Transforming a method department from technology supplier to service provider

Large software organizations establish method departments to manage methods and tools aimed at supporting their software development activities. This division between software development and new technologies for software development helps develop specialized competencies, it supports standardization across software projects and departments, and it provides dedicated resources for innovation. In practice, however, such method departments are seldom perceived as sufficiently successful in diffusing new methods and tools. Reasons for this unsatisfactory performance may be found in the self-perception, learning mechanisms, and diffusion practices of these method departments. This paper reports from practical attempts to change the attitudes and practices of a method department in a large software organization. Insights from these activities are provided together with theoretical reflections on the underlying learning and change mechanisms. It is suggested that method departments should change their role from technology supplier to service provider. The argument is concluded with practical advice on how to facilitate such a transformation.