An integrative modelling technique bridging the gap between business and information systems development

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Authors

Joubert, Pieter
De Villiers, Carina
Kroeze, J.H.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Computer Society of South Africa

Abstract

The goal of this research is to develop an integrative modelling technique that is easy enough to be used by most business users with little training, but robust and structured enough to be used in subsequent Information Systems Development (ISD) modelling. This technique attempts to bridge the current gap between modelling on a business level and modelling on a technical level. The overall research methodology is design science research, embedding a grounded approach, to develop an integrative modelling technique. The resultant artefact is applied to a case study to test its applicability and suitability, and the results are evaluated. The results show that the proposed integrative modelling technique that is based on a better understanding of the fundamental entities in business and ISD modelling and their properties, attributes and relationships, can be used as a method to model business situations easily and expressively. By overcoming the divide between business and ISD modelling, the technique also advances informal, mostly textual, business modelling. The paper makes a methodological contribution by establishing a new technique that integrates business analysis with ISD, as well as demonstrating how a single case study could serve as an exemplar of a theory.

Description

This article is based on a PhD thesis by Pieter Joubert, who passed away in 2013.

Keywords

Information systems development, Business modelling, Modelling techniques, Grounded approach, Design science research

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Joubert, P., de Villiers, C. and Kroeze, J.H. (2018). An integrative modelling technique bridging the gap between business and information systems development. South African Computer Journal 30(1), 40–65. https://DOI.org/10.18489/sacj.v30i1.413.