A systematic literature review of software process improvement in small and medium web companies

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to identify existing Software Process Improvement (SPI) models and techniques used by small and medium Web companies. We performed a systematic review of studies that applied SPI models and techniques to Web companies. Four papers applied SPI techniques or models to Web companies, and our results showed that none suggested any customized model or technique to measure the SPI of Web companies. The SLR also revealed the characteristics of some small and medium companies and suggested that they have tight budget constraints, tight deadlines and a short term strategy. Finally, our SLR showed that the measures of success for small and medium Web companies included development team and client satisfaction, increase in productivity, compliance with standards and overall operational excellence. The results of this review showed that very few studies have specifically focused on SPI for Web companies, despite the large number of existing Web companies worldwide, and the even larger number of Web applications being currently developed. This clearly indicates a research gap in this area, with numerous avenues for future work. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.