Version-oriented prototyping - preserving instead of discarding

Procedure models divide the overall task of software implementations into sub-tasks. The oldest model for the development and implementation of software solutions is the classical waterfall model including several successive phases for the entire requirements analysis and documentation, software design as well as software development.

All experiences over the past few decades have shown that is not possible to gather all requirements at their full extent right at the beginning of a long and large software project. Therefore, further procedure models have been established in software engineering dividing the task into incremental, version-oriented or prototypical aspects. In recent times, these basic concepts and procedure models are propagated as “agile methods”, although a method itself cannot be agile, but the project management should become agile by using the method.

consenso has opted for a version-oriented prototyping procedure instead of rapid prototyping, where the prototype is discarded again after creation.

consenso’s methodology as well as its underlying procedure model have various advantages. First of all, the process can be shown to the users directly in the system enabling immediate changes of the software if the result is not as expected (thus supporting refactoring as an essential postulate of eXtreme programming as an important agile method). Secondly, the procedure offers the advantage that the expenses arising from the requirements analysis and software implementation are not doubled. This procedure model promotes structured and efficient further development that can be traced in the system at any time due to four prototypes (in different versions) based on each other, ensuring a high level of transparency for the customers and users through practical work in the system. Hence, unnecessary abstractions for the users can be avoided that usually lead to false requirements, and thus to expensive and misguided developments.