Another comparison based on the agile technology curve is to compare a Rapid Application Development Framework with an App Framework. As App framework we consider IT platforms like mobile phones on which several Apps can be individually installed or uninstalled. Certainly not only mobile platforms exist as App platforms, for example Business App platforms, like Odoo exist as well.
Set up time and cost (before Q1): Regarding on set up the RAD and APP platform are pretty similar. Installation takes some time, license cost, despite relative few end user functionalities are delivered.
Effective agile development (between Q1 and Q2): Effective agile development phase is pretty much different. As RAD framework provides a long effective agile development phase in which use cases can be delivered pretty fast, App framework works rather as a number of independent products. You can install each app, which practically means a small set up phase, than the app requires some configuration steps. For covering a new use case, usually new App has to be installed which means once again a small set up and configuration phase.
Architecture limit (after Q2): If architecture limit reached, the use cases can be delivered only with a lot of efforts. In case of App framework, usually the problem is that the Apps are independent from each other. As a consequence the architecture limit can be fast reached if cross functionalities between the installed Apps are required. Certainly the following picture is only a demonstration and shows the general characteristic of the two approaches. If a certain set of use cases can be delivered faster or cheaper by a RAD framework or APP model is dependent on the certain technologies and use cases.
Figure 1. Comparing RAD with App model based on agile technology curve.
