Empirically Driven Design of Software Development Processes for Wireless Internet Services

The development of software for wireless services on the Internet is a challenging task due to the extreme time-to-market pressure, the newness of the application domain, and the quick evolution of the technical infrastructure. Nevertheless, developing software of a predetermined quality in a predictable fashion can only be achieved with systematic development processes and the use of engineering principles. Thus, systematic development processes for this domain are needed urgently. This article presents a method for the design of an adaptable software development process based on existing practices from related domains, industrial piloting, and expert knowledge. First results of the application of the method for the wireless Internet services domain are described. The benefit for the reader is twofold: the article describes a validated method on how to gain process knowledge for an upcoming field fast and incrementally. Furthermore, first results of the process design for the wireless Internet services domain are given.