What process produces a blueprint that details how hardware and software meet the needs of the organization?

• A. System design
• B. Benchmarking
• C. Feasibility study
• D. System analysis

Answer: (C)

Translating organizational needs into a concrete technical plan is the design stage of the system development life cycle. In system design, the requirements gathered during analysis are turned into a blueprint that specifies the solution architecture, including which hardware to deploy, what software to build or buy, how modules will interact, data flows, interfaces, and security and performance considerations. This blueprint guides the actual construction and integration of the system, ensuring the hardware and software work together to meet the organization’s goals.

A feasibility study, in contrast, evaluates whether the project should proceed by weighing technical feasibility, costs, benefits, and risks; it stops short of detailing the exact technical solution. System analysis focuses on understanding and documenting what the system needs to do and the information requirements, but does not design the final hardware/software configuration. That’s what system design provides.