FDD Process (Feature Driven Development) Complexity
FDD is not complex; it is captured in five processes, each of which fits onto a single page. This is a great advantage in an industry with inexperienced people who resist applying anything too difficult to understand or use. This applies equally to clients who often have even less of an understanding of what's involved. Trying to apply a heavyweight methodology, such as RUP, for Web development is akin to using a sledge hammer to crush a walnut.
People
FDD clearly defines the roles and responsibilities required during each stage of the project. Although it might seem like common sense, this is something that is often missing from Web development projects. Each person may have a title, but he or she rarely has a clear definition of his or her role and responsibilities at each point in the project. This is particularly helpful in situations where there are people from different backgrounds, with different ideas of what each role is responsible for.
Timeframe
Traditional methodologies are aimed at larger projects on a longer timeframe. Time to market, especially on the Web, doesn't allow foryear-long projects; three months is more the norm. With FDD, the first process focuses on getting an overall model in a short time frame (e.g., one to two weeks). This quickly establishes the true scope of a project. If the project proves to be larger and more complex than expected, it can be broken down into smaller stages so that a working solution can be delivered to the market. This process also acts to educate the client to the true size of the project rather than leaving it until halfway through development, when it's much harder to manage.
Scale
The difficulty with scale is finding a process that can scale both ways. Normally, the question is: can a process scale up? With Web development, it's equally important for the process to scale down. Web development projects can range in size, but as the industry is still new, the size of projects
tends to be smaller. As long as there's a project manager and a developer, which is often the case, FDD can work effectively. It becomes even more effective with teams of two or more developers, which allows for design and code inspections -- one of the most effective methods of defect removal.
Technology
FDD is technology independent; it is, however, object oriented, so there are some restrictions in which technology is appropriate. That being said, FDD will work well with many of the popular Web technologies, such as asp.NET and php. Even if the technology chosen is not object oriented, the simple approach of defining a project as a set of client-valued features is an effective way of managing development.
Summary
It's not surprising that an agile methodology such as FDD is so well suited to Web development. The entire agile movement is based on the simple premise of finding better ways of developing software. The Web development industry, forced by the dot-com collapse, has no choice but to find better ways of managing development. What is surprising is that more people have not yet made the connection.