Experimental Research in Systems Development Methodologies: Opportunities and Challenges

Many systems analysis and design (SAD)methods have been proposed over the years. each hailed by proponentsasa panacea for improving productivity and quality in the S A D process and produce. There has been significant interest in evaluating such techniques based on their modeling power (e.g., Fowler 1992; Olle, Sol and Tully 1983). However, surprisingly little rigorous experimental research has been conducted to evaluate the available tools and techniques. One possible explanation of the lack of attention by IS researchers to this area is the inherent difficulty in conducting experiments on SA/D methods. The panel will (1) argue for the importance of experimental research to evaluate SAD methods/techniques; (2)examinethechallengesinconductingexperimentsinthisarea;and(3)presentstrategiesadopted by each of the panelists in addressing these challenges