Under what circumstances does it make sense to refine a rapid
prototype?

Should rapid prototyping be used if the product is to be developed
using the object oriented paradigm?

Hello Jplhix,

Q: Under what circumstances does it make sense to refine a rapid
prototype?

There is no clear guideline where a "rapid prototype" is preferrable
to another approach. However there are a few basic guidelines that you
can apply including:

 o the customer and/or developer does not have a clear understanding
of how the new system will (or should) work; the prototype in this
case focuses on how to use the system.
 o risks are identified that need to be mitigated by a sample
implementation prior to development of the full system; in this case
the prototype focuses on solving that tough problem

In both of these cases, you are spending time and resources to find
out "what will work" for you prior to developing the full system (when
it is too late). It is often used to help refine the system design or
demonstrate a capability.

Some good references on prototyping or software process models in
general include:
  http://www3.cm.deakin.edu.au/~peter/Courses/scc182/sdpms.html
  http://hebb.cis.uoguelph.ca/~dave/343/Lectures/prototype.html
or more general (not software related)
  http://mtiac.iitri.org/pubs/rp/rp1.htm

Q: Should rapid prototyping be used if the product is to be developed
using the object oriented paradigm?

In general, it does not matter how the product is to be developed.
There are even books such as "Object Oriented Rapid Prototyping"
http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?btob=Y&isbn=0136296432&pwb=1

so the answer is generally *yes* if a rapid prototype is to be used in
any case. The only drawback that I can see is that the prototype may
be developed with non-OO methods. If so, that has to be regenerated
(instead of reused) if you are trying to maintain a consistent object
oriented implementation.

Some search phrases that could be used for more references include:
  rapid prototype
  software development rapid prototype
  object oriented rapid prototype software
and so on.

If you need a more complete explanation - please use a clarification
request.
  --Maniac

Thanks!