Feasibility Study in System Analysis and Design

Learning objectives

After completing this tutorial, students should be able to:

• Explain the purpose of a feasibility study.
• Distinguish technical, economic, operational, schedule, and legal feasibility.
• Evaluate a proposed software project using practical criteria.
• Prepare a basic feasibility study report.
• Recommend whether a project should proceed, be revised, or be rejected.

1. What Is a Feasibility Study?

A feasibility study is a systematic evaluation of a proposed project to determine whether it can reasonably be implemented and whether proceeding with it is justified.

Before an organization invests significant time, money, and resources in software development, it should examine the project's technical requirements, costs and benefits, operational needs, time constraints, and legal obligations.

A feasibility study does not guarantee that a project will succeed. Instead, it identifies major constraints, uncertainties, costs, and risks before the organization commits to full development.

Why Is a Feasibility Study Important?

• Prevents investment in technically impractical projects.
• Helps estimate development and operating costs.
• Determines whether users and the organization can adopt the system.
• Checks whether the project can meet its deadline.
• Identifies legal, licensing, privacy, and security obligations.
• Supports evidence-based management decisions.

2. Five Types of Feasibility

Type	Main Question	Focus
Technical feasibility	Can we build and operate it?	Technology, infrastructure, skills, integration, and security.
Economic feasibility	Is it financially worthwhile?	Development costs, operating costs, savings, and benefits.
Operational feasibility	Will it work in the organization?	Users, workflows, training, acceptance, and support.
Schedule feasibility	Can it be completed on time?	Tasks, resources, dependencies, deadlines, and testing time.
Legal feasibility	Can it operate lawfully?	Applicable laws, privacy, licenses, contracts, and institutional rules.

3. Sample Project: Student Attendance Management System

Project overview

Project name: Student Attendance Management System (SAMS)

Purpose: Develop a web-based application for recording, storing, calculating, and reporting student attendance.

Target users: Teachers, authorized administrators, students with permitted access, and academic management.

Proposed technology: JSP, Java, JDBC, and Oracle Database.

Initial scope: Login, student and course management, attendance recording, and attendance reports.

The following sections evaluate whether this proposed system is feasible. The findings are illustrative assumptions for a student project, not verified facts about any particular university.

4. Technical Feasibility

4.1 Definition

Technical feasibility determines whether the required technology, infrastructure, expertise, and technical resources are available to develop, deploy, secure, and maintain a proposed system.

4.2 Questions to Investigate

• Does the development team have the necessary programming skills?
• Are the required software and database platforms available?
• Can the system run on the available computers and servers?
• Can the application handle the expected number of users and records?
• Can the system protect attendance data from unauthorized access?
• Can the proposed system integrate with existing university services if required?

4.3 Technical Feasibility of SAMS

Requirement	Proposed Solution	Assessment
Web interface	HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JSP.	Feasible if the developer has the necessary skills.
Application logic	Java running in a compatible application server.	Feasible with a supported Java and server configuration.
Database	Oracle Database accessed through JDBC.	Feasible if a suitable database environment is available.
Data security	Authentication, role-based permissions, secure connections, and validation.	Requires appropriate design and testing.
Backup and recovery	Scheduled database backups and tested recovery procedures.	Feasible if backup storage and administrative support are provided.
Performance	Indexes, appropriate queries, and realistic load testing.	Must be verified against expected workload.

4.4 Technical Feasibility Conclusion

SAMS appears technically feasible as a small academic web application, provided that the student can use the required technologies and has access to a compatible development environment. Production deployment would require additional verification of server capacity, security, backup, and recovery arrangements.

5. Economic Feasibility

5.1 Definition

Economic feasibility determines whether the expected benefits of a project justify its development, implementation, operation, and maintenance costs.

It considers both direct financial costs and measurable benefits such as reduced administrative effort, fewer calculation errors, and faster report preparation.

5.2 Common Project Costs

• Developer and analyst time.
• Hardware and hosting.
• Software licenses and support fees, if applicable.
• Training and user documentation.
• Data migration and deployment.
• Backup, maintenance, and technical support.

5.3 Example Cost Estimate

The following figures are hypothetical estimates in Bangladeshi taka (BDT) for illustrating the calculation. They are not vendor quotations or verified market prices.

Cost Item	Estimated Cost (BDT)	Type
Development effort	30,000	One-time
Setup and deployment	5,000	One-time
Initial training and documentation	5,000	One-time
Total initial cost	40,000	One-time
Hosting, backup, and support	12,000 per year	Recurring

5.4 Example Benefit Estimate

Suppose the university estimates that automation will save approximately 10 staff-hours per month. If the estimated value of administrative time is BDT 300 per hour, the annual time-saving benefit would be:

Annual Benefit = Hours Saved per Month × Value per Hour × 12

= 10 × BDT 300 × 12

= BDT 36,000 per year

For this example, assume the annual operating cost is BDT 12,000.

Annual Net Benefit = Annual Benefit − Annual Operating Cost

= BDT 36,000 − BDT 12,000

= BDT 24,000 per year

Ignoring discounting, taxes, and any unlisted costs, a simple payback estimate is:

Payback Period = Initial Cost ÷ Annual Net Benefit

= BDT 40,000 ÷ BDT 24,000

≈ 1.67 years

This calculation is illustrative. Time saved is not necessarily a cash saving. The university should validate the estimated hours, labor value, implementation cost, and recurring costs before making an investment decision.

5.5 Economic Feasibility Conclusion

Under the illustrative assumptions, the system may be economically worthwhile if the estimated time savings are realized and the project remains within budget. A real feasibility study should compare total costs and benefits over an agreed period, such as three to five years.

6. Operational Feasibility

6.1 Definition

Operational feasibility evaluates whether the proposed system will work effectively within the organization's actual procedures and whether the intended users can and will use it.

6.2 Questions to Investigate

• Will teachers find the attendance process easy to use?
• Will administrators accept the proposed workflow?
• Can existing student and course records be made available?
• Will users receive sufficient training?
• Who will handle incorrect records and access requests?
• Is technical support available when problems occur?

6.3 Operational Feasibility of SAMS

Operational Issue	Potential Problem	Proposed Action
User acceptance	Teachers may prefer existing paper records.	Demonstrate the system and collect user feedback.
Training	Some users may be unfamiliar with the interface.	Provide a short user guide and practical training.
Data accuracy	Incorrect attendance may be entered.	Provide validation and an authorized correction process.
Responsibility	Users may be uncertain who can correct records.	Define permissions and approval rules.
Technical support	System outages may interrupt attendance entry.	Establish backup, recovery, and temporary recording procedures.

6.4 Operational Feasibility Conclusion

SAMS appears operationally feasible if teachers and administrators accept the workflow, records can be maintained accurately, and training and support are available. A pilot test with representative users should be conducted before institution-wide adoption.

7. Schedule Feasibility

7.1 Definition

Schedule feasibility determines whether the project can be completed within the required deadline using the available people, resources, and working time.

7.2 Factors to Consider

• Project size and complexity.
• Developer experience and availability.
• Dependencies between database, interface, and reporting modules.
• Availability of sample data and user feedback.
• Time needed for integration, testing, and corrections.
• Academic deadlines and presentation dates.

7.3 Example: Twelve-Week Project Schedule

Weeks	Activities	Milestone
1–2	Requirements collection and feasibility confirmation.	Approved project scope.
3–4	System design, database design, and login development.	Initial working application.
5–6	Student, course, and section management.	Core record-management modules.
7–8	Attendance recording and validation.	Attendance module completed.
9–10	Attendance calculations and reports.	Reporting module completed.
11	Integration, system testing, and defect correction.	Tested release candidate.
12	Final corrections, documentation, and presentation.	Project submission.

7.4 Schedule Feasibility Conclusion

A twelve-week schedule may be realistic for a limited academic prototype developed by a student with the required skills. It may not be sufficient for a production-ready university-wide deployment involving data migration, security audits, extensive training, and integration with existing systems.

A schedule should include time for testing and corrections. If the development tasks already consume the entire deadline, the project plan is not realistically feasible without reducing scope or adding resources.

8. Legal Feasibility

8.1 Definition

Legal feasibility determines whether a proposed system can be developed and operated in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, licenses, contracts, and institutional policies.

8.2 Legal Questions for SAMS

• Is student information collected and processed under an appropriate legal basis?
• Who is authorized to view, modify, and disclose attendance records?
• Are applicable privacy and data-protection requirements being followed?
• Are software, database, and third-party components used under valid licenses?
• Are retention, backup, and deletion practices consistent with applicable requirements?
• Are records protected from unauthorized access or disclosure?
• Do university policies specify how attendance corrections and disputes must be handled?

8.3 Legal Feasibility of SAMS

Legal or Policy Area	Possible Risk	Proposed Control
Student privacy	Personal attendance data is disclosed without authorization.	Restrict access and establish approved data-handling procedures.
Software licensing	A component is used without appropriate permission.	Verify licenses and comply with their terms.
Record integrity	Attendance records are changed without authorization.	Apply access controls and retain suitable audit records.
Data retention	Records are retained or deleted contrary to requirements.	Define retention and deletion procedures with the institution.
Institutional policy	Attendance rules or correction procedures conflict with approved policy.	Obtain approval for system rules and workflows.

8.4 Legal Feasibility Conclusion

SAMS may be legally feasible if the institution authorizes its use, student data is handled lawfully, software licenses are respected, and appropriate access and record-management controls are implemented.

For deployment in Bangladesh, the project team should verify the applicable requirements in force at the time of implementation, including relevant data-protection, cybersecurity, contractual, and institutional obligations. This tutorial is an educational guide, not a legal opinion.

9. Combined Feasibility Assessment

The five feasibility dimensions should be evaluated together. A system that is technically possible may still be unaffordable, unacceptable to users, late, or legally noncompliant.

Feasibility Type	Illustrative Finding	Condition or Next Step
Technical	Potentially feasible	Confirm skills, infrastructure, security, and database access.
Economic	Potentially feasible	Validate costs and time-saving assumptions.
Operational	Potentially feasible	Obtain user feedback and test the workflow.
Schedule	Potentially feasible for a prototype	Confirm scope and reserve testing time.
Legal	Feasibility not yet confirmed	Review applicable laws, licenses, privacy requirements, and institutional approval.

Preliminary Recommendation

Proceed to detailed planning and a limited prototype, subject to validation of the cost estimates, user requirements, infrastructure, and applicable legal obligations.

This is a preliminary recommendation based on illustrative assumptions. A final go/no-go decision should be made only after the relevant evidence has been collected and reviewed.

10. Sample Feasibility Study Report

The following sample can be adapted for an academic project proposal.

Project: Student Attendance Management System

Technical feasibility: The proposed system will use JSP, Java, JDBC, and Oracle Database. These technologies can support a web-based attendance application if suitable technical skills, software, and infrastructure are available.

Economic feasibility: The project may reduce time spent on manual attendance calculations and report preparation. The estimated development and operating costs must be compared with the value of the expected benefits.

Operational feasibility: Teachers and administrators should be able to use the system after appropriate training. A pilot demonstration and user evaluation will be conducted to identify workflow and usability problems.

Schedule feasibility: A twelve-week schedule is proposed for requirements analysis, design, development, testing, documentation, and presentation. The scope will be limited to core attendance functions to protect the deadline.

Legal feasibility: The system must follow applicable privacy, data-protection, licensing, security, and institutional requirements. The relevant requirements must be verified before real student data is used or the application is deployed.

Overall recommendation: The project appears suitable for further planning as an academic prototype, subject to confirmation of the assumptions and completion of the required checks.

11. Student Exercise

Select a real-world software project, such as a Library Management System, Hospital Appointment System, Online Shopping System, or University Examination Management System.

Prepare a feasibility study covering the following items:

1. Project name and objectives.
2. Technical requirements and available resources.
3. Estimated development and operating costs.
4. Expected benefits and how they will be measured.
5. User acceptance, training, and operational support.
6. Development schedule and major milestones.
7. Relevant legal, licensing, privacy, and institutional requirements.
8. Final recommendation: proceed, revise, or reject.

12. Knowledge Check

Question 1: Which feasibility type evaluates whether the necessary technology and skills are available?

1. Economic feasibility
2. Technical feasibility
3. Legal feasibility
4. Schedule feasibility

Show answer

Answer: b) Technical feasibility.

Question 2: Which feasibility type examines whether expected benefits justify project costs?

1. Operational feasibility
2. Schedule feasibility
3. Economic feasibility
4. Technical feasibility

Show answer

Answer: c) Economic feasibility.

Question 3: A project can be developed but cannot meet its required deadline with the available team. Which area is the main concern?

1. Schedule feasibility
2. Legal feasibility
3. Technical feasibility only
4. Data modeling

Show answer

Answer: a) Schedule feasibility.

Question 4: Which feasibility type examines whether users can adopt the proposed workflow?

1. Legal feasibility
2. Operational feasibility
3. Economic feasibility
4. Schedule feasibility

Show answer

Answer: b) Operational feasibility.

Question 5: A software component requires a license that does not permit the intended use. Which feasibility concern must be addressed?

1. Technical feasibility only
2. Operational feasibility only
3. Legal feasibility
4. Schedule feasibility only

Show answer

Answer: c) Legal feasibility.

13. Conclusion

A feasibility study helps an organization make an informed decision before committing substantial resources to a software project.

• Technical feasibility: Can the system be built and supported?
• Economic feasibility: Are the costs justified by the expected benefits?
• Operational feasibility: Will the system work for its users and organization?
• Schedule feasibility: Can the system be delivered within the required time?
• Legal feasibility: Can the system be developed and operated in compliance with applicable requirements?

For the Student Attendance Management System, a preliminary assessment suggests that a limited academic prototype may be feasible. However, actual implementation decisions should be based on verified requirements, realistic estimates, user feedback, and appropriate legal and security reviews.

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Course: System Analysis and Design

End of Tutorial