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Technology
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Research Paper
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Systems Analysis and Design: The Feasibility Study (ITM426 Module 3)

Research Paper Instructions:

THE FEASIBILITY STUDY
Assignment Overview
IT systems are a major capital investment and the systems analyst is called to investigate the feasibility of a system and help answer the questions – Will the system pay for itself? In how long will it pay off? Are the other technologies that will have a better return on the investment? Module 3 emphasizes the need of making management recommendations in a proposal called the feasibility study report. Feasibility is defined as the value that an IT system will provide to the organization in terms of tangible and intangible benefits. Following the problem analysis definition and requirements, the feasibility study is prepared considering elements such as economic, technical, operational, schedule, legal/contractual, and political challenges. This analysis determines the readiness and worthiness of an IT system, and the category domains are defined as follows.
Economic – What is the TCO (total cost of ownership)? Is the ROI positive?
Technical – Is hardware available? Do we need to purchase it?
Operational – Are resources available? Do we need training and change management plans?
Schedule – Can the system be available within a reasonable time?
Legal – Are permissions being filed with state and federal regulations?
Political – Is the system in compliance with federal and state agencies?
Most analysts agree that the first four categories are sufficient to analyze a system, but legal and political criteria are used to evaluate R&D projects or projects using emerging technologies. Holdstrand and Holz-Clause’ articles closely examine the four feasibility categories.
Holdstrand, D, & Holz-Clause, M. (2009). What is a feasibility study. AG Decision Marker. Retrieved from
http://www(dot)extension(dot)iastate(dot)edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-65.html
http://www(dot)extension(dot)iastate(dot)edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-66.html
http://www(dot)extension(dot)iastate(dot)edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-64.html
Case Assignment
The Case for Module 3 is a hands-on project illustrating how a business analyst would build a short feasibility report. You can review Sage Peachtree accounting system at http://na(dot)sage(dot)com/sage-50-accounting-us/ to formulate an idea of accounting systems and how the features work for your in-house development assignment. Please assume that the new system is for a small company growing to medium size.
You have been assigned to prepare a feasibility study report for an accounting information system. At this point, please assume that you will build an in-house solution.
Use the following site as a reference to develop the feasibility study report.
FreeTutes. (2012). Feasibility study. Systems Analysis and Design. Retrieved from http://www(dot)freetutes(dot)com/systemanalysis/sa3-feasibility-study.html
Include the following report sections with corresponding section subtitles to organize the report:
Cover page
Introduction page stating the problem background, summary of needs for an accounting system, interviews conducted, and project stakeholders
Articulate 3-5 system requirements
Discuss the economic, technical, operational, and scheduled feasibility.
Conclusions
Assignment Expectations
Your paper should be short (2-4 pages, not including cover sheet and references) and to the point. It is to be structured in the following manner.
You are expected to:
Write this paper using the recommended feasibility study sections
Cite appropriate sources and answer questions directly. Be sure to make the most effective case you can. Then present the best evidence you can, again citing appropriate sources.
By the end of your paper, you should be able to distinguish the types of feasibility studies applicable to a new project and document such findings into a management report.
You will be particularly assessed on:
Your ability to see what the module is all about and to structure your paper accordingly.
Your informed commentary and analysis -- simply repeating what your sources say does not constitute an adequate paper.
Your ability to apply the professional language and terminology of systems analysis and design correctly and in context; you are expected to be familiar with this language and use it appropriately.

Research Paper Sample Content Preview:

The Feasibility Study
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction
The business operations of Stan Stores have been going efficiently but the management has been noticing an even trend in the amount of sales and returns despite a recorded increase in the number of customers coming in to purchase housing and building tools that Stan Stores deals with. According to the accounting reports, there seems to be no problem but auditing reports state that there might be some discrepancies although it might be hard to prove since the accountants’ books check out. There was a need for a centralised computerised accounting system if the management wants to save the future of the business.
After conducting a few interviews it was clear that there were a number of issues that needed immediate attention. In some cases, the management fell behind on checking entries and reconciliation statements (Romney et al., 2012). This meant that even though the statements were current because they had been done by the accounting department, the management didn’t have a way to confirm whether there had been alterations made or whether there was unreported information. Personal finances and business finances were also being mixed up especially during weekends when some members of the management paid bonuses from their personal accounts. This trend is not advisable and may lead to a mix up in the final financial records. Even with the digitization of receipts, there were reports of trashing paper receipts that made it hard to reconcile reports in case the digital receipts were compromised or corrupted.
To ensure that there was access to all information at an administrative level with a privileged record of any transaction available to the management, there needed to be an accounting software and information system put in place to cater for all the company’s accounting needs and to prevent any discrepancies (FreeTutes, 2012). The new accounting system requires being user friendly, easy to use and quite quick in its processing operations. Two other important requirements that the accounting system needs to have is that it has to be efficient and easy to navigate. This will ensure that the man...
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