Comparison of development methodologies in web applications

Context: Web applications development is at its peak due to the advance of technological trends and the constant dependence of the Internet. As a result of the needs of developers, new development methodologies have emerged. However, that does not mean that companies always implement an optimal development process; instead, there are several disadvantages presented by an inadequate and not versatile methodologies. Objective: The aim is to compare web development methodologies based on dynamic features presented during the life cycle to identify their use, relevance, and characteristics. The process employing is an SLR and field research to Ecuadorian development companies. Method: The method used is a systematic literature review (SLR) for the identification of characteristics and processes of development methodologies. Additionally, a survey of Ecuadorian web application developers was implemented to assess the importance of using a method during the project. Results: The literature review exhibited as a result that UWE and OOHDM have greater flexibility than other methodologies before dynamic environments during the web development process. On the other hand, within field research was obtained that companies use different software development methods than those assessed in the study (hybrid methodologies). However, within the range of companies using the compared methodologies, UWE is the most selected. Conclusions: Each methodology holds particular features and employment environment, which makes them useful in specific conditions. Through the field research, it is possible to conclude that most of the companies use different methodologies than the evaluated ones; thus, the process is guided by hybrids methods or models based on experience. On the other hand, through the SLR, we identified UWE as the most suitable methodology for web development under dynamic environments, such as the size of the company, the need to modify the requirements, or the knowledge that the development team has about the process.