The availability of powerful CASE software makes it possible for developers to create systems much faster than ever before. Yet many organizations that have introduced CASE tools have not significantly improved their productivity. Too often, the user specifications are frozen before the technical design, coding and testing are accomplished. In other cases, users are presented with an inadequate system because the needs of the business have changed substantially during the many months spent waiting for the system to become operational. The shorter the elapsed time between User Design and cutover, the more likely it is that the system will be satisfactory to the users. Rapid development techniques address the need for quality by involving users in the analysis and design of the system, and address the need for speed by using CASE tools, which allow the design to be converted to code as quickly as possible.
Quality is a primary concept in the RAD environment. Systems developed using the RAD development path meet the needs of their users effectively and have low maintenance costs.
The quality of a system is defined as the degree to which the system meets business requirements (or user requirements) at the time it begins operation. This is fundamentally different from the more usual definition of quality as the degree to which a system conforms to written specifications.
Rapid development, high quality and lower costs go hand-in-hand if an appropriate development methodology is used.
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