Rapid Application Development (RAD)
Another approach to project management is Rapid Application Development (RAD). This is an alternative to the waterfall model approach, although it is often combined with the waterfall model. RAD has become important in recent years because of the rise of something called 'Object Oriented Programming'.
The traditional waterfall approach has some drawbacks. For example, it can take a while for customers to actually see the final product. Another concern is that software produced using this approach in theory is easy to change but in practice is difficult. The RAD approach is different to the classic systems life cycle. It involves designing and building a series of prototypes. After each one is built, the user is involved. They are asked to try out and comment on features and test some of the functions. Their comments are then fed back into the next design and prototype and a better one is produced. This process is repeated until the product is finished. After each round, the product gets closer to the desired end product. The product is in effect developed a little bit at a time but constantly involves the customer throughout the development process. It is very common to combine the classic waterfall model with this rapid application prototyping approach; the waterfall model is followed, but the design and implementation stages involve the user commenting on a series of prototypes.
