PROTOTYPING
Prototyping
produces an early, rapidly constructed working version of the proposed
information system, called aprototype.
Prototyping, which involves a repetitive
sequence of analysis, design, modeling, and
testing, is a common technique that can be
used to design anything from a new home to
a computer network. For example, engineers
use a prototype to evaluate an aircraft design
before production begins, as shown in the
wind tunnel testing in Figure 7-26.
User input and feedback is essential at every
stage of the systems development process.
Prototyping allows users to examine a model
that accurately represents system outputs,
inputs, interfaces, and processes. Users can
FIGURE 7-26 Wind tunnel testing is a typical example of prototyping.
“test-drive” the model in a risk-free environment and either approve it or request
changes. In some situations, the prototype evolves into the final version of the information system; in other cases, the prototype is intended only to validate user requirements
and is discarded afterward.
Perhaps the most intense form of prototyping occurs when agile methods are used.
As you learned in Chapter 1, agile methods build a system by creating a series of prototypes and constantly adjusting them to user requirements. As the agile process continues,
developers revise, extend, and merge earlier versions into the final product. An agile
approach emphasizes continuous feedback, and each incremental step is affected by
what was learned in the prior steps.