The PIOCO model is a comprehensive methodology for information systems (IS) design consisting of a metamodel for an information system, the corresponding description languages, a process model for information tems design, and a model for choice and quality criteria. The metamodel for an information system consists of three levels of abstraction and forms a profound and articulated conceptual basis for the PIOCO model for the IS design process. The article gives an overview of the PIOCO approach from a management perspective, emphasizing the role of IS design as an inquiry process supporting the decision-making concerning the information system, the quality criteria related to the IS design, and the use of the PIOCO model as a macro-framework which integrates more detailed micro-level methodologies, methods, techniques and tools. The purpose of this article is to give an overview of the PIOCO model for IS design, paying special attention to its basic principles and most distinctive features. The term 'PIOCO' is an acronym derived from the three main view-points of systems analysis [29, 30]: pragmatic (P), input/output (I/O) and constructive/operative (C/O). The pragmatic considers a system as an element of its environment, paying attention to its purpose and impact; I/O considers its external behavior; and CIO its structure and internal behavior.