Examining Key Notions for Method Adaptation

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that IS development methods are not used as prescribed in actual development projects. That is, every ISD method in a development project is subject to its modifications because its peculiarities and emerging situations cannot be understood adequately in a prescribed manner. Though the idea of method modifications has been studied exclusively under the subject matter called situational method development, the underlying notions (situation, context, agency, and method fragment) for its theoretical basis are not grounded explicitly in the literature. In this paper, we articulate appropriate accounts for these key notions and induce a conjecture so-called method adaptation referring to a process or capability in which agents holding intentions through responsive changes in, and dynamic interplays between, contexts, and method fragments develop a situated fragment for a specific project situation. As concluding remarks, theoretical implications of method adaptation are discussed.