The MEA framework: a new perspective for the development of situation-specific methods

The aim of the MEA (Method Engineering Activity) framework is to support the process of creating situation and project-specific methods for information systems development. In order to contextualise the work and to assist in understanding why we believe this approach is necessary, the article provides an overview of the issues that have driven the development of the framework. Structured methods are created and have evolved to support the process of systems development, yet we are in a situation where only a relatively small proportion of developers use them. In addition, of those who do use methods, the majority feel the need to adapt them to suit individual projects. The first problem is to find one or more methods that are relevant to your organisational needs that can be used as the starting point for the development of individual projects. Assuming that that can be achieved, and this is far from straightforward, many developers rely on their development experience to create project-specific methods from these base methods. The second problem is that there are very few widely known approaches that provide support for this engineering of situation-specific methods and there is always the risk of losing what strengths exist in methods through their unsupported modification. The third problem is that individuals want different things from the methods they use and methods do not always provide what is required in a way that fulfils expectations.