Higher education curriculum development is influenced by a wide array of internal institutional elements as well as a range of pressures from the external environment. This case study provides a reflection upon these challenges and serves to demonstrate, by way of example in the Information Systems context, the benefits of applying a mix of methodological approaches to the creation of programme review process. Design Science Research, which is a discipline-based approach, has been linked with instrumentalist stakeholder theory and a soft systems approach to demonstrate both the value of applying mixed methods and the range of influencers bearing on Information Systems discipline developments in higher education. A Design Science Research approach underpins the generation of programme review processes that explain performance in the current situation and demands innovative solutions to quality issues. Business processes built to evaluate a programme against external and internal benchmarks, and include the knowledge and beliefs of all stakeholders assure the design of innovative actions that improve curriculum or services as a result. Incremental innovations in the programme architecture, student services and operational efficiencies also lead to faster adoptions of emerging technologies.. This contribution is the more significant because of the dearth of research into building effective business review practices that support incremental and frequent alignment of industry graduate needs, professional discipline requirements and university deliverables.

Key words: Design Science Research, Information Systems Curriculum, Stakeholder Theory, Soft Systems