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

 

The design of Euromethod is based on a number of basic principles which have influenced the focus of Euromethod. They have determined the kinds of real life situations to which Euromethod applies. They are expressed more specifically in the key concepts and models included in Euromethod. Lastly, the principles underpin a set of guidelines for effective planning and management of information system development efforts across organisational boundaries.

The Principles of EM are:

 
IS adaptation.  Euromethod addresses a variety of changes to information systems, considering information systems as totalities of organisational, human and technical elements. This variety of changes, which include system development, is captured by the concept of information system adaptation. 
Variety of Contracts.  Euromethod applies to any information system adaptation that can be characterized by a well understood initial and final state. As a consequence, Euromethod can be reapplied at various stages during the life of the same information system.
Customer-Supplier Relationship Euromethod supports the understanding, planning and management of the contractual relationships between a customer and a supplier of information system adaptations. 
Situation Driven. Euromethod supports the development of a strategy and a plan for information system adaptation that is tailored to the specific characteristics of a problem situation.
Focus on Decisions Euromethod focuses on the key decisions to be taken by the customer and the supplier, on their related transactions and on the key roles played by people (organisational actors) during these transactions.
Focus on Deliverables.  Euromethod is focused on the deliverables which are exchanged between the customer and the supplier. The deliverables constitute the key planning elements to support decision making and management of progress. 
Method Bridging.  Euromethod provides valuable concepts and guidelines to supplement information system development methods. Guidelines are offered to bridge between Euromethod concepts, on the one hand, and development method concepts on the other. 

In the following sections, these principles are discussed in more detail.

Information System Adaptation

Euromethod addresses procurement and development of information system with a broad view on both the products and processes considered.
Figure 2: The information system.

On the product side, information systems are considered as totalities of organisational, human and technical elementsas illustrated on Figure 2. Information systems contain information resources. These resources are used in processes performed by various actors within the organisation. Different kinds of technologies, one of the most important being computer systems, are developed to support the involved actors and to automate part of the processes involved. As a consequence, the scope of Euromethod is wider than software development: it is concerned with improving the information system in all its aspects.

On the process side, Euromethod addresses a variety of information system changes including their modification (correction, enhancement, improvement, etc.) and automation to fulfill the changing needs of the organisation. This variety of changes, for the purpose of Euromethod is captured within the concept of IS-adaptation .

A fundamental distinction is made between two types of activities involved in all these kinds of adaptations:

Variety of Contracts

Euromethod applies to any IS-adaptation that can be characterized by an initial state and a final state. As a consequence, Euromethod can be reapplied at various stages during the life of the same information system as illustrated below:

Figure 3: An example of a series of contractual arrangements during the life of an information system.

The life of an information system will typically contain several IS-adaptations regulated by contracts, e.g. one or more change study studies, and one or more system description, construction, installation, or maintenance projects. When any such adaptation contract is established, the information system and the knowledge on the information system are in a certain state, called the initial state of the adaptation. The desired state of the information system and the related products which express the knowledge on the information system at the termination of the contract is called the final state of the adaptation. Euromethod provides the concepts and guidelines to determine both initial and final states of information system adaptations in a flexible way, to better suit each specific situation.

Customer-Supplier Relationship

Euromethod supports the understanding, planning and management of the contractual relationships between a customer and a supplier of IS-adaptations. Figure 4 summarizes this fundamental view on IS-adaptation.
Figure 4: The two levels of a Customer-Supplier Relationship.

A distinction is made between two levels of customer-supplier relations: the relationship at a contractual level and the relationship at a project level. The main focus of Euromethod is on the contractual level starting with the call for tender, proceeding through the signing of a contract, eventually entering into the actual production of a set of deliverables, and finally ending when the contract is terminated. From this point of view Euromethod is designed to:

This view is further elaborated in terms of the key roles involved as illustrated in the following figure:
Figure 5: The key roles involved in IS-adaptation.

Situation Driven

Euromethod supports the development of a strategy and a plan for IS adaptation that is tailored to the specific characteristics of a problem situation. The problem is the IS-adaptation and the problem situation is its context.

A problem situation is expressed using a set of situational factors, and these properties of the problem situation are used to predict the risks and thus determine the appropriate problem solving strategies for their containment or reduction.

In this sense, Euromethod applies a situation driven approach to IS adaptation. It does so through guidelines for:

This IS-adaptation strategy is designed for the reduction or containment of risks inherent in the problem situation and it places specific requirements on the delivery plan of the contract. This situation driven approach is illustrated on the next figure:
Figure 6: The context and key results of applying Euromethod.

Focus on Decisions

In the course of a procurement of an information system, the customer and the supplier execute transactions where they exchange products and take decisions on the basis of the information contained in those products.

The types of transactions between a customer and a supplier are modeled as illustrated on Figure 7. Three processes are considered:

During the tendering and the completion processes a set of specific types of transactions are used to provide a simple and general model. In contrast, during the production process a set of general types of transactions are used to provide the means to create, in each specific application of Euromethod, a tailored model of the production process. This model focuses on key decisions to be taken by the customer. These decisions are crucial for the customer since they will determine the properties of the new information system. They are as important for the supplier insofar as they are shaping the objectives of the project, its costs and chances of success.
Figure 7: The types of customer-supplier transactions in IS-adaptations.

The process followed by the customer and the supplier during the production process will consist of transactions in which decisions about the information system and the way it is produced are approved or made. The main decision points have to be approved by the customer or made in co-operation with them, and the sequence of the related transactions is specified in the delivery plan.

Euromethod is providing assistance in planning these decision points and customer-supplier transactions. It also gives some help in determining the right products that must be delivered to support a certain decision.

Focus on Deliverables

Euromethod focuses on deliverables with less concern for the supplier's activities in which they are produced. The deliverables constitute the key planning elements to support decision making and management of progress.

For the customer, the deliverables are more important than the way in which they are produced by the supplier. "What" is more important than "How". Some of these deliverables are stated as the objective of the contract. It is crucial that there is a mutual understanding between the customer and supplier regarding the goal, and the meaning of these deliverables. In addition, other deliverables need to be included to provide the customer with sufficient information on intermediate results, plans, and progress made. 

Figure 8: The principal deliverable types.

For the supplier, both deliverables and activities are important. Nevertheless, the activities are subordinate to the deliverables because a project is defined through the dynamic contractual relationship with the customer.

The classification of deliverables is based on the distinction between target domain and project domain. The target domain is that part of an organisation for which an IS-adaptation should be performed. The project domain is the temporary organisation, sometimes called project, which has been set up with the goal of adapting an information system of an organisation.

Euromethod includes three types of deliverables as illustrated in Figure 8. Target domain deliverables relate to the information system to be adapted and they include descriptions as well as operational items of the information system. The delivery plan contains a description of the approach to the production process as agreed between the customer and the supplier. Finally, project domain deliverables relate to the process of production including more detailed plans, as well as reports on progress and problems. Plans for future IS-adaptations can also be produced during an IS-adaptation.

Method Bridging

As illustrated by Figure 6, the actual design of an appropriate development approach is not only to be guided by Euromethod. The organisational setting will contain standards and rules that have to be followed, and the development methods to be applied in the production process will guide the actions through specific process models and product profiles. In this sense, Euromethod provides valuable concepts and guidelines to supplement information system development methods and local standards and rules.

Euromethod offers guidelines to bridge between its own concepts, on the one hand, and the concepts of development methods on the other. These guidelines can be used in applications of Euromethod to specific IS-adaptations. In a different context, these guidelines can serve as a framework to achieve some level of conceptual harmonization between different development methods.


Back to:

EM Homepage  What is EM?  Principles of EM  History of EM

In case of you need further information, don't hesitate to contact:
Dr. Alfred Helmerich (EMail: ahe@fast.de)
Back to FAST employees: