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Description Systems and Diagramming Methods
Prototyping: Creating a model of the target system
The emergence of Prototyping
Most managers have a good idea what they want in an information system, but they do not know exactly what they want. This a problem when it comes to developing information systems. Systems analysts and programmers must have precise specifications to create an information system.
The prespecification approach forces users into committing themselves to specs long before they feel comfortable with the specs. Realistically users cannot become comfortable with a system, nor can they recognize the potential of a system, until they have had an opportunity to work with it . In the prespecification approach, user familiarity comes after the fact and too late for quick fixes and inexpensive modifications.
After implementation, even small changes to an information system can be time consuming and expensive. Today project team members are able to use fourth-generation languages, application generators, and other development tools to create prototype systems that, to the user at a terminal or PC appear and act very much like the finished product.
