When it comes to IT projects, some people have the vision, others the handi-work, and still others the skills to bring them together. The project is the path to make that vision a reality. Prototyping is a great tool to speed the project along with accuracy, success, and ultimately to client satisfaction.
In the 90's, the 4th generation languages made their entrance into the software development world. This enabled developers to work side by side with business people to prototype screens. In real time, business people would investigate different page layouts, graphic designs, and could envision business scenario execution with the evolving screen. This was an enormous productivity tool as it enabled project managers to turn around revisions of screens in minutes instead of hours resulting in shorter development timelines, solutions that met business needs to a higher degree, and happier customers.
With the advent of integrated development environments (IDEs) for both software applications and suites of applications like Salesforce and BigMachines, the concept of prototyping has extended into complete business functions. With BigMachines for example, consultants can prototype the entire quoting process including product configuration, rules and bills of materials, or pricing and even reports in Document Engine. In Salesforce for example, consultants can prototype sales or services processes, sharing rules for accounts or opportunities. Essentially, consultants can now prototype any business process extending the value of shorter development time, better solutions, and happier end customers to nearly all aspects of an implementation. This results in shorter implementation times at lower cost, higher returns on investment (ROI), and more value to the business. In the current era with broadband internet connections, and using tools such as GoToMeeting or Webex, this prototyping technique is also leveraged for virtual teams.
In order to accomplish this, the resources working with the business need a special set of skills including:
- Real time understanding of the business scenario or issue
- Real time ideas on how to solve the business scenario or issue
- Deep understanding on the commercial software product and how to configure the product to solve the business scenario
- Patience and poise to work through multiple different scenarios as business people investigate different options, weigh the pros and cons of each option, and determine the optimal solution
- Project Managers able to leverage this technique while maintaining project budget and schedule constraints
This rare blend of business expertise, technical prowess, patience, and management skills is difficult to find in an organization but very valuable once found and put to use. So, it's not the prototype itself, that achieves client satisfaction, but the successful execution of the project using prototypes that achieves this ultimate goal.
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