Goals and problems are elements used in several domains for creating solutions to problematic situations. In such domains, problem and goal identification tends to be delegated to people w ith analysis capabilities, w ho use their intuition and subjectivity in order to complete this task. In this paper, w e explore the state of the art in the representation of goals and problems in softw are engineering and organizational management. Also, w e explore * Ingeniero Civil, Especialista en Gerencia de Sistemas Informaticos, Magister en Ingenieria de Sistemas y Doctor en Ingenieria con enfasis en Sistemas. Profesor Asociado de la Escuela de Sistemas, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellin, Colombia. Lider del Grupo de Investigacion en Lenguajes Computacionales. cmzapata@unal.edu.co ** Ingeniero de Sistemas, Especialista en Ingenieria de Softw are, Docente de tiempo completo, Institucion Universitaria Tecnologico de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. sistemas@tdea.edu.co