초록
Prototyping poses the question of why the use of structured methods and a systematic approach to design are necessary. Prototyping and 4GL (4th Generation Language) development are fine so long as they are not used on complex systems, but the boundaries of their effectiveness are limited. by the following conditions: ● Applications have to be small enough to be developed by one person acting as an analyst-programmer. Large systems require communication between people, integration, and, hence, a systematic approach coupled to standardized notation of models as provided by structured methods. ● Applications are restricted to information systems where the prime purpose is to provide reports on business transactions. More complex applications with many algorithms and computation exceed the power of 4GLs. Given these limitations, a large number of applications can be, and have been, developed by end users. The authors of structured methods have recognised this fast track of systems development and created cut-down versions to suit prototyping, e.g. IE-RAD, Systemcraft. Even with prototyping, methods are necessary to guide analysis, and in interface design guidelines are still necessary to ensure interfaces are well designed.
