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G.1 Prototyping Procedures

Follow the software prototyping stages (planning, development, and specification) as a supplement to the SBA SDM for all software prototyping projects. Prototyping projects that continue to full-scale development must continue to follow the SBA SDM once the final prototype has been accepted and formally specified.

Prototyping projects that require two weeks or less to develop will follow the software prototyping stages but may require less project control and documentation than those of longer duration. (See the Short-term Prototyping section of this document for more details.) Information for supplementing the SDM includes:

• G.1.1 Prototyping and the SBA SDM Lifecycle
• G.1.2 General Documentation Requirements in Software Prototyping

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G.1.1 Prototyping and the SBA SDM Lifecycle

G.1.2 General Documentation Requirements in Software Prototyping

G.1.1 Prototyping and the SBA SDM Lifecycle

Begin all prototyping projects after the Needs Statement is approved. The Needs Statement, prepared during the Initiate Project phase, is one of the primary inputs to the prototyping project.

Once a project has been approved for prototyping by the project manager, follow software prototyping techniques until an acceptable prototype is developed. Software prototyping involves an iterative process in which each iteration results in an improved, more targeted version of the prototype. When the final prototype has been approved, re-enter the SBA SDM lifecycle and once again follow the SDM.

All software development efforts follow the SBA SDM to produce the deliverables specified in the SDM. In addition, projects using prototyping produce the deliverables specified in software prototyping.

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G.1.1 Prototyping and the SBA SDM Lifecycle

G.1.2 General Documentation Requirements in Software Prototyping

G.1.2 General Documentation Requirements in Software Prototyping

Prototyping does not eliminate the need for documentation. Written documentation prepared throughout software prototyping describes the evolving prototype at the appropriate level of detail and provides necessary information to managers, developers, and system users.

A software prototype permits two types of documentation: a working model (including a draft User's Manual) and traditional documentation such as data flow diagrams (DFDs), data dictionary listings, screen and report layouts, etc. Software prototyping stages are marked by specific deliverables. For details see Table G-1, SBA Prototyping Deliverables and Responsibilities, or Table G-2, SBA Short-term Prototyping Deliverables and Responsibilities.

Most documentation requirements of software prototyping reside in the areas of front-end planning; rapid analysis; and, after the prototype is accepted, the final specification task. This approach allows the developers the necessary freedom to build, demonstrate, and refine the prototype, requiring only minor updates to some of the documentation previously produced.

KEY:

PM = Project Manager

U = User

P = Primary

S = Secondary

X = Exclusive

PP = To be included in the Project Plan of the project following SDM

* Concurrence between user, project manager, and IT regarding functional decision; documented in the System Decision Paper.

KEY:

PM = Project Manager

U = User

P = Primary

S = Secondary

X = Exclusive

PP = To be included in the Project Plan of the project following SDM

* Concurrence between user, project manager, and IT regarding functional decision; documented in the System Decision Paper.

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*Last Modified: 11-19-01