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T. Lichtenecker:
"Evaluation of Software Development Paradigms and Processes for Web Application Engineering";
Supervisor: G. Kappel; Institut für Softwaretechnik und Interaktive Systeme, 2011; final examination: 2011-11-30.

This thesis deals with the process of software development in general and Web
engineering in particular. Its main purposes are to determine whether there is a
significant difference between developing classical (desktop-centric) software and
applications being distributed via the World Wide Web (WWW) and to introduce
agile and traditional software development methodologies to evaluate if using these
is valuable for the discussed purpose.
To enhance common understanding, the thesis gives a brief introduction into the
technologies behind the Web, such as HTTP and HTML. This leads to a general
introduction of Web engineering as it is described in the relevant literature. Web
engineering is then further categorized according to complexity and technological
novelty and common characteristics affecting users, management, and development.
Further, this thesis examines if well known software development paradigms are
suitable for Web centric development, or if new solutions are needed. To support
this, three well-known development methodologies are presented in detail - the
Rational Unified Process, Extreme Programming, and Scrum.
Consequently, the strengths, weaknesses, and process coverage of all three processes
are discussed in order to judge on their applicability. The processes are then
weighed against the Web engineering characteristics found in earlier parts. Based
on this information and by combining it with an established risk driven approach,
a recommendation for choosing the right methodology for the different engineering
categories is provided.
The practical part concentrates on the insights gained in the theoretical chapters and
describes the support of a Web engineering process in a real live work environment
by leveraging the capabilities of Microsoft´s Team Foundation Server. Here the
work focuses on the communicative part of the process and heavily customizes the
standard templates in order to create a central communication tool. This tool acts
as a central communication hub providing a unified interface for all departments.

This thesis deals with the process of software development in general and Web
engineering in particular. Its main purposes are to determine whether there is a
significant difference between developing classical (desktop-centric) software and
applications being distributed via the World Wide Web (WWW) and to introduce
agile and traditional software development methodologies to evaluate if using these
is valuable for the discussed purpose.
To enhance common understanding, the thesis gives a brief introduction into the
technologies behind the Web, such as HTTP and HTML. This leads to a general
introduction of Web engineering as it is described in the relevant literature. Web
engineering is then further categorized according to complexity and technological
novelty and common characteristics affecting users, management, and development.
Further, this thesis examines if well known software development paradigms are
suitable for Web centric development, or if new solutions are needed. To support
this, three well-known development methodologies are presented in detail - the
Rational Unified Process, Extreme Programming, and Scrum.
Consequently, the strengths, weaknesses, and process coverage of all three processes
are discussed in order to judge on their applicability. The processes are then
weighed against the Web engineering characteristics found in earlier parts. Based
on this information and by combining it with an established risk driven approach,
a recommendation for choosing the right methodology for the different engineering
categories is provided.
The practical part concentrates on the insights gained in the theoretical chapters and
describes the support of a Web engineering process in a real live work environment
by leveraging the capabilities of Microsoft´s Team Foundation Server. Here the
work focuses on the communicative part of the process and heavily customizes the
standard templates in order to create a central communication tool. This tool acts
as a central communication hub providing a unified interface for all departments.