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Selecting a Methodology

8 September, 2015 - 14:37

Maybe one day you will be an IS manager and who will be involved in transformational projects, such as systems development, security planning, strategic planning, or business process engineering, and will be confronted with a difficult and critical task of selecting a methodology appropriate for the project. You should be able to carefully compare and select an effective methodology. Prior to selecting a methodology, you need to consider the following statements:

  • When selecting a methodology choose one among proven methodologies. Methodologies that have been used successfully in other organizations.
  • Should be clear in your mind on the benefits of using methodology, in order to justify your reasons for adopting a methodology.
  • What method and criteria will you use to choose an appropriate methodology? Appropriate in terms of usefulness and easy of use.

A useful generic framework that can be used to assist in the selection process is the NIMSAD, which stands for Normative Information Model-based Systems Analysis and Design ( Jayaratna, 1994). NIMSAD is a tool that can assist users to evaluate and get better conceptual understanding of a problem to be solved and its environment. The framework also assists users to understand the complexity of the technical and social aspects of development. The framework is based on three important perspectives that the evaluator should consider in order to raise important questions and to answer them. These three perspectives are related to the ‘problem situation,’ ‘methodology users’ and the ‘methodology’ itself. The main purpose of the framework is to evaluate these three perspectives.

1) The‘problem situation’(themethodologycontext):To get an understanding of the problem context, the problem solver should first develop an understanding of the organization. The organization may be understood by examining its main components, such as its people, processes, technology, information, material flow and structure. To get a clear picture of the problem, problem solvers need to gain deep understanding of these components and their interactions with each other. Jayaratna argues that “The richer the knowledge the intended problem solvers can obtain about the organization, the better the position they may be in for understanding the ‘real’ problems of the organization. It may also help them to make better judgments about the relevance of information to those in the ‘problem situation’ and ready to raise questions.” Some of the questions that the methodology user may ask:

Who are the clients? How strong is their commitment? Does methodology help in identifying clients and their concerns? What’s the situation like? (simple or ill-structured) For which situation is methodology suitable? What does situation demand, (identify problems, design solutions for already identified problems, implement an already designed solution)?

2)Theintendedproblemsolver(themethodologyuser): An individual or group of people is responsible for the problem formulation and course of action to arrive at a solution. The problem solver could be a consultant, systems analyst, etc., and could be from inside or outside the organization. The focus is on the role, rather than the person. The choice of the solution is usually reached in agreement between methodology users and stakeholder.

The solution of the problem is greatly shaped by the mental constructs of the methodology users shaped by their personal characteristics, such as:

  • Perceptual Process
  • Values/Ethics
  • Motives and Prejudices
  • Experiences
  • Reasoning Ability
  • Knowledge & Skills
  • Structuring Processes
  • Roles
  • Models & frameworks

Some of the questions users may ask: What level of abstract and technical thinking does methodology demand from user? Do philosophical views advocated by methodology match user’s view? What knowledge sets and skills does methodology require from user? Are mental constructs of user considered?

3) TheProblem-SolvingProcess: This perspective examines the details of the process of solving the problem. The process has three primary phases, problem formulation, solution design and design implementation. Some of the questions that may be asked at each phase:

Problem formulation Does methodology offer assistance for boundary construction? What is role of client? Does methodology discuss particular methods of investigation? What techniques does methodology offer for expressing situation characteristics? What environmental (context) information is captured? What tools and techniques are available? What problems or problem types are of concern to the methodology? How does it help in deriving problem statements? Does it offer help in formulating notional systems?

Design phase: Does it help in formulating design solutions? What aspects cannot be captured by methodology? How experienced is user to be expected in the solution domain? Who decides on which solution to take?

Implementation Phase: What steps does methodology offer for developing the project? What does it offer in terms of tools and techniques? How does it help in handling major changes?

NIMSAD can provide a useful way to understand critically the problem being solved, users involved and the process of solution and the interactions between them. Once the methodology has been adopted it should be continually evaluated at the various stages of its use i.e. before, during and after. We should be prepared to adjust the methodology to fit better the problem situation or to abandon the methodology if no business value is being added.