From Prototype to Production in Hypermedia Projects

Many hypermedia projects exist as small-scale prototypes or so-called proof of concept demonstrations. But full-scale projects that are deployed and maintained In production are scarce, because problems can arise at various points In the project life cycle that cause the project to fail. Problems that arise when the project is started include the lack of realistic expectations and the difficulty of assembling a multidisciplinary project team. Problems that emerge during the design and development phases lnclude few published case studies or design guidelines, poor quality or availability of source information, Inappropriate and underpowered software technology, and uncertainty about Intellectual property Issues. Problems at the deployment and maintenance phases lnclude installed base constraints and Inadequate methods for maintaining the hypermedia system. Not all of these problems are specific to hypermedia projects, but they conspire with the novelty and immaturity of hypermedia to make hypermedia applications hard to design, develop, and deploy successfully.