Method in action and method in tool: a stakeholder perspective

Tool support for information systems ( IS) development can be considered from many perspectives, and it is not surprising that different stakeholders perceive such tools very differently. This can contribute on one side to poor selection processes and ineffective deployment of CASE, and on another to inappropriate tool development. In this paper, the relationship between CASE-tools and IS development methods is considered from three stakeholder perspectives: concept developer, IS developer and product developer. These perspectives, and the tensions between them, are characterised within a 'stakeholder triangle'. Some of the major issues related to each tension are highlighted, and the triangle is then used to consider the importance, and implications for all stakeholders, of considering all tensions together. In particular, we suggest that the concept of 'method in action' be complemented by that of 'method in tool'. We believe that these insights will contribute to the continuing debate on how to reduce adoption failures.