Maintenance issues in the Web site development process

Abstract

There appears to be few actual case studies in academic or professional literature regarding the overall process of developing a company Web site and even fewer regarding the maintenance of company Web sites. In this paper, we examine the maintenance issues in the Web site development process based on detailed case studies in seven U.K. organizations from the engineering, financial services, retail, manufacturing and education sectors over a two year period. This research indicated that there are numerous issues in Web site design and construction that impact upon future Web site maintenance activities. In particular, this research examined the impact of dynamic Web site data, Web site structure, specific coding for different user groups/Internet browsers/navigators/Internet search engines, Web site documentation and Web site development and testing standards upon future Web site maintenance work.

Managing E-Government Application Evolution

“…These factors also affect the evolution of business Web sites and contribute both directly and indirectly to the evolution of e-government applications. Taylor, McWilliam, Sheehan, and Mulhaney (2002) examine maintenance issues in Website development process in seven UK organizations from different industries over two years. Their findings point out that major Web application maintenance challenges include: the difference between static and dynamic Web applications, diversified user groups and maintenance requests, lack of Website documentation, no Web site development/maintenance standards, and need for Website maintenance strategy/policy.…”

Inside Technology: Opening the Black Box of Health-Website Configuration and Content Management

“…Although a hierarchical structure is easier to navigate and can be easily altered and adjusted, the network structure is more flexible, and therefore it can be designed to meet the preferences of a wider range of potential users; however, it requires more maintenance efforts [31]. In general, preliminary planning of website content structure can make it easier for users to navigate through the website and find what they need, provided that user feedback is collected early in the process, and that content organization is then altered and improved, based on the input received.…”