Whoa, Im missing something. IT got fat?
The IT middleman programming process has always been hampered by what used to be called the waterfall. Imagine a series of flowchart boxes arranged like a waterfall. The top box is user requirements, the next cascade is software design, the third cascade is programming, and the final cascade is testing. The hardest part has always been the top box, because the user seldom really understands the problem. This is particularly true in R&D, because its purpose is to explore and evolve applications. Without benefit of user programming (which eliminates the two middle cascades), if the user requirement specifications were half baked, the user wouldnt find out until he started using the software (the final testing box). Then as he tried to change requirements, he would have to repeat the labor of the second and third cascades. This recycling through the cascades is what is known as prototyping. As programming became more labor intensive, this is where the cost got bloated.
