Information system development methodologies adoption in the sultanate of Oman - An exploratory study

Information System Development Methodologies (ISDM) have attracted a lot of interest and research from industry and academia. However, the majority of studies of ISDM adoption have been widely undertaken to highlight the experience of western countries and very little has been done to address ISDM adoption in developing countries, such as the Sultanate of Oman. Currently, the status of ISDM usage in Oman, including the factors that influence and motivate their use, current trends, difficulties, and barriers to adoption are not known. This paper reports research that examines the extent to which ISDM are used in practice in Oman based on primary data sources. The initial findings reveal that there is limited knowledge and understanding of the concept of ISDM amongst Omani Information Systems (IS) personnel. This is reflected in the quality of the software products being developed and released. The analyzed data reveals a trend whereby a majority of Omani organizations are gradually moving towards increased ISDM adoption and deployment.