Systems Analysis and Design
Chapter Two: Identification,
Selection, and Planning phase
1. Identifying and Selecting Projects
• The first activity of the systems planning and
selection phase of the SDLC is project
identification and selection.
• Project identification and selection consists of:
– Identifying potential development projects
– classifying and ranking projects
– selecting projects for development
Identifying potential development projects
• This process can be performed by:
– A key member of top management
– A steering committee
– User departments
– The development group or a senior IS manager
Classifying and ranking IS development
projects
• Assessing the merit of potential projects is the second major
activity in the project identification and selection phase.
• The criteria used to evaluate projects usually varies by
organization
• Possible evaluation criteria when classifying and ranking projects
are:
– Value chain analysis
– Strategic alignment
– Potential benefits
– Resource availability
– Project size/duration
– Technical risk/difficulty
Selecting IS development projects
• The selection of projects is the final activity in
the project identification and selection phase.
• Numerous factors are considered when
selecting a project including:
– Perceived needs of the organization
– Existing systems and ongoing projects
– Resource availability
– Evaluation criteria
– Current business conditions
2. Initiating and Planning Systems
Development Projects
• Project initiation focuses on activities that will
help organize a team to conduct project
planning. Among the activities performed are:
– Establishing the project initiation team
– Establishing a relationship with the customer
– Establishing the project initiation plan
– Establishing management procedures
•Project planning focuses on defining clear, discrete tasks and the work
needed to complete each task
•Among the activities performed are:
–Describing the project scope, alternatives, and feasibility
–Dividing the project into manageable tasks
–Estimating resources and creating a resource plan
–Developing a preliminary schedule
–Developing a communication plan
–Developing a project scope statement
–Setting a baseline project plan
• The major outcomes and deliverables from
project initiation and planning are the baseline
project plan and the project scope statement
• The baseline project plan (BPP) contains all
information collected and analyzed during the
project initiation and planning activity
• The project scope statement (PSS) clearly
outlines the objectives of the project for the
customer
Assessing Project Feasibility
• Assessing project feasibility is an important task
that can be a large undertaking because it requires
you to evaluate a wide range of factors such as:
– Economic
– Operational
– Technical
– Schedule
– Legal and Contractual
– Political
Assessing Economic Feasibility
• The purpose of economic feasibility study is to identify the
financial benefits and costs associated with the
development project
• Benefits can be:
– Tangible benefits ( measurable in terms of money)
– Intangible benefits (not measurable)
• Costs can be:
– Tangible
– Intangible
– one-time cost (associated with dev’t and system start-up)
– recurring cost (associated with the ongoing use of the system)
Assessing Other Feasibility Concerns
• Operational feasibility: The process of
assessing the degree to which a proposed
system solves business problems or takes
advantage of business opportunities.
• Technical feasibility: The process of assessing
the development organization’s ability to
construct a proposed system.
• Schedule feasibility: The process of assessing
the degree to which the potential time frame
and completion dates for all major activities
within a project meet organizational deadlines
and constraints for effecting change.
• Legal and contractual Feasibility: The process
of assessing potential legal and contractual
ramifications due to the construction of a
system.
• Political feasibility: The process of evaluating
how key stakeholders within the organization
view the proposed system.