The Process

If you are looking for a cookie-cutter recipe to success, forget it. Developing applications is hard work and relies heavily on the skill and the ability of everyone involved. Even so, a strong process is important. Heroic efforts on the part of a development team can often bring a project to maturity; however, heroic efforts and strong process can do so repeatedly and reliably.

A single chapter of a book is hardly sufficient to explain any software development process in detail, but it is enough for one to get an overview of the process and be able to identify and to explain its key points. This chapter introduces a software development process, explains its terms and concepts as applied to the development of a Web application, and goes on to establish the context and vocabulary for the remaining chapters.

First-generation Web applications have been created, for the most part, in the absence of a real process. They were the products of small teamseven teams of oneand had a limited scope of functionality. It was possible, and some would say even practical or optimal, to create these early projects without a strong process. However, current-generation Web applications are becoming more complex and are inserting themselves in more mission-critical roles. The demands for rapid development and high quality are stronger and more important than ever. All this means that the development teams are becoming larger and team members' skills are now more specialized. Developing these types of applications without a very robust, well-understood process would be foolish.