Article

Relevance and problem choice in design science

Author:

Roel WieringaAuthors Info & Claims

DESRIST'10: Proceedings of the 5th international conference on Global Perspectives on Design Science Research

Pages 61 - 76

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13335-0_5

Published: 04 June 2010 Publication History

Abstract

The supposed opposition of rigor versus relevance is based on the mistaken idea that rigor consists of linear technology transfer combined with positivistic science, and ignores the context-dependence of relevance as well as the incorporation of conditions of practice necessary for applicability of knowledge Historical insights from the history of science and technology show that technology is not transferred linearly from research to practice, and that technical science has more in common with social science than a superficial comparison would reveal In both fields, (1) practical problems are often solved without input from research, and (2) researchers often investigate past innovations rather than prepare future ones And in both fields, (3) relevance is context-dependent, because it depends on changeable goals of stakeholders Applicability is a more important requirement than relevance to a goal, where applicability is the match between theory and the condition of practice of a concrete case.

This paper summarizes insights from the history of science and technology to substantiate these points and provides an extended framework for design science to incorporate these insights Since relevance depends on problem choice, the paper also summarizes what is known about classes of relevant practical problems and research questions in technical design science and discusses the relevance of this for IS design science We finally discuss implications for research methods, research strategy, and knowledge transfer in IS design science.

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Cited By

Daneva MSikkel KCondori-Fernandez NHerrmann AMartínez-Fernández SGalster MBueno da Silva FCiolkowski M(2018)Experiences in using practitioner's checklists to evaluate the industrial relevance of requirements engineering experimentsProceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Conducting Empirical Studies in Industry10.1145/3193965.3193966(5-12)Online publication date: 28-May-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3193965.3193966
Bakalova ZDaneva MHerrmann AWieringa R(2011)Agile requirements prioritizationProceedings of the 17th international working conference on Requirements engineering: foundation for software quality10.5555/1987360.1987386(181-195)Online publication date: 28-Mar-2011
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/1987360.1987386

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Published In

cover image Guide Proceedings

DESRIST'10: Proceedings of the 5th international conference on Global Perspectives on Design Science Research

June 2010

562 pages

ISBN:3642133347

Editors:
Robert Winter
Institute of Information Management, University of St Gallen, Müller-Friedberg-Strasse 8, St Gallen, Switzerland
,
J. Leon Zhao
Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Müller-Friedberg-Strasse 8, Hong Kong, China
,
Stephan Aier
Institut of Information Management, University of St Gallen, Mueller-Friedberg-Strasse 8, St Gallen, Switzerland

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Springer-Verlag

Berlin, Heidelberg

Publication History

Published: 04 June 2010

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Cited By

Daneva MSikkel KCondori-Fernandez NHerrmann AMartínez-Fernández SGalster MBueno da Silva FCiolkowski M(2018)Experiences in using practitioner's checklists to evaluate the industrial relevance of requirements engineering experimentsProceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Conducting Empirical Studies in Industry10.1145/3193965.3193966(5-12)Online publication date: 28-May-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3193965.3193966
Bakalova ZDaneva MHerrmann AWieringa R(2011)Agile requirements prioritizationProceedings of the 17th international working conference on Requirements engineering: foundation for software quality10.5555/1987360.1987386(181-195)Online publication date: 28-Mar-2011
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/1987360.1987386

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