Design Methodology › Step Three: Building a Prototype › Uses for the Prototype

Uses for the Prototype

The prototype provides the following benefits:

• Aids in the design process — The prototype helps to build relationships between the basic information entities (data items, records) of the business application, and between the information entities and the activities to be automated (for example, online screens/transactions, reports, batch jobs).
• Maximizes end-user participation — The prototype provides an end-user view of the application from an early point in the development process. Most importantly, the users are actually seeing the prospective system online.

  Additionally, the user can participate in the step-by-step progress being made and can give valuable feedback while the application is still in its formative stage. As a review mechanism, the online screen walk-through provides a concrete means of checking to see if the application meets user needs.

• Enhances project control — The prototype provides an effective tool for monitoring the progress of the application development process.
• Enables training — The prototype can be used as a training tool for the data administrator and programmers on the development team. It enables them to become familiar with design techniques, dialog specifications, and documentation. The use of naming conventions, standardized coding procedures, and boilerplate process code facilitate the learning process. Additionally, the prototype can be employed by end users as a tool for training their own staff prior to implementation of the application in their production environment.
• Establishes security procedures — The prototype can incorporate the desired security standards without waiting for the source process code to be developed; thus, security procedures become established and understood by the end users at an early stage in the development of an application.
• Provides an adaptable marketing tool — A prototype can be developed as a demonstration model for use with prospective customers. As only a minimal amount of source code needs to be created, it is easy to adjust the prototype in response to specific user requests.