A software development method and system having a suite of graphical customization tools that enables developers to rapidly configure all aspects of the underlying application software, including the look-and-feel, behavior, and workflow. This is accomplished without modifying application source code, base objects, or SQL. The sophisticated repository management capabilities of the method and system of our invention allows teams of developers to work efficiently on configuring applications. The application upgrader provides an automated process to upgrade the customizations to future product releases thus protecting the investment in customization. The ease, comprehensiveness, scalability, and upgradeability of the customization process help reduce the total lifecycle cost of customizing enterprise applications.