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incorporated into a collection of tools for the development process; and similarly the
efficiency and effectiveness of Web sites cannot be determined the same way as
traditional applications. Through their research, Howcroft & Carroll (2000) argue that
while there have been numerous attempts at a Web development methodology, they are
nothing more than best practices as to how a Web site should look and feel. A review of
the literature reveals that some proposed methodologies for developing Web-based
applications can prove to be useful models to abide by during development.
One such methodology is the Intranet Design methodology which is focused on
the development of an intranet application (Lee cited in Standing, 2002). This
methodology consists of multiple stages which, similar to other methodologies, begin
with a feasibility study. The following four stages are focused on design issues while the
final two stages cover implementation and testing (Standing, 2002). Standing (2002)
points out that the primary features of this methodology are the meta-information
structure, a method to organize information in abstract nodes with their links, and the
information structure, which defines the local structure of these nodes using a variety of
attributes.
Building on traditional application methodologies Howcroft & Carroll (2000)
developed their own methodology for developing Web-based applications. Their model
contains four phases which can be further divided into steps as seen in Table 1.
Table 1 - Howcroft & Carroll Methodology (Howcroft & Carroll, 2000)
Analysis
Phase Description Step Description
This phase
focuses around
the development
of a Web strategy
as well as the
analysis of how
this strategy may
be achieved.
Development of a
Web Strategy
Defining Objectives
Creation of a Strategic Planning Document which
identifies the following (Robson cited in Howcroft &
Carroll, 2000):
• Where the organization wishes to be
• Where the organization is currently
• Implementation plan of how to get from the current
position to the desired one
Creation of the Objectives Document which outlines the
objectives of the site.