
RAD is popular, but it isn’t perfect for every situation. This might entail optimizing or even re-engineering some parts of the product, making connections between the back end and production data, writing formal documentation, and any other polishing required for the product to be handed over. 4 – Cutover/FinalizationĪt this stage, developers work to pay down any technical debt they may have accrued while racing toward a working prototype earlier in the process. At this point, the development team can move along to step number four and finalize the product. Eventually, the prototype will get to a place where it receives enough positive feedback that no more changes are necessary to satisfy client requirements. RAD processes iterate phases one through three as many times as necessary. After internalizing feedback from the client and other stakeholders, teams can get back to work on the prototype. They may find that one of the requirements that sounded good on paper back in phase one doesn’t add anything to the working prototype.
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3 – Construction Based on FeedbackĪt this phase, stakeholders update or entirely modify their earlier requirements. The final stages of RAD help pay down technical debt and finalize the product. A team might have to cut some corners or accrue technical debt to develop a working prototype as early as possible. Getting input on prototypes early and often can help keep a project moving in the right direction because stakeholders have multiple opportunities to weigh in on how the prototype satisfies their requirements. As long as it satisfies at least some of the core requirements gathered in the first phase, it doesn't necessarily have to be perfect-just functional. Essentially, the developers create a prototype to demonstrate to the client as early as possible. The prototype stage is key for RAD methodology. At the end of a requirements-gathering stage, the developers have some idea of the vision for the project, and they also have the freedom to modify the requirements at any point along the way. Stakeholders, including clients and developers, work together to identify goals and expectations for a project and to discuss potential issues that might arise. Traditional project management involves months going over requirements and creating specifications documents, but the requirements phase in rapid application development is more about establishing the project's general direction. From there, it's possible to finalize the product. Once the prototype is advanced enough to get user feedback, the team tests and internalizes the input to improve their product. In the first phase of rapid application development, teams define a loose set of requirements, then quickly get to work developing a prototype. The RAD methodology follows four defined phases. Critical Phases in the RAD Methodology Lifecycle Teams taking the RAD approach move projects through four phases to measure progress in real-time. Unlike traditional approaches comprising long planning and documentation processes, the RAD methodology minimizes the planning stage and maximizes the time spent on prototype development. Rapid application development is an agile project management strategy. Table of Contents What Is Rapid Application Development? Developers and other stakeholders choose RAD prototyping and agile development to enhance visibility, accountability, and flexibility. Rapid Application Development (RAD) had already started to replace the Waterfall method among leading IT engineering teams in the early 1990s and became an important component of agile in the aughts.

In the couple decades since agile methodology emerged as a project management strategy, it has quickly won out as the preferred development method for several leading teams.
