Systems development education and methodology adoption

Abstract

The adoption of systems development methodologies has been a subject for research and a topic for discussion for a number of years. One factor, which is often emphasized, is education and training. However, very little research has been focused on the role of formal university education and the dissemination of systems development methodologies. This is the background for this study. It investigates the extent to which a methodology, as well as its encompassing component methods and techniques, taught at the Copenhagen Business School, has been adopted by students and the organizations they are working for. The main result is that very few examples of direct adoption of the methodology taught have been found, but that the training has in general positive influence on the students' utilization of methodologies. The reasons for adoption and non-adoption are discussed based on a grounded theory analysis.