Seventy years of information systems development methodologies from early business computing to the Agile era: A two-part history Part 2: Later ISD to Early post ISD methodology era: Adapting to accelerated context expansion (1980–today)

Abstract

Information systems design (ISD) methodologies emerged soon after business computers in the 1950s. They have been a central topic of research and professional discourse in the information systems (IS) field ever since. This is Part 2 of a two-part history of ISD methodologies from the pre-methodology era that laid the foundational thinking that has been incorporated into ISD methodologies until now. We apply a historical method to follow the narrative of ISD methodology evolution in a historical context to identify central innovations and milestones that changed the environment allowing new types of ISD outcomes and processes to emerge demanding novel methodological responses. We will study what changed, what stayed the same and where the major shifts occurred. Part 2 reports on the major innovations and milestones that changed the IS environment and lead to emergence of the Later ISD (1980–1990) and Early post ISD methodology era practices (1990–today) and associated methodological innovations and principles. In Part 1, we have reported on the Pre ISD (1880–1960) and the Early ISD methodology era (1960–1980) histories.