Tracer Bullets
Context
The end goal of the project is not set (WIP).
Advantages
get immediate feedback on a project under real conditions
users get to see something working early
developers build a structure to work in that they can iterate over
you have an integration platform (changes are added one by one)
developers are at ease because they can show something early and they observe project progress
How to Start
Plan
prioritize critical requirements of the task
prioritize solving unknowns
prioritize solving the biggest risks
Set up a structure of a working solution
Adjust how close to the target you are and implement accordingly
Goal
find the target and iterate over it
Characteristics
code is not disposable
it has error-checking, documentation, structuring, self-checking
not fully functional
end-to-end connection
changes are made incremental
you can present something from day one
Prototype
Context
- used to deal with unknowns, risks or critical aspects of the project
Advantages
- save money and time by identifying and fixing early on potential issues with the system
How to Start
Plan
Decide on the goal, what needs to be learned in the end.
Decide which details to ignore
Implement solution
Goal
learn how to fix issues
learn about the aspect of the task that was unknown or doubtful
investigate specific aspects of the final system
Characteristics
are meant to answer a few questions
cheaper and faster to develop than production systems
you can use dummy data
limited functionality
(optional) error checking is missing
(optional) documentation missing