Methodology

Methodology is a set of methods or scripted activities or procedures. It describes how things are done.

Methodology is a structural elements in an organization, see more on organizational structure. As such, it must be considered in parallel with other structural elements such as culture and ethos, infrastructure and goverannce.

Methods are composable and they can be nested within other methods.

Categories of methods

Basic methodologies

• Communication
• Coordination
• Harvesting / documentation
• Decision making

Harvesting methods

Harvesting is about capturing and depositing relevant information. We can call it documentation. For example, during a meeting, someone is assigned the role of harvester, which means that this agent takes notes and stores them in a content repository for easy access and retrieval. The methodology of documentation of a meeting (the meeting notes) prescribes a format for the produced document (perhaps based on a template that the organization is using); prescribes access (perhaps everyone involved is invited to edit) and perhaps the final document is made public for everyone to read and comment on; etc.

See Sensorica's meeting minutes template.

Research and development methods

Research and development is a complex activity that may go through different stages. In Sensorica, affiliates use the following stages: ideation, design considerations, design and prototyping. There are cycles between these stages, i.e. the group can go back from prototyping to design based on results of tests on the prototype. They may adjust design considerations and even go back to ideation, if necessary.

Templates may be used for R&D activities, which encapsulate best practices and standardize the process. See for example Sensorica's Template for Deliverables].

The R&D methodology contains the Harvesting methodology.

The R&D methodology can also be called Deliverables methodology.

Outreach

Outreach is about purposeful communication, i.e. how the organization communicates with the world in order to achieve various objectives.

The outreach methodology is part of the Capacity methodology

Capacity

The capacity methodology is about creating the conditions for the organization to conduct its operations. For example, the organization must be composed of individuals that cover the entire skills set required to complete its mission. Also, the organization must have at its disposal all the required resources, monetary, materials (consumables, equipment and tools, physical spaces). The organization may also need to establish relations with other organizations within its ecosystem to complement its capabilities, capture opportunities and better disseminate / distribute its deliverables.

The outreach methodology is part of the capacity methodology, to send signal in order to acquire resources and skills, for example.

Dissemination

Dissemination is about creating the conditions for propagation and adoption of deliverables of the organization. For example, it requires finding stakeholders, early adapters and users, understanding their needs and their modes of operation and making sure that they can easily find, understand and use the deliverable.

The dissemination methodology can invoke the outreach methodology.