The Effects of GQM+Strategies on Organizational Alignment The Effects of GQM+Strategies on Organizational Alignment

The increasing role of software for developing products and services requires that organizations align their software-related activities with high-level business goals. In practice, this alignment is very difficult and only little systematic support is available. GQM+Strategies is a method that aims at aligning organizational goals, strategies, and measurements at all levels of an organization in a seamless way. This article describes a case study of applying GQM+Strategies in a globally op-erating industrial R&D organization developing special-purpose device products for B2B customers. The study analyzes how GQM+Strategies has helped clarify and harmonize the goal set of the organization. Results of the study indicate im-proved alignment and integration of different goals. In addition, the method helped to make the initially informal goal-setting more transparent and consequently en-abled revising it while new, more important goals were discovered and compre-hended. Moreover, several elements affecting the achievement of goals as well as impediments were identified