| Summary: | As more organisations are expanding in their operations, there has been a strong
emphasis on investing in Information Systems (IS). To ensure successful deployment
of IS, software developers are advised to apply Information Systems Development
Methodologies (ISDMs). The ISDMs provide a systematic approach to development
of IS and ensure efficient use of resources during the development process. The
stakeholders conducting the software development usually face problems
communicating Systems Development (SD) terminologies. The software developers
inconsistently use the SD terminologies during software development. Recently a new
concept called ontology has been gaining a lot of popularity in Artificial Intelligence
(AI), Computational Lingnistics and Database theory. Ontology'S potential is being
realized in its ability to capture knowledge into a knowledge-base that could be shared
with people within a particular domain area.
This study aims at helping the software developers in understanding the different
types of terminologies applied when conducting software development. The main
objective is to develop an ontology for Information Systems Development
Methodologies. The ontology will be used to mediate the meaning ofterminologies of
SD. In cases where the development of software is undertaken through outsourcing,
the software developers located in different countries can use a similar ontology in
order to minimise the misunderstanding in the application of systems development
terminologies during the development process.
To determine the terminologies to use in the development of the ontology, a
qualitative research approach was used. The research is regarded qualitative, as the
information gathered for this research will not be expressed in numbers. The research
paradigm employed in this research in interpretive in nature. To gather the data, both
primary and secondary data collection strategies were employed. Data was gathered
through document review and it was coupled with interviews conducted on a software
development practitioner and three academics. After the data was collected, it was
analyzed using the agreed upon terminologies. The ontology was then developed
using a software package called Protege. The study found that software developers still have a misunderstanding on the use of
SD terminologies. By developing an ontology for Information Systems Development
Methodologies, the software developers can use the ontology to mediate the meaning
of the SD terminologies that would minimize the misunderstanding of systems
development terminologies when conducting software development. === Thesis (M.Sc. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.
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