A methodology is a repeatable process with project-specific methods, best practices, rules, guidelines, templates, checklists, and other features for building quality systems that are manageable and deliver value to the organization. The methodology can be used and reused any number of times.
The key phrase here is repeatable process—doing projects the same way each time. To think of this another way, a methodology is a roadmap to get you where you want to go.
Critics unkindly said that these tools were "short on methods—long on ologies." That statement may have had some basis in reality then, but methodologies have matured and are becoming more widely accepted as we've all realized that we need effective tools that can help us to be more productive.
Using a standard approach in application development can provide significant productivity gains. Methodologies can be combined with any type of technology: standard application-development tools; databases; languages such as C, C++, or even COBOL; web services, Java, J2EE; autonomic software, grids, and utility computing.
The methodology is integrated with project-management software tools and process-management techniques to provide a valuable all-around delivery vehicle. It delivers value and productivity to organizations by describing a repeatable set of processes and procedures for building systems.
