Rapid application development for everyone
Powerful and fast approach to software engineering
What is rapid application development
Rapid application development (RAD) is an agile and iterative approach to building software centered on adaptability, fast prototyping, and early engagement of end-users. Due to putting more emphasis on adaptive processes instead of planning, rapid app development enables teams to effectively collaborate and create new applications faster. Rapid application development model allows to measure progress and communicate on evolving issues or changes in real-time. This results in greater efficiency, better-optimized development process, and more productive communication. Related project management techniques are best described in "Rapid development", a classic book by Steve McConnell.
Rapid application development tools include graphical user interface builders, CASE tools, and code generators. New generation rapid application development tools, such as low-code or no-code RAD platforms, make it possible to create your own app with a fraction of coding effort required previously or, in simple cases, to rapidly build an app without coding at all.
Rapid application development tools include graphical user interface builders, CASE tools, and code generators. New generation rapid application development tools, such as low-code or no-code RAD platforms, make it possible to create your own app with a fraction of coding effort required previously or, in simple cases, to rapidly build an app without coding at all.
The approach laid out in the 1980s
As early as 1986, Synon Corporation pioneered the approach to software development, which later became known as Architected Rapid Application Development. Its Synon/2 tool allowed developers to focus on the development of data models and automatically generated high-level language application code according to a selected pattern. The tool was a hit in the development community and is still in use today. The generic RAD approach introduced in the early days of Synon Corporation is continued to be elaborated by successor platforms and forms the foundation of the technology behind rapid application development tools and Codejig products.
Squeeze years into days
Traditional software development life cycle starts with planning and designing and is followed by building a basic version and testing it, then adjusting it according to the received feedback. This process may take months or years. Instead, with Codejig rapid application development platform that has powerful inbuilt tools, developers deliver apps in days or weeks. RAD platform does not eliminate the need for planning and testing but enables the developers and the other team members to condense things and do them much faster than with traditional development tools.
Rapid prototyping technology
Rapid prototyping is often used as a part of the rapid application development methodology. Rapid prototyping technology is the key element of RAD’s speed because it allows sharing the app prototype with the target user groups, to test it and to consider user feedback. The possibility of visualizing prototypes and simulating application behavior, as well as collaboration on prototypes greatly increases the chances of acceptance of the application by end-users. Once a prototype is validated, developers build a working model based on a defined set of requirements. With the help of rapid application development tools, such as Codejig App Builder, ideas get rapidly translated into visual and functional representations.
Advantages of rapid application development
The rapid application development model is one of the most functional software development methodologies available today, beneficial to both developers and clients. Rapid app building with the use of the RAD model allows to minimize the planning stage and to maximize the prototype development stage. Minimal value product (MVP) appears faster with the help of rapid application development tools than with the other project management approaches. Businesses get an opportunity to review functionality earlier in the application life cycle, which helps to avoid rework. Moreover, developers will rapidly build and deploy prototypes, so that users can interact with them, which gives an opportunity to estimate risk factors and adjust to them based on empirical evidence collected in the early phase of the process.
A win-win strategy
Higher usability is achieved by giving more attention to the business problems that are critical to end-users rather than the technical problems that are of interest to developers. Therefore, clients get a carefully designed working product in a shorter span of time. It’s a win-win strategy.
Development from front-end to back-end
Traditionally, designing an enterprise app that covers your business needs requires involving both front-end and back-end developers with different skill sets. The growing demand for moving existing applications to new platforms and building applications to support new products and services is much bigger than the capacity of most IT departments to deliver. However, rapid application development tools allow for producing competitive solutions with a single skill set. The Codejig RAD platform uses the same visual language for front-end and back-end. It simplifies the development process, so you no longer need multiple complex technologies to create interactive customizable apps for mobile devices, cloud, and on-premise deployments.
Disadvantages of rapid application development
Rapid prototyping process requires much more interaction between developers and clients throughout the entire software life-cycle. Unlike in the traditional approach, users are involved from the beginning and through virtually the whole process of software development. So, if clients are not ready to commit to working closely with the development team, the Rapid Application Development (RAD) approach may not be the best solution for you. If you work on a very large application, much attention must be paid to proper application architecture design. The rush into prototyping at the expense of the design phase may backfire in later stages of the software development life cycle. That is why it is important to define your project before using rapid application development tools.
Summary
Like any model and methodology, rapid app development is the most suitable for a particular class of business applications and cases. It is not a silver bullet and it can neither transform bad software engineers into good ones nor, taken alone, ensure the success of the software project. No methodology or tool can do that. However, if you are not quite sure what approach to choose, rapid application development with Codejig App Builder is a good one to start with.