Information systems (IS) are the backbone of any organization today, supporting all major business processes.

This book deals with the question: how do these systems come into existence? It gives a comprehensive coverage of managerial, methodological and technological aspects including:

• Management decisions before and during IS development, acquisition and implementation
• Project management
• Requirements engineering and design using UML
• Implementation, testing and customization
• Software architecture and platforms
• Tool support (CASE tools, IDEs, collaboration tools)

The book takes into account that for most organizations today, inhouse development is only one of several options to obtain an IS. A good deal of IS development has moved to software vendors – be it domestic, offshore or multinational software firms. Since an increasing share of this work is done in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa, the making of information systems is discussed within a global context.