methodology
1.
An organised, documented set of procedures and guidelines for one or more phases of the {software life
cycle}, such as analysis or design. Many methodologies
include a diagramming notation for documenting the results of
the procedure; a step-by-step "cookbook" approach for carrying
out the procedure; and an objective (ideally quantified) set
of criteria for determining whether the results of the
procedure are of acceptable quality.
An example is The {Yourdon methodology}.
2. A pretentious way of saying "method".
(1995-04-10)