rapid application development

Rapid application development (RAD) is both a general term used to refer to alternatives to the conventional waterfall model of software development as well as the name for James Martin's approach to rapid development. In general, RAD approaches to software development put less emphasis on planning tasks and more emphasis on development. In contrast to the waterfall model, which emphasizes rigorous specification and planning, RAD approaches emphasize the necessity of adjusting requirements in reaction to knowledge gained as the project progresses. This causes RAD to use prototypes in addition to or even sometimes in place of design specifications. RAD approaches also emphasize a flexible process that can adapt as the project evolves rather than rigorously defining specifications and plans correctly from the start. In addition to James Martin's RAD methodology, other approaches to rapid development include Agile methods and the spiral model. RAD is especially well suited (although not limited to) developing software that is driven by user interface requirements. Graphical user interface builders are often called rapid application development tools.