ABSTRACT
A methodology is a way of making or adopting a model to perform a task or a set of tasks so that the goal of that task can be achieved as predicted. A methodology can also be defined as a single method or a set of methods through which a goal can be achieved. The second definition is explained using an example from civil engineering. Consider the task of constructing a large apartment building. Depending on the situation and requirements, you have two choices. You can opt for prefabricated structures and transport them on-site and then assemble them to build the apartment building, or you can build each part completely on-site without using any prefabricated structures. In this example, constructing the apartment is the goal, and the construction using prefabricated structures is one of the available methods. The decision of selecting a specific method or methods depends on the requirements of that method (or methods) as well as considerations such as time to build, cost, security, and availability
of technology. A software product can be developed using either some well-known methodologies or any methodology that may be available to the developer. Usage note: In this book, the terms methodology, model, and method are used synonymously. Similarly, the terms process, task, and phase are used interchangeably.
