A workflow-based hypermedia development methodology

Abstract

Recently, many enterprises have attempted to construct hypermedia systems for electronic commerce innovations by the use of Internet technologies. In this hypermedia-enabled environment, it is useful to think hypermedia development in terms of workflow. This paper proposes a workflow-aware, hypermedia development methodology, WHDM (Workflow-Based Hypermedia Development Methodology) to guide developers in creating hypermedia applications. The methodology employs a workflow model based on corporate documents and thus is more likely to capture users business requirements in a natural fashion. The methodology consists of four phases such as workflow analysis, document analysis, hypermedia design, and implementation. The emphasis of each phase is on aligning business requirements with hypermedia technical details. To demonstrate the practical usefulness of the methodology, a real-life case is illustrated.