The Influence of Short Project Timeframes on Web Development Practices: A Field Study

A number of recent surveys of Web development have revealed that typical project timeframes are of the order of 3 months. This paper reports the findings of a field study conducted in Ireland which set out to contribute towards a better understanding of the nature of high-speed Web development practices. Qualitative interview data was gathered from 14 interviewees, purposefully selected from a variety of different organizations and backgrounds. This data was then analyzed using the Grounded Theory method, and ten core dimensions were revealed: (1) the role of collaborative groupware tools; (2) collective code ownership; (3) timeframe driven by business imperatives; (4) enablers of productivity; (5) quality “satisficing”; (6) requirements clarity; (7) process maturity; (8) collectively agreed project schedules; (9) closeness to client; and (10) working software over documentation.