Development Methodology -
Joint Application Development (JAD)

Joint Application Development, or JAD, is a process originally developed for designing a computer-based system. It brings together business area people (users) and IT (Information Technology) professionals in a highly focused workshop. The advantages of JAD include a dramatic shortening of the time it takes to complete a project. It also improves the quality of the final product by focusing on the up-front portion of the development lifecycle, thus reducing the likelihood of errors that are expensive to correct later on.

The JAD process does for computer systems development what Henry Ford did for the manufacture of automobiles (a method of organizing machinery, materials, and labor so that a car could be put together much faster and cheaper than ever before – the assembly line). The goal in systems development is to identify what the users really need and then set up a system or process that will provide it. Traditional methods have several built-in delay factors that get worse as more people become involved.

The following description of the Traditional Systems Design process is from "Joint Application Development" by Jane Wood and Denise Silver ¹. It may sound familiar.

In most organizations, the systems development life cycle begins with the identification of a need, assignment of a project leader and team, and often the selection of a catchy acronym for the project. The leader pursues a series of separate meetings with the people who will use the system or be affected by it.

The leader continues these meetings over time. Often the key people involved are not so easy to reach. But eventually, having documented everything possible, the leader translates copious notes into a personal terminology. That’s when it becomes apparent that the requirements from, say Accounting, don’t mesh with what the Sales department wants. So the leader calls Sales and finds out the contact there is in the field and will not be back until tomorrow. Next day the leader reaches Sales, gets the information, calls Accounting, and of course the person in Accounting is now out of the office, and so on.

When everyone is finally in agreement, alas, the leader discovers that even more people should have been consulted because their needs require something entirely different. In the end, everyone is reluctant to "sign off" on the specifications.

Other times, signing off comes easily. But when the system is delivered, it often has little to do with what the users really need:

"A user sign off is a powerless piece of paper"² when matched against the fury of top management.

Slow communication and long feedback time is one reason the traditional process is so time-consuming. You can see why the communication problem grows worse as more people must be brought into consensus.

JAD centers around a structured workshop session. Everyone gets together in a room and talks it out. Everyone hears what the rest of the group has to say. There’s no delay between question and answer, no "telephone tag" or waiting for memos to come back. JAD eliminates many of the problems with traditional meetings. Meetings are not well regarded as a productive form of work. JAD turns meetings into workshops. They are less frequent, more structured, and more productive. An agenda provides the structure, a facilitator directs the process, visual aids clarify concepts being discussed and the group dynamics, with constant feedback, stimulates creativity.

JAD sessions are:

1. Very focused
2. Conducted in a dedicated environment
3. Quickly drive major requirements and interface "look & feel"
4. JAD participants typically include:
   • Facilitator – facilitates discussions, enforces rules
   • End users – 3 to 5, attend all sessions
   • Developers – 2 or 3, question for clarity
   • Tie Breaker – Senior manager. Breaks end user ties, usually doesn’t attend
   • Observers – 2 or 3, do not speak
   • Subject Matter Experts – limited number for understanding business & technology

¹ Wood, J. and D. Silver, Joint Application Development, 2nd ed., New York : Wiley, 1995.
² Wetherbe, James C., "Executive Information Requirements: Getting It Right", MIS Quarterly, March 1991, p. 51.

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