7. Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Many projects take so long to complete that by the end of them, the user requirements have radically changed.

Large changes that happen at the late stages of system development will most likely result in late delivery and being over-budget. The project may even be cancelled as a result.

RAD (Rapid Application Development) offers a solution by enabling systems to be developed in a much faster time frame, often less than six months from start to finish.

This is made possible by the following approaches:

Idea 1: Use workshops and focus groups to gather requirements rather than a formal Requirement Document

Idea 2: Use prototyping to refine the system with heavy involvement of the user.

Idea 3: Allocate strict time limits to develop each part of the system. The intent is to develop a system that is 'good enough' rather than one bloated with bells and whistles.

Idea 4: Re-use software components already to hand.

Each of these ideas will be discussed over the next few pages.