I'm writing some internal documentation, which I cannot share, in which I outline several ways to accomplish a task. For example, updating software may be accomplished by:
- Send a list of what the client has to the server and let the server decide what updates are needed
- Get a list of everything that's available from the server and let the client decide what updates are needed
Is this section accurately called "methodology" because it's analyzing methods? Are these most appropriately "methods," "procedures," "paradigms", etc.? Note that they're not specific descriptions of what is to be done, only general overviews. I'm not really discussing the specific procedure that would be used, but the way in which the problem is approached.
I suppose what I'm looking for are guidelines and examples of when these terms are are appropriate.
Best Answer
Methodology, n.:
While "discipline" seems to be used to refer to a field of expertise, rather than a particular task, I think you could stretch it to fit. But since you're not really analyzing the methods, and just mentioning them ("general overviews"), I would call the section Methods and not Methodology.
I think either methods or procedures would be appropriate terms, but not paradigms. A paradigm is best described as "a system of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices". Several methods could follow a particular paradigm, for example, but a paradigm is not a method itself.