Though Joint Application Design (JAD) was developed by IBM in 1977, it is still a viable methodology. One would expect its use to be more pervasive, since its application is straightforward and its results evident. Like many systems development techniques, however, JAD seems to require an advocate and an experienced leader if it is to be successfully employed. Judy August is such a person. She does a commendable job of documenting her style and approach in order to make the benefits of JAD accessible to others who wish to employ JAD or lead JAD projects.

One major advantage of JAD is that it is not dependent upon, nor does it interfere with, other development methodologies. JAD is basically a project and people management technique that enables a development methodology to work to its fullest. Thus, JAD is an enhancement to methodologies like structured techniques and computer-aided software engineering tools rather than a substitute for them.

This book is a clearly written, well-organized, reality-based, example-laden, step-by-step guide to, as the subtitle declares, “the group session approach to system design.” The author is a practitioner with extensive business, computer, and JAD experience. She is well trained in eliciting participation from colleagues and co-workers, and she seems to apply this same approach in her writing. The reader is drawn into the JAD approach and, more than reading about it, seems to be doing it along with the author.

The audience for the book includes, naturally, those who are or could be participants in the JAD process: information system professionals, users, and management. Other readers would include those evaluating the technique in consideration of its adoption and information systems professionals who want to broaden their project management skills and, perhaps, improve their systems implementation success rate.

Though the book is only 169 pages, it contains 12 chapters, five appendices, a short bibliography, and a detailed index. Cartoon-like visuals, exhibits, and sample forms appear throughout. These not only support the text but provide a quick reference to important steps without requiring the reader to delve through the prose. One useful device employed by the author is to provide examples of forms without the blanks filled in, followed by the same form with sample information shown. This leaves the blank form free for copying, while the completed form aids in understanding the function.

Chapter 1 is an overview and history of JAD. Throughout this chapter and the remainder of the book, the author sells JAD to the reader. All the arguments are there for the JAD advocate to use on a reluctant management. Chapter 2 continues the overview and the selling of JAD by emphasizing how JAD defines and bounds the system. The mechanics of how JAD works are covered in chapter 3. The emphasis is on the details of how to organize what takes place in planning and executing a JAD session. Chapter 4 completes the overview and defines the participants and their selection, qualifications, and duties. The definitions are clear and unambiguous.

Chapter 5 begins a six-chapter section on performing Joint Application Design. These are the real “how-to” chapters. In chapter 5, “Plan Customization,” the session leader and analysts are oriented to the project, participants are chosen, tasks and outputs are tailored to the organization, and the project and materials are prepared for the planning session. Chapter 6 describes how the planning session is conducted and includes defining the project’s scope and high-level requirements, estimating data for screen and report layouts, processing requirements, and system interfaces.

Chapter 7 deals with the JAD plan wrap-up. This wrap-up is more or less a documentation and agreement function in which all decisions to date are codified and promulgated. The design phase begins in chapter 8 and culminates in chapter 9. A prototype is developed in chapter 10 and a presentation is made at the executive level. Chapters 11 and 12 provide some facilitation skills for JAD leaders and some hints on JAD implementation.

It is evident from the book as a whole that JAD is more concerned with trying to execute a process well than with coping with any particular technology or computer application. Systems developers know the importance of involving users, thoroughly defining systems, getting approvals, and so on, but often these things are not done well. JAD provides a structure for the human and administrative aspects of the development process. As the old Louis Armstrong song says, “It ain’t what ya do, it’s the way how ya do it.” JAD is the way you do it.