Against method-ism: exploring the limits of method

Provides a critique of method-ism - the view that methodology is necessary and sufficient for information systems’ development success; method-ism presupposes also that systems developers understand the value of methodology and will prefer to work with it rather than without it. Argues, against method-ism, that method flows from understanding, and not the reverse. Hence method cannot be a substitute for understanding. Discusses the way in which humans tend to interact with the world by means of ready-to-hand tools, using the ideas of Heidegger and Ihde. Shows that tools are used only if available (ready-to-hand) in the world of doing. If a methodology is not ready-to-hand, it will break down and be ignored in the pragmatics of getting the job done. Presents a number of arguments why methodologies by design will tend to break down (not be ready-to-hand) and hence be discarded.