1. CASE Tools and Joint and Rapid Application Development
Chapter 7
CASE Tools and Joint and Rapid Application Development

2. Learning Objectives Understand the history and evolution of CASE tools
Understand the motivations to adopt CASE in the modern organization
Understand the various levels of CASE tool integration

3. Learning Objectives
Appreciate the advantages and disadvantages associated with CASE tool adoption and use
Learn the components, relationships, and functions contained in a modern CASE tool
Understand the processes associated with JAD

4. Learning Objectives
Learn the various participant roles associated with a JAD session
Understand the relationship between the RAD approach and the traditional SDLC

5. Introduction
In an effort to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the development activities, IS professionals have developed several tools and techniques to automate certain activities. This chapter focuses on two such developments: (1) CASE tools and (2) RAD techniques.

6. CASE Tools Computer-Aided Software Engineering
Software development is extremely labor intensive
Tools that aid software engineer in maintaining and developing software

7. Figure 7-1. Recent Evolution of the Modern CASE Tool

8. Table 7-1. Development Costs for Several Modern Software Applications

9. CASE Tools Support each phase of the SDLC Upper CASE Lower CASE
support the early phases of the life cycle
Lower CASE
support the implementation phases of the life cycle
Life-cycle-spanning CASE
support the entire SDLC (Integrated CASE)

10. Table 7-2. Common Objectives for CASE Tool Adoption

11. Figure 7-2. Oracle Designer Main Menu

12. CASE Tools Good News Productivity Time Quality Documentation
Standards enforcement

13. CASE Tools Bad News Expensive
ROI is longer than the organization would prefer
Lack of organizational policies and standards

14. Table 7-3. Potential CASE Tool Cost Categories

15. Table 7-4. Sample CASE Tool Adoption Budget

16. Table 7-5. The Good News and the Bad News About CASE Tool Adoption

17. Components and Functions
Central Repository
Central storage and retrieval location for all related information
Allows portions of prior systems to be reused in new applications

18. Figure 7-3. Component Relationships in Modern I-CASE Tools

19. Figure 7-4. Typical Elements Stored in CASE Tool Central Repository

20. Components and Functions
Modeling and Diagramming Tools
Process Modeling Tools
Function Hierarchy Diagramming Tools
Server Modeling Diagramming Tools

21. Figure 7-5. Case Tool Process Modeler (Oracle Designer)

22. Figure 7-6. CASE Tool Server Model Diagram (Oracle Designer)

23. Figure 7-7. Typical Data Flow Diagramming Tool (TurboCASE)

24. Figure 7-8. CASE Tool Entity-Relationship Modeler (Oracle Designer)

25. Components and Functions
Prototyping and Transformation Tools
Application Transformers
Database Transformers
Form and Report Generators

26. Components and Functions
Documentation Generators
Generate phase-specific documentation
Create a set of master templates to be used for each phase of the life cycle

27. Components and Functions
Code Generators
Produce high-level source code from various components in the central repository
Reverse engineering: generate design specification and models from existing program
Reengineering functions: provide tools to analyze the logic of the program

28. Figure 7-9. Sample Screen From Classmapper Reverse Engineering Tool

29. Figure 7-10. UNIX-based Application Before Reverse Engineering

30. Figure 7-11. Windows Application After Reverse Engineering

31. Figure 7-12. Sample Screen From Imagix Reengineering Tool

32. Components and Functions
The concept of Integration
Data Integration
Control Integration
Presentation Integration

33. Figure 7-13. Stages of CASE Tool Integration

34. The Future of CASE New and more powerful development tools
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Expert Systems
Case-based reasoning

35. Joint Application Design
Bring together the users, managers, and technical personnel to conduct a series of structured intensive information-gathering workshops
Enhance the development of a shared understanding among the system stakeholders

36. JAD Session
Usually held at a location other than the typical workplace
Avoid distracting environment
Detailed agenda is a necessity

37. Figure 7-14. Examples of Large-Scale JAD Environments

38. JAD Team JAD Facilitator Management Sponsor Information Specialists
Scribe
End Users

39. JAD Session Tasks and Objectives
Identify all stakeholders and clarify executive goal.
Scope out general requirements from each of the users' perspectives.
Reconcile and then summarize each user's view of the product with the executive goal.
Define interaction of the product with users, other products or systems, and the organization.
Concur on business justification, time box, and cost box for project.

40. JAD Session Tasks and Objectives
Define ways in which users will interact with or use the new product.
Collect samples of desired inputs and outputs from users.
Stick to business processes first, then drill down for data needed and known.
Prioritize user interaction scenarios by collective user preference and risk.
Validate and review the user interaction scenarios.
Organize the interactions scenarios, constraints, assumptions, and other requirements into a rigorous Software Requirements Specification.

41. JAD Advantages Create a sense of involvement
Allow for the simultaneous gathering and consolidating of information
Resolve discrepancies at early stage

42. JAD Disadvantages Extreme commitment of a large number of employees
Might still exclude some important personnel
Lack of diplomacy and communication skills among employees

43. Rapid Application Development
A series of techniques to compress the analysis, design, build, and test phases into a series of short, iterative development cycles

44. Application Development with RAD Approach
Use of small, well-trained development teams
Construction and review of iterative, evolutionary prototypes
Reliance on integrated development tools that support modeling, prototyping, and component re-usability (CASE)
Construction and maintenance of a central repository
Heavy reliance on interactive requirements and design workshops (JAD)
Adherence to rigid limits on development time frames

45. Figure 7-15. Differences Between Traditional Lifecycle and RAD Approach

46. Figure 7-16. Comparison of Phases Between SDLC and RAD

47. RAD Activities
Process Model
Data Model
Parallel Development

48. Table 7-8. Activities and Deliverables in RAD Phases

49. Table 7-9. Situational Characteristics to Consider When Adopting RAD

50. Table 7-10. Comparison of the Advantages and Disadvantages Associated with the RAD Approach

51. Figure 7-17. Comparison of Effort and Time Between SDLC and RAD

52. Chapter Summary
Regardless of the various approaches (CASE, JAD, RAD), the fundamental tenets of structured problem solving as followed by SDLC still apply and must be adhered to.
Despite the automation available to us, the analyst is still at the center of the process.

53. Chapter 7
End of Chapter