Abstract: The method comprises defining the workflow of a service lifecycle by means of a state diagram and following its evolution and adaptation using rule-based adaptation mechanisms enabling the transformation of services to change in response to user requirements, and delivering to said rule-based adaptation mechanism user predefined application information, which declaratively defines the architecture of an application formed by several services or said architecture plus the behaviour of the whole application under a series of variable circumstances, and using said rule-based adaptation mechanism to process and enforce at run time at least said user predefined application information. The system is arranged and intended for implementing the method, by comprising interrelated elements arranged and intended for carrying out the actions of the method.