Name: Ruth Ann S. Basnillo

Section: O0A

Book: Systems Analysis and Design Fifth Edition

Authors: Kenneth Kendall

               Julie Kendall

Reference No.: QA 76.9 S88 K45 2002

Chapter: Eight

Quote: “…effective prototyping should come early in the systems development life cycle,

during the requirements determination phase.”

Review:

PROTOTYPING

            Prototyping is a technique used by systems analysts to gather with fastness the information about the requirements of users. To be effective, it should be done before determining the requirements needed in the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). But then, knowledge of the entire systems development life cycle is required to have this done.

            This technique needs seeking of four kinds of information: (1) initial user reactions, (2) user suggestions, (3) possible innovations, and (4) revision plans.

            Initial User Reactions. When presenting a prototype of the information system, a systems analyst must be interested with how users and management would react to the prototype to know if the prototyped features of the system respond to what the users need. And these reactions are gathered through different ways like observation, interviews and feedback sheets often in the form of questionnaires. It is very important to have this kind of information because this would determine the personal opinions of the users as they interact with it.

            User suggestions. Suggestions, which are the product of user’s interaction with the prototype for a specific period of time, is needed to be sought because this would direct the analyst towards way of cleaning up the prototype to fit user’s needs.

            Innovations. This is the kind information needed to determine the new system capabilities of the prototyped system that has not been thought of prior to user’s interaction with it. These new features could be part of the finished system if successfully added.

            Revision plans. This feature lets prototyping and planning to go hand in hand by helping identify priorities for the next thing to be prototyped and allowing the analyst to redirect plans cheaply, with less disruption.