Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules

The Bottom Line on Throwaway Prototyping

The greatest schedule benefit of Throwaway Prototyping arises from its risk-reduction potency. It might not shorten a schedule at all, but by exploring high-risk areas early, it reduces schedule volatility. Any direct schedule benefits from Throwaway Prototyping depend on what specific area of a product is prototyped.

Steven J. Andriole has run his own requirements-modeling and prototyping business since 1980 and is the author of Rapid Application Prototyping (Andriole 1992). He says that the main lesson he's learned in his business is that the Throwaway Prototyping practice, when used to clarify requirements, "is always cost effective and always improves specifications" (his emphasis) (Andriole 1994).