Beyond methodologies: keeping up with information systems development approaches through dynamic classification

Abstract

There are hundreds of information systems development methodologies (ISDMs) which differ significantly from each other. Yet, the number of ISDMs that an organization can consider for adoption or adaptation must be quite small for practical reasons. In order to make on informed choice for the selection of preferred ISDMs a hierarchical classification is needed that separates fundamental or features from accidental details. The principal purpose of this paper is to propose such a classification that would allow academics and practitioners alike keeping up with continuing growth of the methodology jungle. According to this structure, an ISDM is merely an instantiation of one or more information systems development approach (ISDA). ISDAs comprise the essential features, which are then inherited by the ISDMs belonging to that class. One important implication of organizing the field of ISDMs into a comprehensible number of ISDAs, is to shift the discussion from individual ISDMs to the features of more general ISDAs, as expressions of the essences of their instance methodologies. The condensed presentations of ISDAs make it possible to broaden the methodological repertoire of systems developers. They allow flexible, situation-specific methodology engineering in which an ISDM is adapted to a specific ISD project through an instantiation of an appropriate ISDA.