Currently, millions of apps are available in different online stores to smartphone users. The most successful mobile applications have been downloaded over a billion times [1] and each day new applications are launched to the mobile market, making it extremely attractive both for companies and indie developers to invest their time and money. Such demand has often led mobile software (SW) developers to adapt established SW development methodologies or submit new proposals that fit the constraints related to mobile SW development.
The mobile SW development particularities are diverse, but surely include short and frequent development cycles, frequent technological changes (platforms, operating systems, sensors, etc.), limited documentation, specific requirements and resources of the development team and the client, among others.
In addition, all these possible factors are prone to constant innovation [2]. The steps being taken to develop mobile applications may differ depending on the project or established technologies.
Mobile apps are the result of several activities that are carried out, such as, assigning roles to the work group, defining objectives and activities, implementing a set of good practices for teamwork and collaboration, establishing the schedule of activities, risk management, among others. In the end, guidelines must be adapted according to available resources and customer requirements [3] [4]. Furthermore, mobile application development requires continuous improvements and adaptations to meet new technological needs and changes, presenting significant challenges such as: design of user interfaces for different sizes of screens of mobile devices, user experience linked to capabilities of mobile devices, user interaction methods provided by mobile platforms, architectures, among others [5].
This need for speed of adaptability is one of the causes for the limited formal and scientific documentation in the field of mobile application development. At present, there is a lack of scientific documentation that reflects development processes focused on mobile applications and their activities [6].
