There are few formal prototyping methodologies even though most Agile Methods
rely heavily upon prototyping techniques.
Dynamic systems development method
Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) is a framework for delivering
business solutions that relies heavily upon prototyping as a core technique, and
is itself ISO 9001 approved. It expands upon most understood definitions of a
prototype. According to DSDM the prototype may be a diagram, a business process,
or even a system placed into production. DSDM prototypes are intended to be
incremental, evolving from simple forms into more comprehensive ones.
DSDM prototypes may be throwaway or evolutionary. Evolutionary
prototypes may be evolved horizontally (breadth then depth) or vertically (each
section is built in detail with additional iterations detailing subsequent
sections). Evolutionary prototypes can eventually evolve into final systems.
The four categories of prototypes as recommended by DSDM are:
Business prototypes � used to design and demonstrates the
business processes being automated.
Usability prototypes � used to define, refine, and demonstrate
user interface design usability, accessibility, look and feel.
Performance and capacity prototypes - used to define,
demonstrate, and predict how systems will perform under peak loads as well
as to demonstrate and evaluate other non-functional aspects of the system
(transaction rates, data storage volume, response time, etc.)
Capability/technique prototypes � used to develop, demonstrate,
and evaluate a design approach or concept.
