[Study] The fiction of methodological development: a field study of information systems development

How systems analysts design IS in practice and how methodologies are used in this process?

This article describes the findings of a field study of the IS development process in a large organization.
Methodologies may also be developed by combining different types of methodologies to overcome the drawbacks of each.

Research approach:

This is an ``ecological'' approach to IS development research as advocated by Shneiderman and Carroll (1988). It involves the collection of detailed, qualitative data on development practice in specific contexts. Ethnography involves deep immersion in the research context over an extended period of time.

• At the start of the study, data were collected using the participant observation approach.
• This was then followed by unstructured interviews of the key players of the EIS team.
• These field notes were then transcribed into a rich case study describing the EIS development process and important aspects of the real-life context. 
• During the analysis, the case study and field notes were read several times, and coded systematically to identify key issues and concepts. 
• These initial issues and concepts were analysed and aggregated to articulate a set of common or recurring themes.

The use of methodologies for IS development

IS development in practice is not a sequential process 

Discussion: implications for IS development methodologies

The above analysis indicates that the process of EIS development at LMC appeared to be characterized by improvisation, opportunism, interruption and mutual negotiation as much as by progress milestones, planning and management control.

The more team members ignored or overrode the methodology during their design practice, the better they were able to exploit opportunities and changing situations by applying professional judgement and knowledge

Development work regularly requires ad hoc problem-solving skills and abilities such as creativity which cannot be easily pre-planned. 

The evidence suggests that social controls, such as norms promoting collaboration with colleagues, professional design practices and established routines appeared to be a more significant influence on developers' work practice at LMC than the requirements of a methodology. Training and appraisal programmes might potentially play a more significant part in producing and reinforcing such control

Reference:
Nandhakumar, J and Avison, D, 1999. The fiction of methodological development: a field study of information systems development: a field study of information systems development. Information Technology & People, 12 (2), pp.176 - 191.