed for the application.
  Backup Design Guidelines
Length of Loss     Type of Backup


1 Week or longer   Weekly Full with Off-
                   site storage


1 Day              Above + Daily
                   Incremental/Full



1 Hour             Above + 1 or more
                   types of DBMS
                   Logging

15 Minutes         Above + All DBMS
                   Logging Capabilities:
                   Transaction, Pre-
                   Update and Post-
                   Update Logs
              Conversion Activities

1. Identify current and future locations for all data items.
2. Define edit and validate criteria for all attributes.
3. Define data conversion activities.
4. Define options for data conversion.
5. Recommend and gain approval for data conversion
   strategy.
6. Develop a schedule for data conversion based on
   estimates of time to convert one data item.
7. Define options for application conversion and
   implementation. (direct cutover, geographic, functional
   or other incremental option).
8. Recommend and gain approval for implementation
   strategy.
                      Feasibility Study
                       Documentation
 Management Summary                    Recommendations
 Overview of the business and               Functional, technical, etc.
    work environments                         recommendations
    Current system of work                   Benefits
    Key benefits and leverage points
                                                  Tangible
    Broad system requirements
                                                  Intangible
   Financial Feasibility                    Key Leverage Points
   Organizational Feasibility               Risks & Contingency plans
   Technological Feasibility           Schedule & responsibilities
   Technical Alternatives               for next steps