Rapid Application Development

Why?

• Websites are unlike normal systems. Content, look and feel, features etc are not “fixed”

• Different people have different expectations of what they want out of the system

• It’s easier to make comments when you have something to try or play with

So?• Instead of building one system and testing it after

everything in complete …

• We build it in SHORT and QUICK SHORT and QUICK CYCLES. Each cycle implements a subset of features for the entire system

• At each cycle, you will get to• Test the system• Provide comments on the system features• Provide comments on future cycles (before they are built)

• This is called Rapid Application Development (RAD)

COMPARE

Traditional Model

RapidApplicationDevelopment

Advantages (1)

• Quick! – You can get your hands on the system quickly!! (every few weeks or each month and not after 3 or 4 months)

• It’s not too late! – Your experience and comments at each cycle can help to shape what is built in the future cycles

Advantages (2)

• Progression – Problems/ issues / errors / opinions are captured early and progressively

• Fix as you test – As far as possible, bugs are fixed and “deployed” at the end of each day

• Stability – End product is more stable since there have been many rounds of testing

Disadvantages?

• More Testing – There are many test cycles (actually 5). So the involvement is heavier

• RAPID and PROGRESSIVE – It also means that time for testing is short (a few days)

• Partial Cycles – Each cycle is “part” of the full system. You will see the full system only at the end.

Caveat

• While it is progressive, the team cannot make MAJOR changes in mid-stream.

• So RAD helps to grow a system. But it can’t grow a new or different system

RAD Process Flow