Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
the social and organizational factors. Thus, it is evident that the technical features
are not seen as the most important aspect in the development of a system. Work
satisfaction, and overall satisfaction of the users are the key purposes of the IS
development process.
Mumford (
1993
) states that ETHICS includes the following design tools:
A framework to support the identi
cation of the goal, main tasks, signi
cant
limitations, and other important aspects to an effective development;
A variance analysis tool to assist the de
nition of systematic and operational
problems;
A questionnaire to evaluate the level of work satisfaction;
A framework to de
ne what
is expected to change both internally and
externally;
A set of procedures for individual and group work development.
To sum up, the ETHICS method is based on the notion that, in order to be
successfully implemented, an information system must ef
ciently combine both
social and technical aspects (Avison and Taylor
1997
). It has a distinct philosophy
regarding other methodologies used in IS Development, because it is based on
organizational behavior and it sees development as fundamentally related to the
process of change, not only as a technical issue.
3.2.6 STRADIS Methodology
Structured Analysis, Design and Implementation of Information Systems, also
known as STRADIS, was originally developed by Chris Gane and Trish Sarson in
1979. It is a methodology based on structured process modeling, where complex
problems are divided in a detailed and formal way. It is a step-by-step methodology
which focuses on a structural approach based on data (Litan et al.
2011
); thus, it
works better in contexts where there is evident need for prioritization, due to the
project
s size, restrained deadlines, etc.
According to Avison and Fitzgerald (
2003
),
'
the STRADIS approach was
developed in the era that they refer to as the
It is
comprised of all methodologies that are centered on the development of computer-
based applications through emphasis on planning and step-by-step processes, which
is the case with STRADIS. It was considered that such methods would improve the
management of systems development and introduce discipline
“
Early Methodology Era.
”
an approach that
has come to be known as the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
As the name implies, this is primarily a structured methodology. Such models
—
“
are
based on functional decomposition, that is, the breaking down of a complex
problem into manageable units in a disciplined way
”
(Avison and Fitzgerald
2003
).
STRADIS focuses on the selection and interassociation of components and inter-
faces that can decipher a speci
c problem. The objectives of the project must be
clear and well de
ned from the start, because STRADIS, and similar methods, are
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