Zielzustandsvorgabe

Zielzustandsvorgabe is a term used in systems engineering, project management, and organizational development to denote the specification of the desired final state of a system, process, or project. It describes how the target condition should look and function once changes are completed, and it bounds the requirements, constraints, and quality criteria that must be satisfied to reach that state.

Purpose and use

The Zielzustandsvorgabe serves as a guiding reference for design, implementation, validation, and acceptance. It provides a basis for decision making, prioritization, and trade-offs, and it supports requirement engineering by translating stakeholder needs into a concrete end state that can be tested and verified.

Content and typical elements

A Zielzustandsvorgabe typically includes functional requirements, performance targets, architectural constraints, interfaces and data exchanges, quality attributes (such as reliability, security, and usability), compliance and governance rules, migration or transition needs, resource assumptions, and a schedule with milestones. It may also specify verification and acceptance criteria, as well as risk and dependency considerations.

Relation to other concepts

The Zielzustandsvorgabe is closely related to the Istzustand (current state) and Sollzustand (target or desired state) concepts. It often functions as a more detailed or formalized input than a generic Zielbild or vision, translating it into concrete criteria for design and validation.

Applications

Its use spans IT system modernization, process optimization, product development, and organizational change initiatives. By defining clear end-state criteria, teams can plan gaps, design solutions, and measure progress toward the intended outcome.

Artifacts

Common outputs include requirement documents, target state architectures, state transition plans, and acceptance test plans that reference the Zielzustandsvorgabe.