Mastering the Requirements Process, 4th Edition

Part III

Prototyping for Requirements

Prototypes, as we are using the term here, are explorations of the problem space. You can think of them as experimenting with the problem by proposing a solution. History is full of such experiments: Some were tried and abandoned for being impractical; some were tried and, while not developed, led to further experiments in a different, successful direction; and some showed that the product under consideration was worthwhile and viable.

We are using prototypes to rapidly explore the problem, explore the customer’s perception of the problem, and ensure that we are indeed solving the right problem.

Sometimes the customer doesn’t know what is needed and won’t know it until he sees it.

Traditionally, once you ...