Rapid Application Development

Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a software development process that allows functioning application systems to be built in as little as 60-90 days. Compromises are often made using the 80/20 rule, which assumes that 80 percent of the required work can be completed in 20 percent of the time. Complicated exception handling, for example, can be omitted in the interest of delivering a working system sooner. If the process is repeated on the same set of requirements, the system is ultimately built out to meet 100 percent of the requirements in a manner similar to prototyping.

RAD is not useful in controlling project schedules or budgets, and in fact, requires a project manager who is highly skilled at managing schedules and controlling costs. It is most useful in situations where a rapid schedule is more important than product quality (measured in terms of conforming to all known requirements).

Object-oriented software tools, reusable software, prototyping, and fourth-generation language tools are helping systems builders create working systems much more rapidly than they could using traditional systems-building methods and software tools. The term Rapid Application Development (RAD) is used to describe this process of creating workable systems in a very short period of time. Rapid Application Development can include the use of visual programming and other tools for building graphical user interfaces, iterative prototyping of key system elements, the automation of program code generation, and close team­work among end users and information systems specialists. Simple systems often can be assembled from prebuilt components. The process does not have to be sequential, and key parts of development can occur simultaneously.

Sometimes a technique called joint application design (JAD) is used to accelerate the generation of information requirements and to develop the initial systems design. JAD brings end users and information systems specialists together in an interactive session to discuss the system's design. Properly prepared and facilitated, JAD sessions can significantly speed up the design phase and involve users at an intense level.

Agile development focuses on rapid delivery of working software by breaking a large project into a series of small sub-projects that are completed in short periods of time using iteration and continuous feedback. Each mini-project is worked on by a team as if it were a complete project, including planning, requirements analysis, design, coding, testing, and documentation. Improvement or addition of new functionality takes place within the next iteration as developers clarify requirements. This helps to minimize the overall risk, and allows the project to adapt to changes more quickly. Agile methods emphasize face-to-face communication over written documents, encouraging people to collaborate and make decisions quickly and effectively.

Questionnaire:

• What is Rapid Application Development? Explain.