Euromethod Overview
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This document will give you an overview on the following topics: 
 

 

Where can Euromethod be used?

Euromethod can be used in any project regarding an information system, where there is: The information system is that aspect of the organisation which provides, uses, and distributes the information . It includes the associated organisational resources such as human, technical and financial resources. It is thus effectively a human system, possibly containing a computer system that automates selected elements of the information system.

Euromethod addresses any kind of information system possibly including any kind of computer system (distributed or not, having data bases or not, real time or not, with knowledge base or not, office automation or not, etc.).

Examples of projects regarding the information system:

Euromethod can be used by both the customer organisation and the supplier organisation.

 

When can Euromethod be used?

Euromethod can be used in the procurement process, once the overall goal of the procurement has been established.

One part of the procurement process is the tendering process.

Euromethod can be used in the preparation of the call for tender and in the tendering process up to the signing of the contract. The determination of the goal of the procurement is not part of Euromethod. Euromethod assists in the definition of the requirements to the project. This includes the planning of deliveries.

Euromethod can be used during the project for the interactions existing between the customer and the supplier, such as the approval (or acceptance) of deliverables, the selection of solutions, the approval of project status, etc.

Euromethod can be used in the completion process of the project, e.g. for the approval of final deliverables.

Euromethod gives its full value when it is used consistently throughout the whole process, both by the customer and the supplier.

 

How can Euromethod be used?

Euromethod is applied by using the Euromethod document together with the dictionary:  

Euromethod Project Objectives

The open market for information system developments and related services within the European Union requires a good mutual understanding between the customers and the suppliers of information systems from the different EU countries. Currently, difficulties can be encountered within such customer-supplier relationships. The different backgrounds in terms of outlook, culture, training and methodologies lead to a confused and ambiguous relationship between the two groups. These can be serious obstacles for the realization of the open market within the EU. The first element in the rationale for Euromethod is to facilitate the mutual understanding between customers and suppliers within an open international market for development of information systems.

A second element in the rationale for Euromethod is the provision of a framework in which conceptual harmonization between different development methods can potentially be achieved. The focus is the customer-supplier relationship. Euromethod provides a common set of concepts and requirements for a potential method harmonization in this important area without removing the competitive advantage that any particular method may have over other methods within its chosen market place.

The third element is to improve the quality and the efficiency of the information system development process by promoting the flexibility of the methods and their adaptability to the various problem situations that may be encountered.

These objectives support a number of objectives related to the open market. Euromethod is designed as a contribution to a broader process that should improve mobility, better organise international projects, facilitate assessment of tenders, achieve more successful IS developments, improve development processes, and, more generally, improve the competitive position of European industry.

Benefits of using Euromethod

Customer and supplier organisations often encounter difficulties when they are working together as part of the procurement of an information system. But what are the main causes for these difficulties?

A commonly expressed view is that customer organisations are unable to express their business needs or requirements clearly. This is classically expressed within the following two situations.

In the first situation, the requirements expressed by the customers are too fuzzy or vague. This makes it impossible for a supplier to identify what the solution to the customer's needs might be. This is clearly expressed by the sentence: "We know we have a problem, but we do not know what that problem is. Please solve it for us!"

In the second situation, customers, possibly contrary to their understanding fail to express their requirements. Rather, the customer presents a solution, which very often does not encapsulate the real requirements, which interested suppliers are then asked to implement. This case is clearly expressed by the sentence: "Here are our requirements. We have done a lot of the technical work already. Please build it for us!". This may be observed as a restrictive tendering practice, in that the customer's choice for obtaining the correct solution to his problem from the best supplier is inhibited.

Another cause of difficulties is the difference in culture which exists within procurement and development organisations. Aspects of this argument include the way in which customers can be frustrated by the complexity of the technical jargon used by the suppliers, and the supplier's failures to understand customer requirements and to effectively manage the implementation of a solution to those requirements.

The problems outlined above consistently lead to a vicious circle, in which suppliers are unable to demonstrate the benefits of their proposals, and in which customer organisations are frustrated in their goals of obtaining the information system required to meet their business needs. Poor requirement elicitation, poor communications, poor decision making and poor matching of customers with suppliers inevitably result in the provision of the wrong information system to the customer.

However, it doesn't have to be like this. Many modern organisations are committed to achieving informed procurement, in which customer organisations aim to develop a partnership with their chosen suppliers. Other customers are aiming to achieve a step-wise improvement in their procurement programmes by utilizing more flexible procurement programmes.

Euromethod is an approach to facilitate flexible procurement within the constraints of the European legislation supporting the creation of the European Single Market. That is, Euromethod provides the concepts and guidance needed to perform flexible, open and informed procurement of information systems. By using Euromethod, a virtuous circle is created in which better requirements elicitation, better communications, better decision making and better matching of customers with suppliers, results in the provision of more appropriate information systems to the customer.

An effectively working open European market will enlarge international buying and selling opportunities. Euromethod will facilitate open competition in the single market through improving the relationship between customer and supplier.

Customers buying information systems and enhancements will be able to use Euromethod to define their requirements in a way which is universally understood. This is a major achievement, especially in international tender situations.

The suppliers of information system developments in the international marketplace also will benefit from Euromethod. They will be able to understand better the needs of their customers and to produce better proposals; and they should be increasingly confident that they are developing information systems which meet their customers' needs.

Euromethod makes it easier for customers to evaluate the tenders, therefore helping to obtain value for their money.

Last but not least, Euromethod will facilitate the acceptance of systems by providing the means to better define the requirements of the system development in the contract and to better plan and manage the project and to improve the quality assurance procedures.


 
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