Keys to Rapid Application Development, Agile Development, Joint Application Development, and Other Systems Development Approaches.

Comprehension questions:

1. What are the approaches to rapid development? (Prototyping, rapid application development, agile development or extreme programming (XP), and joint application envelopment );

2. Who are these systems development approaches created and why? (Often created by computer vendors and authors of systems development books, these approaches all attempt to deliver better systems);

3. What is Rapid application development (RAD)? (is a software development methodology that involves methods like iterative development and software prototyping. De­signed to speed application development. RAD reduces paper-based documentation, automatically generates program source code, and facilitates user participation in design and development activities. It makes adapting to changing system requirements easier);

4. What is agile development or extreme programming?( Other approaches to rapid development which allow the systems to change as they are being developed);

5. What is joint application development (JAD)? (other approach to rapid development in which users, stakeholders, and IS professionals work together to analyze existing systems, propose possible solutions, and define the requirements of a new or modified system);

6. What is a high-pressure development approach and why? (RAD is a high-pressure development approach that can easily result in employee burnout because of the full-time commitment and intense schedule deadlines);

7. What does JAD often use to foster positive group interactions and suppress negative group behavior? (group support systems (GSS) software);

8. Why are development approaches used? (to overcome some of the perceived disadvantages of the traditional «stems development life cycle. These approaches also take advantage of newer programming languages and techniques. );

9. What are the disadvantages of the traditional systems development life cycle? (problems with the Traditional project planning process, slow development times, a lower success rate, and not deifying user needs);

10. What are the additional systems development approaches? (adaptive software development, lean soft­ware development, the Rational Unified Process (RUP), Feature-Driven Development (FDD), and dynamic systems development method);

11. What has allowed non-IS employees to independently develop information systems that meet their needs? (The proliferation of general-purpose information technology and the flexibility of many packaged software programs);

12. How do IS professionals consider the value of these end-user systems development projects? (Initially, IS professionals discounted THE value of these projects. As the number and magnitude значительность of these projects increased, however IS professionals began to realize that for the good of the entire organization, their involvement with these projects needed to increase. Astute IS professionals encourage them by offfering guidance and support.);

13. What are the disadvantages of end-user systems development? (Some end users don't have the training to effectively develop and test a system; some end-user systems are also poorly documented; some end users spend time and corporate resources developing systems that were already available);

True or false

1. t);

2. t);

3. f – easier);

4. t);

5. t);

6. f – programmers);

7. t);

8. f - problem holders and solution providers);

9. t);

10. t);

11. f – discounted);

12. f - as complementary дополнительный, rather than in conflict with, existing and emerging information systems);

13. t);

Matching

1. – d Rapid application development (RAD) is a software development methodology that involves methods like iterative development and software prototyping.

2. – f Rational Rapid Developer is a RAD tool that a division of IBM uses to make developing large Java programs and applications easier and faster;

3. – a Extreme Programming (XP) is a software development methodology which is intended to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements;

4. – j JAD (Joint Application Development) is a methodology that involves the client or end user in the design and development of an application, through a succession of collaborative workshops called JAD sessions;

5. – b Group support systems (GSS) are interactive computer-based systems that allow groups of people throughout an institution to work on the same projects;

6. – e The Systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a process used by a systems analyst to develop an information system, training, and user (stakeholder) ownership;

7. - g Prototyping is a method used by designers to acquire feedback from users about future designs;

8. – h End-user systems development is a set of methods, techniques, and tools that allow users of software systems, who are acting as non-professional software developers, at some point to create, modify or extend a software artifact;

9. – c Vendor - in a supply chain is an enterprise that contributes goods or services in a supply chain;

10 – i Volatility - Tending to vary often or widely, as in price.

Fill in the gaps

1.application development

2. capabilities

3. repetitive

4. stakeholders

5. RAD

6. assignments

7. non-IS employees

8. end-user

9. encourage

Questions For discussion:

1. group support systems (GSS) VS face-to-face communication (FTF)? (Group support systems are collaborative software tools that can be used to focus and structure a team's. Group support systems (GSS) can be defined as an information technology-based environment using computer-mediated communications to support the work of groups that maybe geographically dispersed [10]. GSS software offers organizations a range of applications from brainstorming to categorizing to analyzing alternatives [16]. These systems allow people to share, organize, evaluate, make decisions, and plan for action. Companies use GSS to reduce travel expenses, increase effectiveness of group decision making, increase communication and collaboration and increase creativity There are a number of GSS products on the market such as Netscape’s Collabra Share, Novell’s Groupwise, Microsoft’s Exchange and Group Systems products [17]. Although there are many advantages, a major concern with utilizing GSS is the elimination, of traditional face-to-face (FTF) communication. Since FTF communication is eliminated those who use GSS need to be aware of this and then still find ways to effectively communicate among their group members.

http://moodle.technion.ac.il/pluginfile.php/316504/mod_resource/content/0/Papers/group_support_system.pdf

Group support systems were introduced in Chapter 10)

2. Why is Rapid Application Development the most revolutionary and successful change in IT business practices today? Rapid Application Development is far more than a simple management strategy or methodology. With the implementation of powerful software tools, RAD becomes a practical and realistic method for faster and more efficient software development. RAD takes advantage of automated tools and techniques to restructure the process of building information systems. This new process, extrapolated to the entire IS organization, results in a profound transformation of information systems development. RAD replaces hand-design and coding processes, which are dependent upon the skills of isolated individuals, with automated design and coding, which is an inherently more stable process. RAD may thus give an IS organization its first real basis for continuous improvement. In addition to being more stable, Rapid Application Development is a more capable process, as it is much faster and less error prone than hand coding. Traditional development lifecycles, however, are too slow and rigid to meet the business demands of today’s economy. A new methodology must be implemented, one that allows organizations to build software applications faster, better, and cheaper. RAD enables such development.

3. Discuss the Essential Aspects of RAD.

Rapid Application Development has four essential aspects: methodology, people, management, and tools. If any one of these ingredients is inadequate, development

will not be high speed. Development lifecycles, which weave these ingredients together as effectively as possible, are of the utmost importance.

4. Compares a RAD organization to a traditional IS organization.

When one compares a RAD organization to a traditional IS organization, one can clearly see an organization that is optimized for rapid development and an organization that is optimized for maintenance. Maintenance looks to the past, as it is threatened by change. Rapid development, however, looks toward the future, embracing that change. Professor Clifford Kettemborough thus states, “It is believed that the dominant trend of our era—in technology no less than anywhere else in our businesses—is unrelenting, accelerating change, and we expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future. If we are correct, [organizations] that fail to adopt RAD…will simply be left behind.”

Rapid Application Development, the development of higher-quality, cost-efficient software in a fraction of the time, has thus become a necessity as we strive to meet

the new demands of the software industry. Ed Yourdon acknowledges that “information technology is now a consumer commodity” and software developers must embrace this fact by challenging themselves to adopt new, innovative means of meeting consumer demands. Rapid Application Development, and its use of powerful CASE tools, is such a means. It is a dynamic process that emphasizes throughput (getting things out the door) while de-emphasizing control (blocking the door). It overcomes the challenges of more, better, and faster. It provides both a framework and the functional tools for achieving successful, accelerated software development. Rapid Application Development is, quite simply, RAD.

http://www.casemaker.com/download/products/totem/rad_wp.pdf

5. Reviews the modern SDLC which are

traditional methods and agile methods and explains the advantages and disadvantages of both methodologies.

Software Development Life Cycle is a methodology that depicts the entire development process, in which a software development organization ought to utilize to ensure a successful software development. While modern SDLC are divided into two main categories, which are traditional SDLC and agile SDLC.

As discussed earlier, agile SDLC excels traditional SDLC. However, agile SDLC also has its disadvantages. While agile SDLC is more suitable for small-medium project development, it is still better to adopt traditional SDLC for large-scale project. Therefore, it is important that development team select a SDLC that best suits the project.

There some criteria that development team could use to identify the desired SDLC, these include size of team, geographical situation, size and complexity of software, type of project, business strategy, engineering capability, and others where it may be found appropriate. It is also crucial for the team to study the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each SDLC before hammer down the decision. In addition, the team must study the business context, industry requirements, and business strategy to be able to assess the candidate SDLC against the selection criteria.

A SDLC selection and adoption process is crucial that it ensures the organization to maximize their

chance to deliver their software successfully, therefore selecting and adopting the right SDLC is a

management decision with long term implications. http://www.ipcsit.com/vol37/030-ICINT2012-I2069.pdf

6. Consider The Disadvantages of the End-User System Development Life Cycle.

The system development life cycle, or SDLC, is the process by which an organization designs and implements a new information system to solve a problem or to better meet the needs of end-users in the organization. There are several alternatives to the traditional approach to SDLC, including end-user system development. However, systems created by end-users have their own disadvantages

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Traditional SDLC

The traditional model for the systems development life cycle, or SDLC, is a top-down approach. Designated experts first identify the goal to be achieved or the problem to be solved. Then the requirements of the project are analyzed by the design team so that the goals of the project can be met. The design of the new system is based on this analysis. Once a design is complete, the necessary hardware and software for the new system is obtained, and finally the new system is put into place. By contrast, the end-user model of system development works from the bottom up. The end-users of the system are in charge of putting it together, essentially on an ad hoc basis.

End-User System Development

One of the problems with the traditional model of SDLC is that the entire process is carried out without any input from the end-user, who sees only the finished system. The end-user system development life cycle reverses this process, by putting the end-users in charge of the entire design life cyce, often with little involvement from expert designers. Although this type of life cycle does tend to be more satisfying to the end-users, it can also produce some problems. These include a lack of quality control and oversight, a lack of control over the data in the system, and a tendency for end-users involved in the project to create applications for their own private use.

Quality Control

The traditional SDLC approach involves a review process and a degree of oversight by the management of the organization to ensure that the finished system serves the goals of the organiation and furthers its overall strategy. Quality control is assured by the use of expert designers who understand both the organization's goals and the available design tools. In the end-user system development life cycle, the end-users are likely to emphasize their own needs and preferences rather than the goals of the organization as a whole. In addition, they may not have the expertise needed to ensure high levels of quality control.

Data Control

In the traditional systems development approach, any data concerning the organization is in the hands of designated experts working as a team under supervision. In the end-user model of systems development, access to data cannot be controlled from above as reliably. The end-users construct the system in collaboration, with each contributing some aspect of the overall system in response to some perceived need. This can result in a somewhat chaotic combination of elements, created piecemeal by multiple users rather than in service of an overall vision of what is needed.