Discipline whose goal is the controlled design of methods
Introduction to the notion
Etymology: from the Greek “methodos” and “logos”, the discourse on the method Methodology is the discipline concerned with the operating and building rules of methods, in other words, the controlled creation of methods.
Comparison between method and methodology
The methodology grants a degree of freedom that the method does not: it provides the elements required in the thought process to adjust the method to specific contexts or to articulate it with other contributions. Indeed, a method is a system; as such, its construction follows rules. For a method to work correctly, these rules should be respected. Methodology is the discipline that is concerned with the operating and building rules of methods.
The method is intended for practitioners; it has to serve as a guide for their daily activity and aims to be highly practical. The risk is being highly specialized and closed in. The methodology is a wider and theoretical way of thinking. It does not concern all practitioners, but it is necessary to ensure the quality of the methods and their articulation within the transformation chain.
Related terms: method, transformation, Praxeme.
