The paper investigates the context of information systems (IS) development, which aims to underline the importance of soft systems methodology (SSM) in the process of IS design that should meet several essential challenges: First, IS development, usually concerned with ill-structured problem situations in organizations, needs to make sense both to those who work in IS and to those whose concern is organizational imperatives. Second, it needs to encompass changes in practice, which are made possible by technical developments. Third, it must be robust enough to remain valid as the technology itself and ways of using it continue to develop. Our research is driven by a belief that the design issues of IS support must be situated in the context of social processes in which, in a specific organizational scenario, a particular group of people can conceptualize their world and hence the purposeful action they wish to undertake. This provides the basis for ascertaining what information support is needed by those who undertake that action. Only then does it become appropriate to ask how modern information technology can help to provide that support. The paper concludes by reiterating the main context for IS work is the organizations, and meeting the challenge of designing suitable IS's, based on SSM, starts from a re-thinking of what is entailed in providing informational support to purposeful action in the specific organization context. This is often facilitated by the provision of an important enquiry process constantly attended to, and integrated into organizational activities by which IS professionals could learn of the organization's continual adjustments to its changing world