FLiP may feel a little confusing at first because it feels like sometimes you're doing things backwards. Hear me out....
Design the database last. Don't sign off on the wireframe. Instead sign off on the prototype. Build the ENTIRE prototype before your touch a line of CFML. Let the client get touchy feely about the prototype Let them go on and on and on (Don't do this for free, charge them.) until they say "THAT'S IT! THAT IS WHAT I WANT!" When they say that, move on to fusedocs, fusecoding and database. Building the prototype could take days, weeks, even months. But when you finish, the application will be exactly what the client wants. During that time you generally do not need a staff of a dozen programmers, what you need are $15-20/hour pure HTML programmers. For those guys, HTML coding does not take a long time. Give this process a try, it's weird, but it REALLY works! In the words of the great Dr. Seuss You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may Try them and you may, I say. Steve Nelson Richard Tugwell wrote: > Hi > > I'm late in this thread, but I may be missing something. It seems that > wireframes are used to find out what the client requirements are as > regards the navigational and functional architecture of a site is > concerned. The output from the wireframe stage, or some other stage > should be a signed-off functional specification, (with some caveats > about changes made later in the process). Some clients are better than > others at providing input to this stage. Some other requirements are > gathered otherwise (DB model for example) from more other methods such > as use case modelling E/R and various other modellling techniques. > > I always thought an HTML prototype ONLY showed people what the site > would look like within that already "accepted" architecture. If clients > start changing requirements at this prototype stage, then you have > problems - back to wireframe. I can also sympathise with people who > think that HTML coding takes longer than all the other stuff. It can > take longer, because HTML formatting is a pain, and the client will > always be wanting to make "little" changes which are very time > consuming. I tend to do functional coding, based on a signed-off > functional specification in parallel with the prototype touchy feely > bit. > > I try and make sure that design wise the site appearance is as much as > possible separated from the functionality. Fusebox 3 is a great help > here for me withthe api and nested layouts. If the client says "menu > down the left side" instead of "menu across the top" no problem. > > I have been involved in software development projects for 25 years, now > doing website stuff as a kind of hobby, but it is obvious that we always > have the same problems. Most methodolgies acknowledge that requirements > cannot be specified absolutely at stage one. However every project has > to be managed on it's merits, and it is not possible to generalise and > say that prototyping takes 60% etc etc. I think the phases of Flip are > appropriate, but we cannot always be prescriptive about things > > Off the top of my head thoughts - this topic will run and run, there is > no absolute answer > Steve Nelson wrote: > > > I am creating Montreal's CFUG website right now and this is the first > > > project I am using the FLiP process. I have done the wireframe and now > > > I am > > > on to the prototype. One of the people I work with who does the HTML > > > integration always tells me I should program only after having the first > > > template because coding HTML takes so long compared to programming. > > > What do > > > you say to a person like that? > > > > Race them. Say: "Let's pick one template, you build the CFML and the > > Database > > THEN build the HTML interface that we will 'slap' on, I'll build just > > the HTML. > > Whoever finishes first wins and we'll do it that way." > > > > Then tell them that you could show both versions to the client and 99% > > of the > > time the client won't see the difference. But will understand the > > application > > enough to tell you they want something slightly different. > > > > Steve Nelson > > > > > > > ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrFMa.bV0Kx9 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
