MERISE: A European methodology for developing information systems

Abstract

MERISE is a widely-used methodology for developing information systems in France and elsewhere, and it may become very influential in any future European standard. The purpose of this paper is to make MERISE more widely known to an English-speaking audience by providing an outline of its approach and emphasising aspects of special interest to such an audience. The essentials of the approach lie in its three cycles: the decision cycle, the life cycle and the abstraction cycle, which cover data and process elements equally. Although it is prescriptive to some extent, MERISE permits the participation of end users and senior management as well as data processing professionals in its decision cycle. The paper also discusses support tools, standards and documentation. The final section places MERISE within a framework for comparing methodologies, and a brief comparison with the UK methodology, SSADM, is provided.