Project Reports & CMA Data · Question

What is the difference between a feasibility report and a project report?

Short answer

A feasibility report asks whether an idea should be pursued at all, and it is allowed to conclude no. A project report assumes the decision has been taken and sets out how the venture will be built, funded and repaid. The first guides the promoter's choice; the second is written for a lender, subsidy body or investor who must be convinced.

In more detail

Think of the two documents as answers to different questions. The feasibility study is exploratory. It compares locations, technologies, market sizes and rough cost ranges, and it often weighs two or three alternatives against each other. Its tone is open: it may find that the market is crowded, that raw material is hard to source, or that returns are thin.

The project report, often called a detailed project report or DPR, is a commitment document. It fixes the product, the plant or premises, the machinery list, the cost of the project, the means of finance, projected financial statements and the repayment schedule. A lender reads it to judge whether the numbers hang together and whether the promoter understands the business.

A sound project report usually borrows its market and technical conclusions from an earlier feasibility exercise. If that exercise was skipped, lenders tend to find the gaps through their questions: why this site, why this capacity, why this machinery.

Where the two documents usually differ
Feasibility report	Project report
Read mainly by the promoter	Read by lender, investor or subsidy body
Decides whether to proceed	Supports a funding request
Neutral, and may say no	Committed to one plan
Rough ranges in financials	Detailed projections and schedules

Small ventures can combine them

For a modest expansion, the feasibility reasoning can sit as a short section inside the project report, provided the market and technical logic is actually shown and not just asserted.

Key points

A feasibility report supports the go or no-go decision; a project report supports the funding request.
Feasibility work may compare alternatives; a project report fixes one plan with costs and schedules.
Lenders rarely ask for the feasibility report separately, but they test whether its logic exists.
Using the terms interchangeably is common, so confirm what your lender or scheme actually asks for.

Who this applies to

First-time promoters deciding whether a new unit is worth building.
Owners who have been asked for a project report and are unsure what it must contain.
Existing businesses planning an expansion or a new product line.

Last reviewed 3 October 2026

This answer is general information, not advice on your particular case. Terms, eligibility, and requirements change, so check the current position with the relevant institution or authority.