Methods are networks of methods

Quite often practitioners in industry are working sub-optimal in their processes in product design and development, as they hardly use methods. Quite often their experience in using methods is negative - the result was not as good as expected or it was time consuming or it did not fit to the situation. Because of these findings methods should be presented user friendly and more flexible. This has to be realised within a context, which is of high complexity concerned to processes, situations and participants. This paper points out some aspects of the required flexibility and the target oriented use of methods by discussing different views of the networked methods within design processes. Standard process patterns are described and a model of method supports the work with methods, which are decomposed and addressed by questions. Case studies with students and in industry gave a first positive response to this kind of dealing with methods.