*SIM Competition Paper:* The Application Approach Worksheet: An Evaluative Tool for Matching New Development Methods with Appropriate Applications

This article presents a method used by the Hennepin County Information Services development staff to determine how best to use new development methods. The tool described and the method for using it were designed to help both data processing personnel and user personnel make the transition from using one development approach only, to a variety of approaches using new technologies and methods. In brief, the “Application Approach Worksheet” is a document used by mid-level and senior user management to identify, in data processing terms, the characteristics of a proposed application. Once the application’s characteristics are defined, the user utilized the worksheet’s matrix to determine which development might by most appropriate for the application. The completed worksheet and a work request then becomes the basis to propose development of the new application. At that point, an Information Services Department (ISD) project manger discusses the application with the user. Together, they agree on the project’s priority relative to other projects, and work out how the project will be handled in general. This article first describes the environment in which the “Application Approach Worksheet” was developed and the circumstances that led to its development. The article goes on to discuss how the worksheet was created and describes the criteria that form the heart of the document. Finally, the article describes how the worksheet is used and discusses the results of its use since it became a part of the work request process in January of 1983.