Prototyping

Prototyping is a technique that can support a variety of analysis and design activities. Prototyping performance is a form of simulation. It can also be used to explore technical design and performance issues.

In analysis, prototyping can be used to explore a business requirement by simulating the design of a system that might support that requirement.

In design, prototyping is commonly used to check and improve the user interface and dialog structure.

Prototyping using the CA Gen Construction Toolset can be:

Simply displaying layouts for user acceptance.
Simulating the execution of a dialog.
Constructing of all or part of a working system with which users can interact and evaluate.

The system can be executed in a test environment. If some aspect of system performance is to be verified, it can be executed in a technical environment that replicates some part of the planned operational environment.

CA Gen is a prototyping tool because of the speed and ease with which a design can be modified and regenerated to meet the need for a change or to explore a design alternative. CA Gen lets you make changes that can be related to the business requirements defined during analysis. It is not necessary to use the full operational environment to execute parts of the system.