End Users Are Critical in Rapid Development
End users play a critical role in rapid development, and their participation must be carefully orchestrated. A high-level user executive should be responsible for ensuring that end users carry out their work properly.
The Sponsor
Once an organization has identified the system it plans to build, the Sponsor (i.e., the executive paying for the system) is usually the person responsible for ensuring proper end-user participation. The Sponsor works with a counterpart in the IS department, either the Project Manager or a higher-level manager; this manager explains the methodology to the Sponsor when the project is initiated and describes clearly the roles that end users must play. The Sponsor then must ensure that users assume their roles, commit the necessary time, and are highly motivated. The IS department is responsible for ensuring that user participants receive all needed training.
User Involvement in Planning, Analysis and Design
in the traditional development life cycle, programming and testing make up the bulk of the work. In rapid development, however, code generators speed up these tasks, and most of the work is in the planning, analysis, and design stages. As a result, users have the most work to do at the front end of the development cycle, while the actual construction of the system proceeds relatively quickly.
User involvement in planning, analysis, and design includes participation in workshops and in prototyping efforts. The workshops and other techniques should be aimed at harnessing the knowledge of users and business managers.
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