A Taxonomy Development Method to Define the Vocabulary for Rule-Based Guidance in Complex Emerging Technologies

Emerging technologies are characterized by their uncertainty and potential impact. Decisions about these technologies are therefore crucial and difficult. The problem is particularly acute for complex emerging technologies, which combine several technologies. Guidance on emerging technologies is often lacking, even more for complex ones. In this research, methods and models to guide practitioners (members of the IT personnel) in the adoption of complex emerging technologies are defined. Guidance is provided by means of productions rules, requiring a controlled vocabulary organized as a taxonomy. The rules, and the vocabulary for the rules, are defined by researchers for a specific complex emerging technology (e.g., business intelligence and analytics in the cloud). They may then be applied by practitioners to decide on the adoption of the emerging technology in a specific organizational context. The approach is based on systematic literature review, thereby contributing to evidence-based practice. This paper focuses on the method to define the controlled vocabulary for the production rules. This taxonomy development method is built by combining systematic literature review with a method for taxonomy development, considering the specificities of rule-based guidance and complex emerging technologies. It is demonstrated on business intelligence and analytics in the cloud and evaluated in a government agency.