Understanding the Phases of Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Understanding the Phases of Rapid Application Development (RAD)

The growing reliance on enterprise-ready applications has fueled innovation in app development methodologies. Businesses depend on these applications to streamline operations, enhance agility, and gain actionable insights, making timely delivery a critical differentiator. For CIOs, swiftly deploying high-quality, bug-free applications is no longer optional but a business imperative.

Many organizations adopt Rapid Application Development (RAD) to meet this demand. This approach accelerates app creation by emphasizing early prototyping, iterative testing, and modular development. RAD enables developers to quickly build and refine applications without disrupting business operations, making it an ideal choice for companies seeking to stay ahead in competitive markets. In this guide, we’ll explore RAD's key phases and benefits, highlighting how it transforms app development.

Why is RAD so popular in low code industry?

Every company wants to sell more, improve corporate efficiency, and maximize revenue-generating opportunities. But many companies are competing for the same consumers, and the only way to succeed is through differentiation. Companies that deliver tech solutions early become disruptive players. Every organization that wants to become more agile and profitable must embrace this technological shift.

The worldwide market for Rapid Application Development is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42.8% from 2022 to 2027

With the RAD methodology, developers can significantly reduce app delivery time. They don’t have to wait for a complete app to test functions. They can use prototypes to conduct tests and leverage user feedback to change the core features.

The five phases of Rapid Application Development (RAD)

The five rapid application development (RAD) phases include

1. Business modeling

2. Data modeling

3. Process modeling

4. Application generation
5. Testing and turnover

Developers can add new features and functionalities to the application at any given time.

RAD also gets rid of the planning phase in favour of prioritizing speed. Software becomes ready for use in a shorter period. Multiple testing ensures that each application fully meets the users’ needs. These are the five RAD phases:

Phase 1: Business modelling

At this stage, information flow between different business functions is defined by answering the following questions:

• What data drives the business process?
• Who generates the data?
• Where does the information go?
• Who processes it?

Information is gathered through many business-related sources. This information is combined to create a useful description of how the data will be used when it is processed.

Phase 2: Data modeling

The information gathered during the Business Modeling phase is analyzed and categorized into different groups (data objects) that are needed to support the business. The attributes of each group are identified, and the relationship between them is defined.

Phase 3: Process modeling

Process modeling is the third phase of the RAD methodology. Here, all the information groups from the Data Modeling stage are converted into usable data models. These models help extract information from the data objects for making the changes required for proper processing and are responsible for executing business functions. At this stage, changes and optimization in development can be done to increase value and quality.

Phase 4: Application generation

Here, all the data gathered is coded, and the system that will be used to build the prototype is developed. The data models become actual prototypes that can be tested. Automated tools are used to speed up construction of the software.

Phase 5: Testing and turnover

This RAD methodology phase ensures less time is spent testing the prototypes created. Every prototype is tested separately to modify the components quickly and to create the best product. The overall testing time is reduced since many of the programming components have already been tested.

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When to use RAD in app development

• For projects with clear modularization—projects that can be broken into modules. RAD model works best for applications that can be modularized and delivered incrementally.
• When app designers are available for modeling. RAD is also ideal if domain experts with relevant business knowledge are available.
• For unstructured projects. RAD follows an iterative and adaptive approach instead of a long planning, development, and testing cycle. RAD platform allows companies to deliver working applications quickly in a competitive software market. Requirements can change during the project and working prototypes are presented in small iterations.
• For reliable prototype testing. If you have users who can give reliable feedback on prototypes, use the RAD method. You can build great prototypes based on feedback from previous iterations.
• As a philosophy. When a company has a tight deadline to meet or has to deliver software that works quickly, RAD is the go-to development model. It saves a lot of time that would be spent on the planning and design phases.

Rapid Application Development is here to stay

App development isn’t easy. Developers spend a lot of time and energy putting together bug-free applications. RAD technology makes the process simple. It provides faster software delivery and helps projects stay on budget.

 Kissflow is a low-code platform that lets anyone develop their automated process in minutes instead of days or weeks. A single person can use Kissflow to work on developing an application.
This is rapid application development taken to a new level–making applications as quickly as possible and can be used instantly by the entire company.  With RAD, companies can deliver software before the competition to address changing market needs.

If you would like to learn more about how you can leverage no-code platform to expedite app delivery, check out this eBook: https://kissflow.com/ebooks/ultimate-buyers-guide-to-no-code