Feasibility Study Template (TELOS)
Feasibility study across technical, economic, legal, operational and scheduling dimensions with scoring, costs, risk and sensitivity
Cara menggunakan: Use before committing to a project to test whether it can and should go ahead. Agree criteria and weights with the sponsor before scoring any alternative. The main pitfall is changing weights after scoring to fit a favoured answer.
Pratinjau
Feasibility Study: [Project or initiative name]
Full feasibility study that tests whether a proposed project can and should go ahead, assessed across the five TELOS dimensions: technical, economic, legal, operational and scheduling. It compares alternatives, scores each dimension against stated criteria, estimates costs, analyses risk and sensitivity, and ends with a clear go, conditional go or no-go recommendation. Replace every
[bracketed]value and every row marked Example. Figures are illustrative; this is a format, not financial or legal advice.
Document control
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [FS-YYYY-001] |
| Project | [Project name] |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Status | [Draft / In review / Final] |
| Sponsor | [@sponsor] |
| Study lead | [@author] |
| Contributors | [@finance], [@legal], [@it-architect], [@operations] |
| Study period | YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
Approvals
| Role | Name | Decision | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor | [@name] | [Accepted / Further work required] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Finance | [@name] | [Cost estimates validated] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Legal and compliance | [@name] | [Legal assessment reviewed] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Portfolio board | [@name] | [Go / Conditional go / No-go] | YYYY-MM-DD |
Revision history
| Version | Date | Author | Change summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Background, objectives and alternatives drafted |
| 0.2 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Example: TELOS scoring and cost estimates added |
| 1.0 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Example: Final, recommendation accepted by sponsor |
Contents
1. Executive summary
This study assessed whether [organisation] should [proposed action]. [N] alternatives were evaluated across the TELOS dimensions. The highest-scoring alternative is [alternative], with a weighted score of [N.N] out of 5. The study recommends [Go / Conditional go / No-go].
| Alternative | Weighted score | Estimated cost | Feasible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: A1 Do nothing | 2.15 | 0 capital, rising run cost | No |
| Example: A2 Upgrade existing warehouse system | 3.15 | 420,000 | Yes, with conditions |
| Example: A3 Cloud warehouse management system | 4.1 | 610,000 | Yes |
2. Background
[Describe the current situation, the business problem, the trigger for the study (growth, regulation, failure, opportunity), and any previous studies or decisions.]
Example: "Order volume at the Northern distribution centre grew 46% in two years. The current warehouse system is a 2012 on-premises product that cannot support wave picking or carrier integration, and peak-season backlogs reached 3.5 days in December."
3. Objectives and scope
3.1 Study objectives
- Determine whether [solution type] is technically achievable with [constraints].
- Estimate whole-life costs and benefits for each alternative.
- Identify legal, regulatory and contractual obstacles.
- Assess operational readiness and the impact on staff and processes.
- Establish whether delivery by [target date] is realistic.
3.2 Scope
- In scope: [sites, processes, systems, user groups]
- Out of scope: [areas not assessed, with reasons]
- Constraints: [budget ceiling, deadlines, mandated technologies]
- Assumptions: [for example, current headcount stays flat]
3.3 Decision criteria for the study outcome
The study outcome is decided by explicit thresholds agreed with the sponsor before any scoring starts. Writing them down early prevents the thresholds from drifting to fit a favoured answer.
| Outcome | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Go | Weighted score of 3.5 or more, no dimension scored below 3, positive NPV in the base case |
| Conditional go | Weighted score of 3.0 or more, any dimension at 2 has a credible mitigation with an owner and a date |
| No-go | Weighted score below 3.0, any dimension scored 1, or negative NPV in the base case |
3.4 Stakeholders consulted
| Stakeholder | Interest | Method | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Distribution centre manager | Throughput and staffing | Interview and site walk | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Example: Finance business partner | Capital budget and payback | Workshop | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Example: Picking team leads (6) | Day-to-day usability | Focus group with handheld demo | YYYY-MM-DD |
| [Stakeholder] | [Interest] | [Method] | [Date] |
4. Alternatives and assessment method
4.1 Alternatives considered
| ID | Alternative | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Do nothing | Continue with current system and manual workarounds |
| A2 | [Alternative] | [Description] |
| A3 | [Alternative] | [Description] |
4.2 Criteria, weights and scale
Each criterion is scored from 1 (not feasible) to 5 (fully feasible with low risk). The weighted score for alternative is:
| Dimension | Weight | Key criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | 0.25 | Fit with architecture, maturity, integration effort, skills |
| Economic | 0.30 | NPV, payback, affordability |
| Legal | 0.15 | Regulatory compliance, contracts, data protection, licensing |
| Operational | 0.20 | Process fit, user acceptance, support model |
| Scheduling | 0.10 | Ability to meet the deadline, critical path risk |
4.3 Scoring summary
| Dimension | Weight | A1 | A2 | A3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical | 0.25 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Economic | 0.30 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Legal | 0.15 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Operational | 0.20 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Scheduling | 0.10 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Weighted score | 1.00 | 2.15 | 3.15 | 4.10 |
4.4 Evidence and data sources
Scores must rest on evidence rather than opinion. For each dimension, record what was examined and how reliable it is, so that a reviewer can see which scores are firm and which are judgement calls.
| Evidence | Used for | Reliability |
|---|---|---|
| Example: Six weeks of warehouse transaction logs | Throughput baseline, benefit estimates | High |
| Example: Two vendor demonstrations and three reference calls | Technical and operational scores | Medium |
| Example: Internal legal memo on data transfers | Legal score | Medium, pending external review |
| [Evidence] | [Dimension or estimate] | [High / Medium / Low] |
5. Technical feasibility
| Criterion | A2 finding | A3 finding | Score A2 | Score A3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Integration with ERP | Custom interface required, 3 months | Standard connector available | 3 | 4 |
| Example: Scalability to 2x peak | Requires new hardware | Elastic capacity | 2 | 5 |
| Example: Internal skills | Existing team familiar | Training needed, 6 weeks | 4 | 3 |
| [Criterion] | [Finding] | [Finding] | [1-5] | [1-5] |
[Summarise technical risks and any proof-of-concept results.]
6. Economic feasibility
Net present value over years at discount rate :
| Measure | A1 | A2 | A3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | [amount] | [amount] | [amount] |
| Annual benefits | [amount] | [amount] | [amount] |
| Annual running costs | [amount] | [amount] | [amount] |
| NPV at [r%] over [T] years | [amount] | [amount] | [amount] |
| Payback period | [n/a] | [N years] | [N years] |
[Explain the main benefit drivers, such as labour hours saved, throughput gains or avoided penalties, and their sources.]
7. Legal feasibility
| Area | Requirement or issue | Impact on alternatives | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Data protection | Customer addresses processed by a cloud vendor | A3 needs a data processing agreement and transfer assessment | Legal review by YYYY-MM-DD |
| Example: Existing contract | Current vendor contract has 12-month notice | A3 cannot go live before notice period ends | Serve notice by YYYY-MM-DD |
| Example: Health and safety | New picking layout changes walkways | All alternatives need a site risk assessment | H&S officer sign-off |
| [Area] | [Issue] | [Impact] | [Action] |
8. Operational feasibility
| Criterion | Finding | Score A2 | Score A3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Process fit | A3 supports wave picking natively; A2 needs workarounds | 3 | 4 |
| Example: User acceptance | Pilot users rated A3 handheld flow 4.3 of 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Example: Support model | A3 vendor provides 24x7 support; A2 relies on two staff | 2 | 4 |
| [Criterion] | [Finding] | [1-5] | [1-5] |
[Describe stakeholder views, training needs, and how operations continue during transition.]
9. Schedule feasibility
| Milestone | A2 date | A3 date | Constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Contract signed | YYYY-MM-DD | YYYY-MM-DD | Procurement takes 8 weeks |
| Example: Go-live before peak freeze | YYYY-MM-DD | YYYY-MM-DD | Freeze starts 1 October |
| [Milestone] | [Date] | [Date] | [Constraint] |
The indicative schedule for the leading alternative is shown below.
10. Cost estimates
| Cost item | Type | A2 | A3 | Basis of estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Software licences | Recurring | 45,000 | 120,000 | Vendor quotes, YYYY-MM |
| Example: Implementation services | One-off | 180,000 | 260,000 | Fixed-price proposals |
| Example: Hardware and devices | One-off | 140,000 | 90,000 | Catalogue prices |
| Example: Internal staff time | One-off | 95,000 | 110,000 | 1.2 FTE for 9 months |
| Example: Contingency (15%) | One-off | 62,000 | 70,000 | Policy rate |
| Total one-off | [total] | [total] | ||
| Total recurring per year | [total] | [total] |
Estimate accuracy: [range, for example -15% to +30%], based on [estimating class or method].
11. Risk analysis
| ID | Risk | Alternative | Likelihood (1-5) | Impact (1-5) | Score | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR-01 | Example: Vendor cannot meet go-live before peak freeze | A3 | 3 | 5 | 15 | Contractual milestone with penalty; pilot by August | @pm |
| FR-02 | Example: Legacy hardware fails during upgrade | A2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | Spare server, rollback plan | @it-ops |
| FR-03 | [Risk] | [Alt] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [L x I] | [Mitigation] | [@owner] |
12. Sensitivity analysis
| Variable | Base case | Low case | High case | NPV A3 low | NPV A3 high | Changes ranking? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Labour savings | 8 FTE | 5 FTE | 10 FTE | 140,000 | 720,000 | No |
| Example: Licence price increase | 0% | 0% | 25% | 410,000 | 290,000 | No |
| Example: Go-live delay | 0 months | 0 | 6 months | 410,000 | 180,000 | Yes, A2 leads if delay over 9 months |
| [Variable] | [Base] | [Low] | [High] | [NPV] | [NPV] | [Yes / No] |
Re-weighting check: [state whether the ranking holds when each TELOS weight is moved by plus or minus 0.10].
13. Conclusion and recommendation
| Dimension | Verdict for preferred alternative |
|---|---|
| Technical | [Feasible / Feasible with conditions / Not feasible] |
| Economic | [Verdict] |
| Legal | [Verdict] |
| Operational | [Verdict] |
| Scheduling | [Verdict] |
Recommendation: [Go / Conditional go / No-go] for [alternative].
[Explain in two or three paragraphs why the evidence supports this verdict, which dimension carries the most uncertainty, and what would have to change for the recommendation to reverse. Refer back to the switching points found in section 12 and the highest-scoring risks in section 11. If the verdict is no-go, state whether a smaller scope, a later date or a different alternative deserves a fresh study.]
- Conditions: [for example, data processing agreement signed before contract award]
- Next step: [for example, prepare full business case by YYYY-MM-DD]
- Decision needed from: [forum and date]
14. Appendices
- Appendix A: Detailed scoring worksheets [link]
- Appendix B: Vendor quotations and references [link]
- Appendix C: Proof-of-concept report [link]
- Appendix D: Interview and workshop notes [link]
Standard and licence note
Based on the widely taught TELOS feasibility framework (technical, economic, legal, operational and scheduling) and common project appraisal practice. This template is original text written for this collection and reproduces no text from any textbook or standard. This is a document format, not financial or legal advice. Template licence: MIT.
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