95 c h a p t e r 5 Risk reduction through prototyping

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PART II

 

Requirements development

The word prototype has multiple meanings, and participants in a prototyping activity can hold 

very different expectations. A prototype airplane actually flies—it’s the first instance of a new type of 

 airplane. In contrast, a software prototype is only a portion or a model of a real system—it might not 

do anything useful at all. Software prototypes can be static designs or working models; quick sketches 

or highly detailed screens; visual displays or full slices of functionality; or simulations (Stevens et al. 

1998; Constantine and Lockwood 1999).

This chapter describes how prototyping provides value to the project and different kinds of 

 prototypes you might create for different purposes. It also offers guidance on how to use them 

during requirements development, as well as ways to make prototyping an effective part of your 

software engineering process.