This document discusses issues in rapid application development. It outlines some general characteristics of RAD including the usage of specialized support tools like visual development tools, APIs, version control tools, and content management systems. It also discusses strategies like time boxing, iterative evolutionary prototyping, and joint application development meetings. The document then covers dimensions that impact speed like people, process, product, and technology. It analyzes advantages and disadvantages of the RAD approach and when RAD is most suitable versus when it may fail. Finally, it discusses the importance of customer involvement in RAD projects.

1. 2. Issues in Rapid Application
Development
Kasun Ranga Wijeweera
(krw19870829@gmail.com)

2. General Characteristics
• Usage of Specialized Support Tools
– Visual Development Tools
• E.g. RAD Studio XE6
– Application Programming Interfaces (API)
• E.g. STL in C++, Java API
– Version Control Tools
• E.g. CVS, RCS, PRCS
– Content Management Systems (CMS)
• E.g. OpenCms, Joomla, Drupal

3. General Characteristics
• Usage of Specialized Support Tools…
– Pure Simulations
• E.g. ASCEND, FreeMat
– Multiple Programming Languages
• E.g. Emacs
– Teamwork
• E.g. MagicDraw
– Team Scheduling
• E.g. schedueit

4. General Characteristics
• Time Boxing
– Development is done iteratively
– Each iteration is done in a time box of fixed
duration
– Secondary requirements may be ignored in order
to stay on schedule

5. General Characteristics
• Iteratively Evolutionary Prototyping
– Joint Application Development Meeting (JADM)
• Generating a rough list of requirements
– Iterative throughout the process
• Developers build/refine prototype
• Designers review the prototype
• Customers tryout the prototype
– Focus group meeting
• At some stage exploratory prototypes may evolve into
operational prototypes

6. Strategy in RAD
• Get rid of classic mistakes
• Application of development fundamentals
• Proper management of risks to avoid roll backs
• Focus on schedule oriented practices

7. Dimensions of Speed
• People
• Process
• Product
• Technology

8. People
• People play the most important role on
software productivity and software quality
• The issues are motivation, teamwork, staff
selection and training
• Ways to maximize human potential
– Staff selection for team projects
• Top talent, Job matching, Career progression, Team
balance
– Team organization and motivation

9. Process
• Process consists of both technical and
management methodologies
• A well planned process can help:
– Rework avoidance
– Quality assurance
– Risk management
– Customer orientation
– Resource targeting

10. Product
• Development time depends on product size
and product characteristics
• Product size
– This is the major contributor to the development
time
• Product characteristics
– A product with ambiguous goals will take longer to
develop than a product with well defined goals

11. Technology
• Use of effective tools can enhance the
development time
• Choice of effective tools and management of
risks are the basic aspects of rapid
development

12. General Constraints of RAD
• The acceptance criterion of deliverables:
– “Fit for business”
• All constituencies which can impact
requirements must be informed to the
development team throughout the process
• Informal deliverables should be accepted by
customers and developers
– Paper prototypes, Notes of requirements,
Minimum documentation

13. When RAD works?
• The application is standalone
• Heavy use of APIs
• Constrained project scope
• Performance is not critical
• Reliability is not critical
• System can be divided into independent
modules
• The technology is well established

14. When RAD fails?
• The application must communicate with
existing program
• Minimum resource consumption is required
• The system cannot be modularized
• Technical risks are high due to the use of
BLEEDING EDGE technology
• Higher level of reliability is required

15. Advantages of RAD
• Early visibility due to prototyping
• Greater flexibility due to the developers
involvement in management
• Higher user involvement
• Reduction of manual coding
– Wizards, Code generators, Code reuse
• Fewer defects
– Due to the use of third party building blocks

16. Advantages of RAD…
• Reduction of cost
– “Time is money”, Code reuse
• Shorter development cycles
– Focus on schedule than economy and quality
• Standard look and feel
– APIs and reusable components provide
consistency

17. Disadvantages of RAD
• Tools can be expensive
• Hard to measure the progress
– No milestones as in classic way
• Non optimized code
• Many defects are possible
• Third party components may not provide
required functionality or add unnecessary
functionality

18. Customer Oriented Development
• Not every solution developed is good for
customers
• Customer Oriented Development has a big
impact on development speed
• Nature of customers vary from project to
project

19. Customer’s Importance to RAD
• User involvement is the number one reason for
a successful project
– Standish group, 1994
• Easy access to end users is one of the critical
factors in RAD projects
– Millington and Stapleton, 1995
• Good relation with customers
– Improve actual development speed
– Improve perceived development speed

20. Customer Oriented Practices
• Customer oriented practices provide the best
way for customer satisfaction
• Categories for RAD purposes
– Planning
– Requirement
– Design
– Construction

21. Criteria for Tool Acquisition
• Estimated gain
• Vendor stability
• Quality
• Maturity
• Training time
• Applicability
• Compatibility

22. Thank you!