Alignment of Software Specifications with Quality- and Business Goals in the SIKOSA Method

Abstract: Business-IT alignment for software specifications means that the specifications have to be aligned with business goals. In the SIKOSA research project, we developed the SIKOSA method which supports the integrated assurance of quality during the whole software development process. In this work, we present these aspects of the SIKOSA method, which especially align specification decisions to quality goals and thus indirectly to business goals. Such goals play a role in the following activities: the derivation of software requirements from quality goals, the prioritization of these software requirements, and the definition of decision criteria for architectural design decisions. The results of all three activities influence architectural decisions.