In the past, decision models had to be painstakingly built to know whether a trip to the office was worth it. Today, a well-prepared AI prompt can deliver the answer in seconds.

Morning at the kitchen table. Laptop open, coffee steaming. The question: Is today a good day for the office? In the past, it was half science. Today, it takes seconds – if the basics are in place.

Then

The office question used to be a project for data architects.
Calendars had to be analyzed, attendance lists compared, official meetings included. Some organizations even added social signals: friend lists, meeting places, travel data. From this, a decision model was built – complex, tested, and maintained.
The result: usable, yes – but costly in time and effort.

Now

Today, it looks like a simple prompt – on the surface.
The relevant data is available: calendars, department information, intranet news, meeting pages. It’s bundled and passed to an AI. The prompt is prepared so that within seconds, a suggestion comes back:
“Tuesday works, your core team is on site. Thursday most are remote – better stay home.”
Simple on the outside, carefully orchestrated in the background.

Why this matters

The office question is just one example. It shows how technology shifts: away from heavy pre-work toward direct, everyday support.
Intelligence no longer sits in huge centralized models, but in flexible, precise applications.

For leaders, this means:

• Empowerment instead of control – decisions happen in the moment.
• Agility instead of rigidity – systems adapt to situations.
• Human at the center – technology delivers value where it’s needed.

It’s not about more data, but about better connection.

From complex apps to lean AI agents: how supplier management is becoming faster, more flexible, and more human-centered.

The picture above shows an Excel table full of suppliers. This is how purchasing still looks in many companies: hundreds of rows, countless criteria, complex maintenance. The key question: How do you quickly find the right supplier for your project?

Then

The answer used to be: we need an app. The path was clear: run envisioning workshops, collect ideas, specify requirements. Then came development – agile, but still lengthy. Build, test, accept, deploy with IT, roll out.

The result: a large application that covered everything – input masks, validations, workflows for maintenance and quality checks. Impressive, but heavy. Each change took weeks, every new feature needed budget and approval.

Now

Today a leaner approach often suffices. The data stays in Excel or a cloud table. Instead of masks and workflows, AI takes over the real work: analyzing suppliers, comparing criteria, generating suggestions – in seconds.

Small “supplier agents” can be built on top: always available, easily integrated into existing tools, answering questions the moment they arise. No months-long roll-out – but a pragmatic quick win.

This changes more than speed and cost. It also changes culture: business teams can experiment, learn iteratively, and decide closer to their needs. IT is relieved because not every scenario must be coded.

Why this matters

We shift the focus: from big projects to flexible solutions. Technology adapts to people – not the other way around. Instead of clicking through masks, we have a dialogue with systems. Instead of waiting months, we act in minutes.

Of course, data quality, compliance and change management remain essential. But that’s exactly why it’s smart to start with small AI solutions – and learn fast.

👉 My question: Where in your organization could an Excel sheet be turned into real value through AI?

How AI is transforming business apps: faster, cheaper, more personalized – and finally centered around people.

The image above is more than just a sunrise to me. It shows a bridge in the fog – a transition from yesterday to tomorrow. That’s exactly how my work feels right now: we are in the middle of change. Much is still unclear, but the direction is becoming visible.

Over the past weeks, I have facilitated numerous workshops on business apps. What strikes me again and again: how dramatically AI is changing the rules of the game. In the past, we planned and built large applications over months – complex, expensive, and often overloaded. Today, many things take only a few days – sometimes just a single prompt is enough.

How AI is changing business apps

• Cost & speed: Instead of months, we’re talking days or weeks. Ideas can be tested and adapted much faster.
• Integration: Not everything has to be built into one big app. AI connects existing tools, data, and workflows far more flexibly.
• Personalization: Business apps now adapt to roles, situations, and needs – not the other way around.
• Empowerment: With AI and low-code, business units can shape solutions themselves. This creates ownership and relieves IT.
• People at the center: AI makes technology more accessible – voice input, image recognition, visual interfaces instead of endless forms.
• Agility as a principle: AI forces us to work iteratively. Do – Inspect – Adapt is no longer optional. Whoever continues planning in quarterly cycles will lose pace.

Concrete examples

• Supplier database: from complex input forms to automated AI analysis.
• Office attendance app: from tedious calendar matching to simple AI suggestions.
• Onboarding process: from Excel lists to personalized training plans generated with a prompt.
• Sustainability app: from manual forms to photo-based meter readings.

In the coming weeks, I will share these examples in a short and practical “Past vs. Now” series. What matters to me: AI is not a silver bullet. It inspires new ways of working, accelerates processes, simplifies tasks – but it also has limits. This balance belongs to every honest conversation.

Why this matters

Technology only works if people want it. With AI, we have the chance to rethink business apps: faster, cheaper, more personalized – and above all, more human-centered. For me, this is not a trend, but a shift in perspective: we start with impact, not with technology.

👉 My invitation: Where do you see the biggest shifts? What “Past vs. Now” moments are you experiencing in your environment?

With the right platforms and data, AI is easier to implement than expected. Companies must focus on integration, technology choices and use cases to unlock its full power.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott website.

Artificial intelligence sounds like expensive high-performance computers and complex algorithms. But with the right data and technologies, it's really easy to get started. Especially if you start with simple use cases and platforms.

Technology – AI Platforms – The engine for the super power AI

As production manager, Sabrina wants to prevent the frequent accidents in the aisles of her factory. To do this, she has cameras hung up that show if an object is in the way. An automatic system is to warn the respective shift supervisor with an alarm sound and a red light in order to avoid personnel expenses. The task sounds simple, but as is often the case, the devil is in the details. Because it has to clarify:

• Which technologies are suitable and which are available via IT and cover the needs for this use case?
• How should the solution be integrated to derive added value from the AI use case and link the data to the warning system?
• What data is needed for the AI system to distinguish objects in the way from mobile transport vehicles or people?

The right technology for the use case

To find the right technology for their use case, companies should evaluate application requirements based on two categories: available expertise and customizing options. Four levels of complexity are presented below to help select the right technologies.

Integration & Speed vs. Complexity & Possibilities

• Complexity Level 1 - Integrated Platform Components
• Complexity Level 2 - Out of the Box Services
• Complexity Level 3 - Low Code/No Code self-learned machine learning models
• Complexity Level 4 - Custom Data Pipelines with Machine Learning Models

Integrate the technology

However, anyone dealing with AI technology must not ignore the important aspect of interfaces. In fact, these are the key to success. After all, technology and data alone do not generate added value. They must be used for the right use cases and integrated into the organization with the appropriate processes.

Therefore, it must be clarified how the technologies can be linked with applications and processes so that the overall process runs cleanly. For example, the data generated by AI usually has to be used by other systems, such as CRM or marketing solutions. Azure often lends itself to this as a platform, as AI solutions can be smoothly integrated with Teams, Office or other Microsoft applications.

In the above example, this means linking object recognition with the warning system for the shift supervisor. Here, the highest warning level calculated by the AI must result in turning on the red light and activating a warning tone. To achieve this, the compatibility of the two systems must be checked.

… read more within the full article (German): Technologie – Motor für die Super-Power KI

AI use cases need a strong foundation: a clear data strategy. It aligns business objectives, IT and compliance – and provides the structure for long-term success.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott website.

Artificial intelligence: Many companies want to take advantage of this new trend. Especially but not only, AI-based application cases require the right data basis. A comprehensive data strategy also clarifies other questions related to processes or responsibilities. Such a strategy is fairly easy to develop and implement if you use the right approach.

Data strategy is key for the super power AI

An example: Sabrina has a great idea for a data-driven use case that is supposed to be implemented with AI. At first glance, it looks like the required data is already available. She starts with the initial analysis – written in Python on her PC.

Now she wants to share the results with her colleagues and use larger data volumes for the AI model. Of course, she could also select a cloud provider and automatically upload the data to the provider's cloud. But the key success component is missing, namely the integration into the target system – a business app that is used across the different teams. Sabrina is not familiar with the direction of the digital road map, and there are no designated contact persons for architecture, compliance, operations or accounting. Ultimately, Sabrina becomes overwhelmed as the situation becomes too complicated. And so she gives up.

Combining business objectives with IT

This example is typical, as according to the latest Experience Report on Artificial Intelligence, only half of use cases are actually used in operations. The biggest obstacles are a lack of high-quality data, as well as missing organizational processes and specialists.

This means that digitization initiatives must create the right environment for the way into a data-based future. A coordinated data strategy – the central element of this digital transformation – connects the company's business objectives with its organization, in particular the IT department and its focus areas. In this way, companies can develop the essential skills inside the organization and clarify responsibilities.

These problems must be solved

At first, some important questions must be answered. The company must define which business objectives it is pursuing, and how data can support this process. For example, a data analysis can be used to develop new sources of income or business models, or to simplify existing processes. Moreover, companies must define how data-based use cases can be developed on a continuous basis, and they must prioritize them.

Another important consideration is the decision about which platforms and tools should be used. This also includes a categorization of which tasks the company will look after in terms of implementation and operations, and which tasks will be outsourced to external service providers. Uniform standards and rules should be applied in this context.

The company must also define who will monitor compliance with the legal requirements and data security. Not least, this must also include a review of whether certain ethical thresholds must be observed for the requested use cases.

A data strategy to create additional momentum

Companies can develop a comprehensive data strategy to answer these questions. The strategy is used to sketch out the desired target status of the organization and the IT platform, and to designate a road map with the corresponding parameters. But: This is not a one-time project. Data strategies must be reviewed regularly, and they must be continually adapted as the situation changes.

A pragmatic approach using the CS Data Strategy Framework (see Figure 1) can be used to develop the data strategy and the Target Operating Model (TOM) for data. It integrates the data strategy into an existing digital strategy. This results in an interconnected solution that avoids the emergence of insular individual solutions.

… read more within the full article in English (Data strategy – The basis for super power AI) or in German (Datenstrategie – Grundlage für die Super-Power KI).

Artificial intelligence boosts digital transformation by accelerating processes, delivering insights and taking over routine tasks. Five key areas are critical to success.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott website.

Artificial intelligence can make companies even more effective, faster and more modern. When it takes over routine tasks or even delivers new insights, it becomes a superpower. So to implement AI projects properly, five areas are critical to success. With appropriate steps, implementation is not difficult.

Super-Power AI

An example: Sabrina works in the pharmaceutical industry. Every week, she receives a list of several hundred clinical studies by e-mail. For an initial review, she has to open the link to each study to check the abstract and other key figures on the corresponding website.

At first, she enjoyed the task because it gave her an overview of the latest research. But now she is unsure whether she really recognizes all the relevant studies. In addition, the pressure to evaluate the publications more quickly is increasing. So there is hardly any time left to read the studies in detail.

Fortunately, she now has an AI solution at her side. It automatically evaluates all incoming information based on the author, ingredients, clinical pictures or healing success. Keywords defined by experts serve as a filter system to sort out irrelevant contributions. This pre-screening gives Sabrina enough time to put the studies through their paces. This allows her to make more qualified suggestions, thus receiving positive feedback from the expert teams and enjoying her work more again.

Five areas are important for AI success

This real-life use case at a pharmaceutical company shows that AI can provide important assistance that benefits all sides. Thus, both the employee and the company benefit. But there are a number of hurdles to overcome before this can happen. These relate primarily to five areas: Data, technology, organizational processes, skilled workers, and law & ethics.

AI Topics to Discuss

... read more within the full article (German): KI – die Super-Power der digitalen Transformation

The AI Experience Report provides insights into current applications in marketing, sales and product management, highlighting challenges and offering practical recommendations for companies.

A new article on which I have contributed, published at Campana & Schott.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most sought-after, yet controversial technologies of the 21st century and plays an increasingly relevant role in companies of various sizes and industries. Artificial intelligence can help to open up new sources of revenue and make different areas of activity in companies more efficient and effective. In marketing, sales and product management, there is particularly great potential for the use of AI due to the large amount of customer data.

Experience Report on Artificial Intelligence

The AI Experience Report highlights the current state of AI applications in marketing, sales and product management. The challenges were identified and recommendations for action were derived for companies that want to use artificial intelligence.

The study is published by the Technische Universität Darmstadt and Campana & Schott.

For the current edition 2021, qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 professionals and executives with relevant expertise. 13 different use cases for the application of artificial intelligence in these three business functions were identified.

Please read more and download the report here: AI Report (English) or KI Praxis Report (Deutsch)

Frontline workers make up over 80% of the global workforce. Companies must digitally integrate them into processes, communication and collaboration to ensure security, efficiency and resilience.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Connected work for employees in production and customer service is a must. Companies should therefore integrate frontline workers digitally and securely into communication, collaboration and processes. There are a number of practical solutions for digitizing the work processes of frontline workers.

Frontline workers need to be integrated in a digital world

Home office, mobile working, collaboration: these terms have shaped the world of work over the past year. But so far, practical implementation has only really arrived among office workers. Frontline workers such as technicians on production lines, nursing staff in clinics, drivers, security and cleaning staff, cashiers or sales staff have yet to be integrated.

Worldwide, more than 80 percent of the workforce are frontline workers. This is precisely why the digitization of work processes, communication and information affects them – and presents companies with challenges.

Requirements for companies

The first hurdle is already the question of which work and communication processes should be digitized. A look at the German Social Collaboration Study by Campana & Schott and the Technical University of Darmstadt can help here. According to this study, frontline workers focus primarily on organizational, structured, recurring tasks with regard to the possibilities for digitization. Making requests is perceived to be the most significant for work. Forms for shift planning, maintenance documents in production or HR processes are therefore particularly suitable for the first step.

Nowadays, another important requirement for companies is that current news from the company is forwarded precisely to the relevant employees. In addition, communication options such as chat and collaboration tools must be available so that frontline workers can exchange information securely via them – and do not have to resort to data protection-critical third-party solutions. Privacy and security play a critical role in corporate information and communications and workflows. After all, sensitive data from patients, customers or the production floor must be reliably prevented from leaking onto the Internet. Companies must therefore create the right framework conditions in which all employees can work together digitally and securely.

Examples

Frontline workers also want to be able to use digital solutions quickly, efficiently and everywhere. A central point is therefore the integration into existing work processes. After all, what is the benefit of back-end digitization if someone has to fill out a piece of paper that is scanned afterwards? Various application examples show the possibilities for digitizing work processes:

Read more within the full article (in German): Prozesse von Frontline Workern digitalisieren

Home office, flexible working hours and flat hierarchies aren’t enough for New Work. Companies must align evolving employee needs with organisational culture and values for lasting success.

A new article published by me at Campana & Schott.

Home office, flexible working hours, flat hierarchies – new tools alone are not enough for New Work. Companies must bring the constantly changing needs of employees into harmony with the organization in order to ensure long-term success. This also requires new values and ways of working in all areas. With the right approaches, the necessary cultural change can be achieved.

New Work – What is really new? And what's the cultural impact?

Before Corona, Sebastian was in the office five days a week – with a 60-minute drive from door to door. During the pandemic, he got to know and appreciate the home office: sleeping longer in the morning, helping the kids with homework, doing laundry in between, and working with focus in the evening. Sebastian appreciates this flexibility.

In the near future, he will work completely in the office again. The offer from another company comes at just the right time: although it is located in a city further away, he would only have to travel to headquarters twice a month. He starts to wonder…

More and more employees demand flexibility

This example is not an isolated case. The world of work is currently undergoing massive change, and with it the expectations and needs of employees. Many no longer want to forego the ability to organize their working day flexibly and on their own responsibility. As a result, corporate culture is becoming an increasingly important factor in the choice of employer.

It is not just a question of how many days attendance is compulsory in the office, but also of trust in employees to carry out their tasks independently, even without constant supervision. In order to survive in the war for talent in the long term, companies must therefore address the values and principles of New Work and embed them in their organization. Then they can both increase their attractiveness for talent and realize enormous cost savings.

What is New Work, anyway?

New What? Currently, there are various terms around the topic of New Work, which are also used in different definitions. Originally (as early as the 1980s), the sociophilosopher Frithjof Bergmann described New Work as a new understanding of work in times of globalization and digitization. His theory focuses on the values of freedom, personal responsibility, meaning, development and social responsibility.

Today, however, discussions about New Work are often only about height-adjustable desks, mobile devices, collaboration tools or working time models. Without question, these points are important, but they do not represent the holistic picture of New Work.

New Work is a new understanding of work that, among other things, brings the changing needs of employees into the focus of the organization and reconciles them with the concerns of customers and the company. The underlying principles must be anchored in all areas of an organization. Only then can the value of New Work be realized in the long term. This includes, as a foundation, the corporate culture, shaped by people, but also the processes, structures and working methods in an organization.

Based on this understanding, in combination with the values postulated by Frithjof Bergmann, the following principles can be derived.

...

Read more within the full article (German): New Work – New What?

Many industrial AI projects stall after proof-of-concept. Success requires clear use cases, reliable data and integration into business processes.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Industrial companies are increasingly launching promising AI projects. But after the proof-of-concept, the process falters: important data is missing, the results are disappointing, or the concrete use case is not so clear after all. What you can do about it.

Starting AI projects the right way

Living in today's world

5:43 a.m.: The alarm clock rings because it registers a light sleep phase in the specified time period. We immediately reach for the cell phone, which unlocks thanks to facial recognition. A thought is dictated and saved directly as text with speech recognition. The smartphone reports a comment in Cyrillic to Instagram – one click is enough to read the greeting message translated into German. At the desk, the laptop displays the most important tasks: A good friend's birthday is next week. Quickly go to Amazon and directly order one of the suggested items.

These examples show: Artificial Intelligence has arrived in the private sphere. But what about AI in companies? The experience of the last few months shows: Many companies find it surprisingly difficult to implement AI projects in practice. They often start with enthusiasm, but come to a standstill after the first steps. This is not due to technical hurdles, but primarily to a vague idea, insufficient or unreliable data, and a lack of vision for integrating the results into business processes.

Differences: private and business AI applications

But what's the difference between consumer and business AI solutions? For home consumers, the use cases have the following in common:

• It's about a small, unique problem.
• The application has an enormously large user base.
• Accordingly, there is a lot of diverse data and data related to this problem.
• The provider solves exactly one concrete problem with the AI in each case.

In industry, there are also numerous use cases such as predictive maintenance, chat bots or automation. But these are individual – and often encompass several problems. The quality of the data is extremely variable. They are often unstructured or isolated, and frequently not all the necessary information is available.

In addition, suitable contact persons and experts are missing – or they have other priorities. A lack of domain knowledge for interpreting and analyzing data also hinders projects. Integration into processes is difficult. There are also organizational hurdles such as departments working separately or unclear responsibilities. In addition, there is a lack of trust in decisions as well as false positive results of AI solutions in case of insufficient data basis, faulty training or unsuitable algorithms. However, companies can lay the foundation for their AI projects with the following success factors.

...

Read more within the full article (in German): KI-Projekte richtig starten

As hybrid work becomes the new normal, CIOs must prepare attractive and seamless office environments that support digital and physical collaboration alike.

A new article published by me and my colleague Jana on the platform IT-Director.

Back in the office – at least temporarily: Many employees currently have this wish. To ensure that they can efficiently continue the working methods they learned in the home office and also feel comfortable and secure, CIOs must now lay the foundation for the seamless office.

New Work – Why should I return to an office?

The conditions under which employees can best complete their tasks and how work will be structured in the New Normal are the subject of much discussion. In addition to topics relating to digital collaboration, process digitization and virtual leadership, the physical workplace is gaining in importance: space must be attractive and support working methods. Hybrid ways of working, i.e., the combination of physical and virtual collaboration, will be standard everywhere in the future. Companies have a direct influence on the design of their own offices. Now is exactly the right time for CIOs to prepare everything for this form of work.

Read more within the full article (in German): Zurück ins Büro – aber in welches?

Blockchain is more than Bitcoin. Beyond the hype, it opens up new approaches in IoT and security – even if many companies are still unsure about its real value.

A new article published by me on the platform IT Management.

Blockchain is more than just Bitcoin. But even after the initial hype, many companies are still at a loss as to what they can do with the technology. Yet blockchain offers many new and exciting approaches, especially in the areas of IoT and security.

Blockchain – Hype or Reality?

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin regularly experiences new highs – and crashes. These constant ups and downs are always good for headlines, but they also distract from the underlying technology. After all, blockchain can do much more than create huge fortunes or huge losses.

The technology has a hard time of it anyway. It is complex and not as easy to grasp as an electric car or a smartphone. Probably due to the unclear properties and possible applications, blockchain was simply touted for years as an ingenious all-round solution and often failed.

Yet blockchain is being used more and more frequently in practice – and often without users noticing. This is similar to the case of the cloud a few years ago, when many were already using web-based e-mail services, but could do nothing with the term "cloud". Only as consumers and companies gradually used more services did the buzzword catch on.

Following this lead, digital strategist Dom Tapscott even called blockchain technology "the second Internet" in his Ted Talk. By this, he does not mean Web 2.0, but a new underlying infrastructure. In fact, this revolution has not yet occurred, but is likely to come gradually.

What is the state of blockchain in Germany?

... Read more within the full article (in German): Zukunftstechnologie Blockchain – Vom Hype zum Must-Have?

Low-code platforms enable pragmatic and fast app development. Within just three days, a productive app can be built to handle complex tasks such as company-wide training management.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Low-code platforms are a quick solution to everyday problems as a development environment. Finally, reinforced by the pandemic, companies need flexible and pragmatic approaches. Specialist departments can thus create their own apps, for example for training management.

Citizen Development: Creating a productive app in three days with low-coding

The HR manager of an industrial company receives requests from various departments to train employees for the newly introduced Microsoft Teams. But initiating an ad hoc in-house training program with special requirements for 5,000 people worldwide, sending out invitations, checking participation status and coordinating the training sessions? Even in normal operations, this is a Herculean task. And it's no longer easy to manage with Excel spreadsheets.

After all, all participants have to be contacted and invited. The planners then have to collect and evaluate the acceptances and cancellations, set suitable dates, check the number of participants per course, communicate reminders before the training sessions, reschedule course dates if necessary, reckon with last-minute cancellations, and much more. For many managers, this is a never-ending effort - which in turn raises the question: Can't training management be done faster and more pragmatically?

Everyday life in forward-looking companies shows: It is possible. And it is, if this task is shifted to each individual employee. In this case, one way to implement this is with a practical app. Employees can use it to manage their registrations and appointment requests via self-service, while the planner keeps track of everything.

...

Read more within the full article (in German): Low-Code-Plattform: In drei Tagen zur produktiven App

Virtual teamwork requires more than Microsoft Teams. Efficient collaboration means digitizing core workflows like onboarding, approvals and informal exchange.

A new webinar recorded by me available at Campana & Schott.

The Corona crisis has fundamentally changed everyday office life and workflows. With the introduction of Microsoft Teams, many companies have enabled virtual collaboration for their employees. However, this is only part of the digitalization of everyday work. Rather, for efficient remote collaboration, departments need to convert familiar workflows such as employee onboarding, signature runs or approval processes into a digital process.

Can your team really work virtually?

You experience:

• Which office workflows are suitable for digitizing cost-efficiently and what options are available.
• How you can transform workflows such as training planning, employee onboarding or approval processes into a digital process using Microsoft tools such as the Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft Teams.
• How you can now enable your employees to book onsite workstations via a chat bot.
• How to map your team's collaboration such as working together on a flip chart, random meetings at the coffee machine, the morning "Hey, how are you?" in the digital space.
• How to use a low-code platform in projects to reduce communication efforts while increasing planning reliability and transparency.

Get access to the webinar (in German): Kann Ihr Team wirklich virtuell arbeiten?

Teams and Business Apps can digitize work processes and enhance the employee experience. Yet companies must rethink inefficient structures to enable resilient, virtual collaboration.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott website.

Microsoft Teams and Business Apps not only digitize work processes. The tools also improve the employee experience in the home office. Companies need to examine how they can promote virtual collaboration.

Are your employees well equipped in terms of processes for resilient and efficient exchange?

Many department heads with budget responsibility know it: They receive invoices by e-mail or mail with a request for approval. And this is often where the inefficient work begins. Postal invoices remain in the mailbox or on the desk – and in the current pandemic, in the deserted office. To approve them, managers must access a central Excel spreadsheet, for example, each time they check the remaining budget. In most cases, these are garnished with the notorious references, pivot tables and VBA macros and are correspondingly inperformant. Valuable time is lost.

With regard to Excel, this is the crux of the matter. After all, Excel is the most frequently used application for business processes in a company. But problems often arise during use: only one file exists, and only one user can open and edit it at a time. Possibility for parallel access? Definitely not recommended! Also, data maintenance, file sizes or sufficient scalability pose increasing challenges in usage. Thus, at the latest in the current situation, a rethinking for processes and business applications must take place. In the long run, these "applications" will become unmaintainable and represent a high risk for critical processes.

Streamline and automate processes

As a first step, companies should question and rethink individual processes: Is this process necessary or perhaps dispensable? Can it be simplified, shortened or even automated? It is always surprising to see how many processes in companies have evolved over time and are still being dragged along today, even though they no longer actually make sense. "We've always done it that way" has long ceased to be an argument.

A large, expensive solution is not always necessary to simplify and digitize processes. A wide range of options exist here:

... To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Virtuelle Zusammenarbeit braucht effiziente digitale Prozesse

IoT has moved from buzzword to best practice. In 2021, the question is less about technology and more about integration, scalability, and how IoT supports resilient business processes.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Actually, IoT as a technology is already old hat. After all, ready-to-use IoT solutions already enable completely new applications that have arrived in our everyday lives. So why is IoT still an important trend for the new year?

Strictly speaking, the Internet of Things is no longer a trend, but best practice. The best example of this is the Corona warning app. Smartphones equipped with proximity sensors are used here as edge devices. The measurement data is sent to data centers in the cloud and analyzed there. In the event of potential risks, warnings are sent to the management app so that the user is informed accordingly.

From this IoT use case, industry can and should learn how to scale solutions to make their businesses more resilient. When millions of edge devices are connected in a reliable IoT network in full public view and watched by the media, it works for Industry 4.0. Even different networks and apps in diverse countries can be integrated and enable real-time decision-making. Nowadays, this is more important than ever. Here, current technologies such as 5G and Wi-Fi 6 can significantly increase scalability and performance.

However, the IoT is already a ready-to-use solution that comes like electricity from a socket and drives the overall process as an important cog of operational excellence. This democratizes the use of the Internet of Things, as it no longer requires special expertise.

Accordingly, in 2021, it is no longer a question for industry to differentiate itself with the help of new technologies, but with the right business processes. To determine these, IoT data will serve as input. In the future, the focus will no longer be on technical implementation, but on integration, scalability, business processes and how the business is advanced with them. That is why use cases are becoming increasingly important.

Use cases that think outside the box

Read more within the full article (in German): IoT ist so einfach wie Strom aus der Steckdose

With today’s flood of data, intelligent systems help identify what matters. Combined with machine learning, they save time, money and support better decisions.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Given today's flood of data, it is becoming increasingly difficult to evaluate all the information quickly and carefully. Intelligent systems can help by performing an initial analysis based on specific keywords and contexts.

The more data one has available, the more important the support of intelligent systems becomes in evaluating it. (Image: public domain / Unsplash)

These systems fully develop their potential when combined with machine learning. If companies systematically query these data volumes and check them in a structured manner, they can not only make more informed decisions, but also save time and money.

Data analytics is becoming increasingly important in companies, especially due to access to large databases. But evaluating the information they contain is often time-consuming. For example, in the case of invitations to tender or specialist articles, after an initial search, hundreds or thousands of hits usually have to be opened first, then read and finally evaluated. Only then are interesting candidates forwarded internally to the decision-makers or specialist committees. These then make the final decision as to which suggestions are actually relevant – and which are not. The crux: All of this is usually done manually and by e-mail. The example of a pharmaceutical company shows how this can be done much more efficiently and quickly with the help of automated systems.

To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Automatisch die Nadel im Heuhaufen finden

Employees want apps that are as easy to use as private ones. Low-code platforms empower them to become digital creators instead of frustrated users.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott website.

This way, companies get the business apps they really need.

More and more employees expect to have access to apps that are just as simple and practical for their work as they do for their personal devices. New platforms – such as the one we have presented here – make it easy to create individual applications yourself. However, there are a few points to keep in mind to avoid uncontrolled growth.

From digital work to digital creativity

A warehouse worker is on his way to work. The great sunrise is directly captured and uploaded to Instagram. Arrived at the workplace: The first delivery contains some broken parts. This has to be documented correctly: fill out a paper form by hand, get the camera from the office, take a photo. Then transfer the photo via USB and send it by e-mail to the responsible colleagues. The completed form is then sent by regular mail. You then wait several days for confirmation or feedback. In the meantime, 43 likes on Instagram.

The difference between private apps and traditional professional processes is growing. No wonder that employees in business departments are increasingly pushing for new solutions. But the IT department often puts on the brakes because it first has to clarify important issues such as GDPR compliance, process integration and general responsibilities before the introduction. The road to an app is correspondingly arduous and protracted.

Increasing pressure due to increasing digitalization

Such a gap between desire and reality triggers frustration among all involved. And the pressure is increasing in the wake of the current Corona situation, which is leading to greater digitization of many work processes. Companies have recognized this contrast between modern apps and traditional workflows. But large, company-wide programs such as "Enterprise Agility," "Strengthening Business-IT Alignment" or a "Digital Strategy 2025" are often conceived and launched top-down. The result: the actions often fail to meet the concrete expectations and needs of employees and are not accepted in everyday life – or simply take far too long.

Digital employees, on the other hand, want to act as digital designers and immediately use practical solutions that support them in their daily processes. In doing so, they primarily want to increase efficiency and productivity. But they often lack the options or skills to do so. Then they may go out and get the applications they need on their own. The result: uncontrolled shadow IT.

This is precisely where companies should start. They must succeed in equipping digital employees with tools and skills to turn them into digital designers. This goes hand in hand with a cultural change, adjustments to organizational forms and processes, and the introduction of a suitable toolset such as a low-code platform.

The advantages of a low-code platform

A low-code platform enables the development of applications using visual and graphical functions instead of traditional text-based programming techniques. This means that creating new apps is not only faster, but also easier. This means that it is no longer necessary to be an IT expert to build an app. Even qualified employees from the business department can click together an app themselves from sample templates and adapt it to their own wishes. This is often referred to as Citizen Development.

This means that it is not just "another platform". Rather, it forms an important building block for the agilization of the company. With a low-code platform, requirements can be met where they arise – directly at the requestor.

[...]

To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Von digitaler Arbeit zur digitalen Gestaltung

The pandemic accelerated digital workplaces. Now companies must modernize applications and processes with the right strategy, platforms and adoption.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott website.

Make applications more flexible and efficient with modern technologies.

Digital transformation has been on companies' minds for years. But it is only with modern solutions such as the collaboration tool Microsoft Teams that they realize they need to digitize other applications as well as business processes even more. With the right strategy, platform and adoption, this is possible in an efficient way.

Business apps: Why it is worth making the switch now

What was often only discussed as a future scenario in the past had to be implemented in a few weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Home office, digital workplace, flexible business processes – to name just a few conversions. Especially the fast introduction of modern collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams was a must for video conferencing and cross-location collaboration.

Now that these solutions have been in use for about half a year, more and more companies are recognizing the increasing contrast between modern applications and their previous processes. They realize that "media breaks" hurt even more than before. To further digitize their business processes, they need things like digital signatures, remote access to applications, fast and customized reporting, mobile apps, or even the avoidance of duplicate licenses for Microsoft 365 and legacy systems.

Strategy, platform and adoption

For this reason, the demand for modern applications is increasing enormously. The big question here is: How does the IT department manage the resulting increase in workload and roll out these applications in a timely, secure and manageable manner? To do this, companies need three building blocks:

[...]

To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Business Apps: Warum sich ein Umstieg jetzt lohnt

Good collaboration requires more than tools. With the right skills, employees and managers make teamwork productive and sustainable – wherever they work.

This is how employees build important skills for working with collaboration tools.

Many employees found themselves unexpectedly and predominantly in their home offices during the contact restrictions. For many, this was a completely new situation with challenges in terms of collaboration. Now many are gradually returning to the office, often alternating with home office phases. In flexible, location-independent collaboration, there are some differences compared to pure office work, as the past few months have shown. With the right measures, managers help their teams to be productive and positive – regardless of where they work.

More efficiency for virtual collaboration

A laptop with a video conferencing tool alone does not necessarily mean good collaboration. Only with the right skills of employees and managers can the advantages be optimally utilized so that teamwork in the home office and at any other location works sustainably.

Get a deep dive on theses topics:

• Daily challenges for the workforce
• How managers can help
• How HR can support
• Best practice tips for better collaboration
• Here's where companies need to invest now

To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Mehr Effizienz für virtuelle Zusammenarbeit

How soccer clubs and other industries can use data-driven lead and risk scoring to stabilize revenues even when performance declines.

Effective customer lead and risk scoring – in soccer and other industries.

Even industries that are far removed from IT, such as soccer, want to increase their economic success with the help of digital processes. A practical example shows how the volumes of data available today contribute to this. Other industries can also benefit from the customer lead and risk scoring approach.

Fan chants, waving flags, excitement and beautiful goals: that's how you imagine a successful afternoon of soccer. But reality sometimes looks different: poor sporting performances, bitter defeats, relegation to the lower league. It's no wonder that ticket sales then drop and some supporters don't renew their season ticket for the new season. After all, a city has other attractive leisure activities to offer.

So many soccer clubs have to think about how to increase their ticket sales. Price adjustments are often not successful in the medium term, especially if the sporting performance is not right. Available data sources can help make marketing more professional. For example, trends and patterns can be identified based on sales data to optimize fan appeal.

Understanding fans to increase sales

It's not only strikers who must always keep their eyes on their goal: the opponent's goal. The club should also know its goals. Alongside TV money and sponsorship, a secure revenue stream from season ticket sales is a central source of income and thus one of the most important pillars of any professional soccer club. Data can help to stabilize or even expand this strategically important pillar even in times of sporting difficulty.

The concrete approach here is first of all to gain a better understanding of the fans and, in particular, the season ticket holders. In terms of the example, this means: Which fans buy season tickets? Who does not renew their season ticket? What are the reasons for buying or not renewing?

Answers to these questions can be used to identify new potential season ticket holders and to recognize high-risk season ticket holders in good time, as well as to manage communications for these target groups accordingly. The concrete result of such an analysis should be, for example, an evaluation (scoring) of current season ticket holders with regard to their risk of not renewing their season ticket. A list of potential new customers (leads) should also be provided [...]

To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Mit Daten den Ticketverkauf ankurbeln

Why companies need a clear data strategy to turn ideas into real business value with machine learning and intelligent processes.

This is how you find use cases for modern technologies such as machine learning.

As a result of extensive digitization and connectivity, companies are accumulating huge amounts of data. They can use these with the help of intelligent processes and machine learning to generate added value. But many projects fail because companies neglect the strategic relevance of the entire use case or, in some cases, do not even consider it. This is where a comprehensive data strategy can help. This enables companies to successfully shape their digital future, make better decisions and optimize processes.

"I've got an idea: why don't we …" is often how new projects start in companies. An employee or the boss has either developed an idea for a use case himself or has been inspired to do so – be it at a conference, through an article or a conversation with customers.

In fact, many projects start from such spontaneous ideas. And in principle, it's not bad to start with them in order to gain initial experience and learn from it. But it often ignores the fact that there are limited or, in some cases, not the right resources available, such as people, tools, data and time.

Possible consequences: The implementation fails, comes to nothing or develops into a never-ending story. If the use case is implemented, it offers little added value and is not effective. This means that it will not be used in practice. Accordingly, companies should clarify in advance whether the necessary resources are available and whether the use case increases efficiency and is strategically relevant. A number of successful examples from various areas of application show how this works.

Implemented use cases

• Higher ticket sales at soccer club
• Fewer rejects at pharmaceutical company
• Detection of pseudo defects at semiconductor manufacturer
• Development of new markets at automotive supplier

To learn more about those use cases read the full article (in German): Ihr erster Schritt zum datengetriebenen Unternehmen

At Ignite 2019, Microsoft showed that big product launches are history – continuous delivery and integrated platforms define the new normal.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott website.

Instead of large version increments, Microsoft focuses on continuous development of integrated solutions.

From Power Platform to Project Cortex, SharePoint and Fluid Framework to Azure Synapse, Microsoft unveiled an enormous number of new services and features at Ignite 2019. This makes it clear that the days of big product introductions are over. Continuous Delivery has become part of everyday life and companies have to adapt to it.

Once upon a time … a new Office or Windows version was introduced to the market with a big show. At the very latest at Microsoft's Ignite 2019, it became clear that instead of a big bang, there is now a continuous stream of innovations. This digital revolution encompasses all areas from data centers, platform services and developer solutions to software as a service.

The enormous variety of solutions and the constant changes and deployments mean that sometimes even the product managers responsible at Microsoft no longer know exactly which functions have been released in the latest version or when they will be available in which regions. But this is no longer so important. Because in addition to the actual function and optimal security, integration into the comprehensive platform plays an increasingly important role. What used to be extremely isolated islands is now a network of integrable solution components – surrounded by a dedicated security layer.

Read more within the full article (in German): Microsoft Ignite 2019: Die digitale Revolution ist live

Why the implementation of innovative processes and new platforms often falters – and how companies can overcome this dilemma.

A new article published by me on the Campana & Schott Web site_._

Why the implementation of innovative processes and new platforms falters and how to solve the dilemma.

Proven processes build the backbone of classic companies. But modern IT platforms constantly provide new, flexible solutions that can be used at the push of a button. Therefore, companies have to rethink their structures and continuously integrate new technologies into their processes. This can be achieved with suitable solutions.

"What does your son do for a living?" "He's operations manager." "And what is he doing?" "I don't really know. He explained it to me several times, but I didn't understand it." This is how the typical dialogue between a mother and her friend over a cup of tea should take place. But be honest: very few people know what operations management means.

To learn more about this topic read the full article (in German): Fünf Hürden zu effizienten Geschäftsabläufen überwinden

Microsoft Ignite 2019 promises updates across Azure, AI, Power Platform, Teams and HoloLens – with a strong focus on productivity and enterprise innovation.

In just a few days the Microsoft Ignite conference #MSIgnite will kick-off in Orlando. I have the privilege to attend and just reflected the last years and my expectations on next week. Interested? Then read on...

Years ago, these 'big-bang' events unleashed roughly two years of hidden development work. Since ~3 years, surely driven by cloud capabilities and always shorter innovation cycles, I‘ve noticed shift to minor increments of these announcements. And all based on the same 'Empowering Vision' and productivity story. Definitely two thumbs up for this sustainability.

And what to expect for 2019? For sure there will be tons of announcements in dozens of areas. I will focus on productivity topics and how these can leverage the future of operations in enterprises - #FutureOperations. This said, here's what I hope to see:

• General Availability: Many success stories and customer cases around topics that have been showcased last year that should be under general availability (GA) today.
• Microsoft Azure: My focus will be on Azure's PaaS part. I am sure that this ‚LEGO-like‘ platform for business solutions will grow even more. I expect to see announcements on IoT-Hub, Azure Sphere, Edge Computing, Cognitive Services, Logic Apps and much more. All of them important building blocks for our customer projects…
• More AI: In 2017 Satya Nadella stated to 'Democratize AI'. Last year I've noticed that AI is in many places. Maybe this year, we'll witness that 'AI is everywhere'?! For sure, no 'General AI' but many AI-powered apps and stories.
• Power Platform: Microsoft fast-code (low-code) platform for citizen developer consists of Power BI, PowerApps and Flow. Reflecting the vast variety of business apps at our customers, this can be very interesting to eliminate the chaos on platforms, apps, hidden applications, etc. Excited about the workshop and interactive sessions to learn about technical limitations and adoption challenges.
• Microsoft Teams: It is the fastest growing baby and has the chance to be the new Outlook in a few years. And a great platform to quickly deploy business apps, esp. build on the Power Platform. Maybe we'll see the elimination of shortcomings like multiple windows, an easy way to follow-up to-do's with a deeper integration into e.g. ToDo, private channels, under-the-hood changes (e.g. battery drain on mobile phones, memory optimization on PCs).
• Mixed Reality with HoloLens 2: This spring HoloLens 2 was announced. Since then, the market got stuck. HoloLens 1 is no more available, the new version is not available yet. Microsoft urgently needs to state something on the availability.

I am very excited to join this event and learn from experts, business partners and customer presenting their stories. This will fuel up my batteries with inspiration and - hopefully - lots of Florida's sun 😉

Machine learning is not only relevant for IT or business models – in healthcare it can improve elderly care with modern sensors and algorithms.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Machine learning is often discussed in the context of IT processes and new business models. Technology can also improve everyday life. One example is the use of modern sensors and ML algorithms in elderly care.

Modern sensors and ML algorithms can provide valuable services to ensure that people in old age are adequately cared for in the future.

Read more within the full article (in German): Machine Learning in der Pflege

Blockchain is not suitable for every use case – but when chosen, the real challenge often lies in the organizational implementation rather than the technical setup.

The Blockchain is not suitable for every use case, but can also be exactly the right tool. Once the decision for the technology has been made, the organizational implementation has to be planned.

The previous article describes the use cases for which Blockchain technology is suitable. But the technical decision is only one side of the coin, the other is the organizational implementation.

Despite all the enthusiasm, companies should also consider possible pitfalls. The technical introduction is then often the smaller challenge. The organizational implementation of a Blockchain project usually turns out to be more difficult. Many companies do not have the necessary maturity level to carry out such projects efficiently and sustainably.

The following model is suitable for determining your current blockchain maturity level. Read more in the article (in German): Organisatorische Voraussetzungen für Blockchain-Projekte

Blockchain offers new business opportunities, but organisations must decide carefully if it is truly the right technology compared to proven alternatives.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Media often talk about the great potential of Blockchain technology for companies. At the same time, reports about crypto currencies are becoming increasingly critical. Where are the connections and where is the truth?

There are undoubtedly many possible uses for Blockchain technology. For example, it forms the basis for new business models such as the legally compliant resale of used software licenses. This makes it possible, for example, to prove at any time which steps and transactions are used to resell the licenses. This is encrypted in a uniform database, the Blockchain, across the entire supply chain. In this way, the strict legal requirements are met and the transaction is transparent for all parties involved.

Companies should consider carefully whether Blockchain is the right technology for implementing a project idea. After all, attractive and proven alternatives are available.

Read more within the full article (in German): Ist Blockchain die richtige Technologie?

Blockchain holds huge potential, but CIOs first need clarity on the right use case. A proven four-step approach helps organisations decide where blockchain truly adds value.

Blockchain technologies offer businesses tremendous potential. But many decision makers are faced with the problem of finding the right use case. In the field, a four-step approach has proven its effectiveness.

The big hype about the crypto currency Bitcoin seems to be over, but the underlying Blockchain technology is still at the beginning of its career. In principle, the Blockchain enables unchangeable and forgery-proof data storage. This allows transactions to be carried out in a trustworthy manner, even without the business partners knowing each other. Not even a certification or the involvement of a third party is necessary.

In addition, it does not matter what type of transaction it is - whether money transfer, purchase of goods or order from a supplier. The only prerequisites are that the processes must be completely digital and that all participants have access to a common Blockchain. This ensures that the transactions are binding and traceable.

Companies that are already thinking about how they can benefit from the advantages of Blockchain technology must above all identify suitable deployment scenarios. The following four steps will help.

Read more on the article at CIO.de (German): Blockchain - So finden CIOs den richtigen Use Case

Mixed Reality enables remote experts to guide on-site employees in real time – reducing production downtime from hours to minutes.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

The production line is at a standstill - the experts needed to eliminate the fault are not on site right now. What was previously put out of operation for several hours or some days can now be fixed in a few minutes.

The solution: By involving Mixed Reality, an expert from a far distance quickly and easily explains to the employee on site what has to be done to bring production back on track.

Here is the link to the full article (in German): Mixed Reality reduziert Ausfallzeiten in der Produktion

Digital Twins are expanding from industry into workplaces – offering new ways to model, optimise and enhance organisational processes.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Gartner's market researchers have ranked Digital Twins among the top 10 strategic technology trends for the second time in a row. While they have been mainly used in production so far, their breakthrough in the workplace is expected to occur in 2019.

Digital Twins of single rooms up to whole companies help to develop models for organizational processes and to increase their efficiency.

Here is the link to the full article (in German): Der Modern Workplace als Digital Twin

Chatbots are a prominent AI use case – but their introduction requires not only technology, but also organisational change and employee involvement.

A new article published by me on the platform Funkschau.

For applications in the areas of Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning, the discussion quickly revolves around Chatbots. However, there are a few things that need to be taken into account during the introduction, such as the involvement of employees in the change process and the shift in their range of tasks.

Read more within the article on Funkschau (in German): KI für Web-Anwendungen - Der virtuelle Assistent

Hackathons and design thinking help organisations accelerate innovation – turning ideas into tangible results in the fast-paced IoT era.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

The IoT environment is characterized by a high development speed. How can companies select the right topics on the way to progress and translate them into projects? Whether a hackathon or design thinking - there are various possibilities for modern innovation management.

In the course of comprehensive digitization and networking, companies are being flooded with many hype topics. The challenge is often to decide which of these topics are important from a business or technical perspective and contribute to your business goals.

Accordingly, solutions and innovations must be developed for the identified topics and problems. But as is so often the case, an idea remains an idea until it is implemented. So how can project teams get out of the initial idea phase and produce tangible results through concrete projects?

Here is the link to the full article (in German): Schnelle Innovationen durch Hackathon.

SCRUM has proven itself as an agile method. This article shows how Microsoft Planner can support agile project management using a real smart office project example.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

SCRUM has established itself as a method to develop new solutions efficiently and agile. This article uses a specific example - the development of a smart office solution - to show how a SCRUM project can be executed using Microsoft Planner.

The aim of the project presented was to use rooms more efficiently and, for example, to automatically release meeting rooms bookings when rooms are not used. Additionally, this allows the energy consumption of air conditioning and lighting systems to be optimized.

Given the tight schedule of 2 days, six sprints of three hours each were planned to develop solutions using the SCRUM methodology. To support this agile approach, Microsoft Planner was used to manage the backlogs and sprints.

Here is the link to the full article (in German): Projekte agil umsetzen mit SCRUM und Microsoft Planner.

Machine learning can optimise production processes by detecting pseudo defects in quality assurance – turning data into actionable improvements.

A new article published by me on the platform Industry of Things.

Machine learning methods can be used to optimize production processes. A practical example shows how machine learning contributes to the detection of pseudo defects in quality assurance.

Most companies now have a digital strategy and are aware of the need to further develop their products, services and internal processes on the basis of intelligent, digital solutions. However, practical experience with the technologies is often still very limited. Therefore, many companies try out first approaches in Proof of Concepts in order to quickly expand the new competencies and, if necessary, to live positive cultures of failure.

Here is the link to the full article (in German): Machine Learning in der Qualitätssicherung: Pseudofehler erkennen.

Apps extend Microsoft Project and Office 365 with productivity features – from dashboards to task boards – helping project managers work smarter with less effort.

Apps are currently flooding the market. I have analyzed these trends a while ago. At the bottom line, the market is expanding exponentially. By end of 2013 there are 2 billion apps sold - every week. Read this article for details.

While the private app markets are exploding, the enterprise markets are still in its infancy. Apps on platforms like Office 365 or Project Online or SharePoint Online have been announced in late 2012. First apps have been published but the tipping point has not been reached for quite a while. The reason is obvious: All platforms have been fairly new to the market and enterprises need to implement those first to use the apps.

As a project manager working with Microsoft tools like SharePoint and Project Server regularly, I did research in the app Office store. Here are my top apps to increase the daily work productivity:

Auditing Tasks

An add-in for your Project Professional client that evaluates the tasks in your schedule against a set of pre-defined Best Practice checks and assessments.

Direct link: https://store.office.com/task-auditor-WA104172076.aspx

Reporting with Milestone Trend Analysis

Reporting App to showcase a key trend report that every Project Manager needs. The app adds snapshot capabilities to Microsoft Project. You can easily take snapshots to save a copy of your milestone dates. Once done, you can analyze the results in a trend analysis chart that visualizes these dates comparable in a graph.

Direct link: https://store.office.com/cs-milestone-trend-analysis-WA102963787.aspx

A dashboard for Project

An add-in for Project Professional that visualizes planning data for this project in a task pane. It helps project managers to update the schedule regularly.

Direct link: https://store.office.com/sensei-project-dashboardtm-WA104056838.aspx

Agile planning with a task board

A Task Board app to visualize tasks on a board. It brings a SharePoint list where tasks can be added and updated with Drag & Drop capabilities. Great if working together in teams on a big touch-enabled screen.

Direct link: https://store.office.com/cs-task-board-WA104186918.aspx

Well, this is my personal current shortlist. Of course, there are tons of other apps to increase your productivity. Need to schedule a meeting like on doodle? Manage your project risks? Edit multiple project meta data at a time? Create a meeting workspace? Check-out the Office store at https://store.office.com/ for more impulses.

What you definitely should think about is the business case of those apps. They are for free or only for little money. At least if you compare it to the development of own solutions. On the one hand, flexibility of those apps is quite low - again compared to self-made solutions. On the other hand, those apps are usually provided by larger companies that will maintain and update those apps once in a time. No specification, no programming, no product management. It's just a lean integration job on your side and you can profit from theses valuable productivity enhancements.

The app market is growing exponentially – from billions of private downloads to enterprise adoption. The challenge: choosing the right tools without losing productivity.

I recently struggled on reports of the app market development. There are astonishing numbers within the reports. In the first minutes after reading I was really amazed. But reflecting these numbers, it is no real surprise. Looking into the app stores on a regularly basis, the situation is quite clear. We are getting flooded by apps.

As an example: The Apple app store kicked-off in 2008. It took nine months to sell 1 billion apps. Did you know how may apps has been sold by end of 2013? It is 2 billion apps - per week. Putting these numbers on a graph you see that the market is growing exponentially.

For sure, most of the apps are sold within the private market. Most of us love the idea of tiny helpers throughout the entire day - and even throughout the night. By the enormous variety of apps, the benefits can be tailored very individually to the requirements of each user.

It hasn't been too long ago where I searched for full-blown applications that increased my productivity. It was very hard to find a tool that fits, or is affordable. Nowadays the situation is different. We spend our time in searching and selecting the right tool(s) available on the market.

Today's issue in the private sector is that we need to focus on only few tools in order to stay productive. And the real challenge is to stay with a tool for a certain time. Otherwise we are getting into a vicious circle of constantly optimizing our process. Thus, productivity gets stuck.

Enterprise IT is drifting into another challenge. It has never been easier for business/functional departments to virtually swipe a credit card and buy an app or a piece of software. Enterprise IT needs to use this impulse very soon adopt this trend in order to fulfill the requirements of theirs customers. Otherwise shadow IT is growing and growing and the IT departments need to work hard to get back into the driver seat and get productive again.

All in all, it's up to you how to get around with the apps. In business life - please double-check with IT if they can help you before buying an app. And in private life, think about how apps can help you through the day.

And now? Take this impulse: Go and check out how apps can increase your productivity... Here's list of links to the current app stores:

• Apple App Store
• Google Play Store
• Microsoft Windows Phone Store
• Microsoft Office Store
• Microsoft Windows 8 Store

Customers had many questions on Microsoft Project and SharePoint 2013. Here are the seven most frequent – from new features to licensing and extensibility.

In November, I got the honour to present the new versions of Microsoft Project and SharePoint to a lot of customers cross-over Germany. I gathered lots of questions that I’d like to share. Here are my top 7 frequently asked questions (FAQ) from these sessions.

General Topics

Is there a summary on what’s new?

Yes. There are multiple summaries. Here’s my personal distillation on The New Project. My colleagues Boris and Markus have been featured in the magazine ComputerWoche on ‘Microsoft SharePoint 2013 - How good is new office collaboration suite?’ and ‘What’s new in Project 2013’.

What’s your conclusion on the new release?

Microsoft brings a complete new ‘Modern UI’ that give a great usage experience across all platforms (Windows, Office, Project, SharePoint, etc.) Within SharePoint, the collaboration features get very strong. This enables users to follow that information they need. Regarding Project, the stronger integration with SharePoint as well as Project Online bring up lots of opportunities. Companies now get the chance to use that piece of a very strong Project Management suite that fits to their maturity.

App Store, Marketplace and Licensing

What if I am running a Microsoft SharePoint 2013 farm. Is anyone allowed to download and buy apps?

In general, everyone can be granted access to the app store. The question is, if you would like to limit that access – and this is possible as well.

Can I develop and deploy my own apps?

Yes – you can. There will be an option to deploy your own apps to your farm. But: Think about if it is valuable for you to employ designers, developers, quality managers, etc. to develop your own apps. Is that the business you are in?

What will be the license prices for apps?

As of today, there are no license fees for apps. All apps are available for free since the entire marketplace is in beta state. I encourage you to download and test apps that bring benefit to your business. Regarding the app fees, the next months will be quite interesting to follow the market when the marketplace goes live. For sure, there will be lots of movement and adjustments. I expect even the pricing models to be changed from perpetual to pay-per-use models.

What will be the license price for Microsoft Project Server 2013 and SharePoint 2013?

Ask Microsoft. Honestly – prices vary based on the agreements between your company and Microsoft. In most cases, you’ll be in contact with a LAR (Large Account Reseller). They are able to name the license fees.

Custom Extensibility

Can I still use the old API of Project Server (PSI) with Microsoft Project 2013?

For sure. If you are going for an on-premise installation, PSI will most properly work as it is working in Project 2010. PSI is definitely not the future. This is why Project Online is not extensible with PSI. Your options there is the Client-Side Object Model (CSOM and OData).

What are your questions? Please let me know!

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Burndown charts make it easy to track project progress. This article shows how to read them and how to model them directly in Microsoft Project 2013.

Controlling a project might be quite a hassle if you don’t have proper instruments. This article shows how to use Burndown charts for tracking progress and how to model this in Microsoft Project.

First time I got in touch with Burndown charts was back in 2006 at one of my clients. We faced the challenge to integrate the controlling of agile and classical projects. Being new to that topic it was quite hard to read that these charts not to mention making them comparable with classical controlling methods.

First, let’s have a look at a Burndown chart.

Burndown Chart used in agile projects

Reading this chart is quite easy. It spans over a dedicated project phase, or even the entire project. We face three important things:

• Starting point (top left): This number of 18 is the amount of work to be completed within the time-phase
• Blue line: Optimal progress, called Burndown
• Green line: Remaining progress based on the actual work performed

Now, let’s interpret this example:

• Nov 12th till 18th: Remaining work is less than the optimal progress, meaning that more work has been accomplished as planned – which is good
• Nov 19th till 25th: Remaining work is higher than the optimum, meaning that the project is slowing down – which is bad

Summarizing the interpretation: Green line left of Burndown is good (we are faster), green line right of the blue one is bad (we are slower). It’s just that easy!

This next section explains how a Burndown chart can be created in Microsoft Project 2013. All we need is a project plan with few tasks, a baseline and little progress. All this has been incorporated into the following project plan.

Gantt Chart in Microsoft Project 2013

What you can hardly notice that everything looks good until task #10 (marked). If you are very familiar with Microsoft Project, you might notice in the Gantt chart that all tasks before #10 are better than planned: Current planning (blue) finished before the baseline planning (black).

Now, let’s have a look at the same situation using a Burndown chart.

Burndown Chart in Microsoft Project 2013

You can clearly see that everything looks fine until beginning of December. The green line is left to the blue one. After that date, esp. December 9th and later, the project is out of planning and I need to react. You get everything with a blink of an eye.

And the best of all: everything’s out of the box with Microsoft Project 2013. They introduced new fields called ‘Cumulative Remaining…’ (… Work, … Actual Work, … Baseline Work, …). These fields enable Burndown charts. And you can go further: just create a dashboard and add this Burndown together with a list of late tasks – and you know what to do and where to act!

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Microsoft Project 2013 marks a landmark release with Project Online, deep SharePoint integration, new reporting options and extensibility features.

Last week I got the chance to attend the Microsoft Project Ignite Training in Warsaw, Poland. Christophe Fiessinger and Jan Kalis went over from Redmond to explain the new features and business opportunities of the new Microsoft Project and SharePoint. Here's an exec summary from my point of view:

• The new version is a landmark release - THE big NEW thing is 'Project Online' - the SaaS version of Project that integrates with 'Office 365'
• Microsoft pushes it as 'The new Project' (and not Project 2013) - compare it to Apple, 'The new iPad', or Facebook (no one posts to Facebook 3.5.1, do you?)
• 'Project Online' opens a market with 750 million users, in 88 countries with 32 languages and 24/7 availability at an SLA of 99.9%
• PPM means 'Project Portfolio Management' and is the new term for Microsoft EPM
• The official shipping date is under NDA - but the RTM is signed off (view here) and some versions are available on MSDN (view here)
• It will be a big-bang release with Office, Exchange, Lync, SharePoint and Project

• Project Online – Microsoft’s vision: nearly everything available on-premise should also work online, with multi-browser support
• Apps – New extension model with desktop apps, SharePoint apps, Project apps – bringing tons of options
• Newsfeed – New Work Management Feature that collects all SharePoint tasks into MySite
• Lightweight PM – Timelines, due tasks, SharePoint list sync with Project Professional – lots of collaboration features
• Integration w/ SharePoint – Create projects from SharePoint, import lists, and extend them into full projects
• PWA – Baselines, undo, scheduling engine improvements, backend optimizations for online
• Desktop – Horizon until 2149, built-in reporting, burndown charts, Lync integration
• Reporting – OData integration, cumulative fields for burndown, localized templates, PowerPivot/PowerView, Excel timeline slicer
• Extensibility – OAuth, single Project Server database instead of four
• Workflow – Out-of-the-box with Visio, loop-backs, hybrid SharePoint/Project workflows
• Time-Sheet – Auto-approvals, Enterprise Custom Fields, new UI & Ribbon

Let’s have a look at a brand new Project Web App of a Project Online version:

And last but not least: Project Online and Project Server share exactly the same code base. Online issues will be fixed immediately and shipped with upcoming CUs – leading to a stable PPM platform.

My conclusion: The strong integration with SharePoint and Project Online brings many opportunities – from SMBs to large enterprises. The question is how fast the market will accept cloud solutions.

More details: my colleagues Boris and Markus published additional articles on SharePoint and Project.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Matrix organizations combine program and department managers with competing goals. These 5 planning tasks per role help align objectives and mitigate risks.

Matrix organizations with a strong line organization that are conducting programs are having two key players: program and department managers. Both roles are following competing goals. The program manager is focusing on time, budget and quality – the department manager will look for profitability, team management and corporate strategy.

This article will show how to mitigate the risk of failure in program management by giving an overview on the 5 most important tasks for each role. Before looking at the detailed tasks, let’s break the goals down to objectives regarding operative program management:

The program manager needs to focus on schedule planning – the department manager’s main task is to manage the resource in order to deliver results. Let’s get into the details...

Program manager

1. Create WBS incl. work packages: Ensure that all tasks have been planned, new tasks will be added and no tasks are missing
2. Plan schedule and dependencies: Add dependencies to work packages, where relevant and needed, schedule tasks to be performed in the correct order
3. Add slack time: Remember ‘the project schedule is only valid until the project has been started’ – adding slack time will ensure that only a certain phase/part will move and not the entire project
4. Establish controlling measures: Add deadlines as early warning indicators – if your schedule is moving, this will ensure immediate information and allows pro-active actions
5. Add responsible department: Work packages need to be delegated to departments, add responsible department and inform its manager, stick with the highlander principal (only one assignment per work package)

Department manager

1. Task over tasks: Get information on a task dedicated for own department, add task to department planning, confirm (or discuss) requested planning information, if required detail the single tasks into multiple sub-tasks and create dependencies
2. Add resources to the tasks: Perform resource planning, add responsible personnel to the tasks who will deliver results
3. Perform capacity planning: Look at each resource’s capacity, beware of vacations, bank holidays, absence in general, day-to-day activities, and of course planning uncertainty
4. Resolve resource conflicts: Search for over-allocation, resolve conflicts by extending task durations, adding more resources, changing scope, etc.
5. Give feedback to program: Double-check the outcome of resource planning and the resulting timeline, give feedback to the program

If each role is following these top 5 tasks, be sure that you are mitigating a full set of risks and pitfalls you otherwise might run into.

Key success factor is the information exchange between both roles. Beware of this very crucial factor – if no communication is performed, you’ll face two independent planning platforms, each telling its own story.

What’s next: Let’s slip into the role of a program planner and look how to managing and control the program.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

The Microsoft Project Conference 2012 in Phoenix offered insights, inspiring sessions and strong networking opportunities for the global Project community.

Few days ago I’ve attended the Microsoft Project Conference 2012 in Phoenix, AZ. This had been a full week of presentation, information, great talks and social events.

Day 0 was dedicated to the partner network. Jan Kalis organized the sessions this day, kicked-off by Chris Crane, Marketing Manager for Microsoft Project. During the sessions, we got bunch of information on partner structures, the quite clear licensing model at Microsoft and business cases of EPM implementations.

The day finished up with a great session by Adrian Jenkins and Brian Smith on troubleshooting issues in EPM.

The first official day kicked-off with an awesome keynote of Kirk Koenigsbauer, Corporate VP Office Division. We got insights into Microsoft’s view on the market and how mobile technologies increase nowadays.

Later that day, Eric Schott and I had our session on resource management: ‘3 Steps to Cut the Gordian Knot in Resource Management’. The room had been fully packed with approx. 70-80 participants. Great to see how many people had been attracted by this topic. Even better: All the requests right after the session. It took me about an hour to track all of them down.

After a few other sessions, the evening started with ‘Pool PC’, a social event at the Renaissance Hotel. The DJ ‘The Kameleon’ heated up the crowd and even got some of us to dance (here's the mix). Later that night we ended up in a restaurant top of Hyatt Hotel with our friends from CPS.

The second day’s keynote was held by Ludo Hauduc, General Manager of Microsoft Project. It featured a great live demo by Pradeep GanapathyRaj and Chris Fiessinger on the integration of Microsoft Project Server with Team Foundation Server. Best of this session: Ludo answered questions live, asked via twitter with #askludo and #mspc12.

After the keynote, Eric Schott and I prepared for our next session: ‘Deliver Successful Program Results in Matrix Organizations’. This one had been packed with 40-50 attendees, again followed by a great Q&A part.

During the rest of the day, I attended few more interesting sessions. Unfortunately it was not possible to watch all speeches and demos. I am really looking forward to watch them online, once they get published.

The day ended up at the Phoenix Science Center – a sponsored event by one of the US partners. While getting back to the hotel, we met a part of the Microsoft Project product team and they invited us for a beer (or two…). We had interesting talks and a great time! Thanks a lot!

The last day had been quite short for me. My plan to stay up quite late last night in order to better sleep on the plane worked out fine – but had one shortcoming: this next morning. However, the exchange with Pradeep on the mobilization of products and his view on future technologies inspired me with lots of ideas! Thanks again!

The 18hrs ride back to Germany had been quite long and now, a few days later, I finally got over my jet lag and was able to follow up all contacts!

Thanks to Vincent Capitaine, MVP for taking most of those pictures and letting me publish those!

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

In matrix organizations, program and department managers pursue competing goals. This misalignment is the main driver of conflicts in program management.

Program management in matrix organizations works little different than managing a regular project. While a program owner handles the WBS and the schedule, work packages are delegated to departments with focus on delivery. More background information can be found in my last article.

This article reflects on the two main roles contributing as actors in the planning process and how their goals compete with each other. In the given scenario we are facing following main roles:

• Program planner: a.k.a. program manager, program coordinator, project manager
• Department manager: a.k.a. resource manager, team lead, manager, head of

Both roles are having competing goals to effectively drive their business (as shown in the figure below).

The program planner has goals similar to a project manager. This is time, budget and quality. Whereas the department manager has to develop business, drive innovation, manage the team and increase profitability.

As you might imagine, those goals compete with each other in terms of prioritization. Let’s view an example:

• A program manager delegates two work packages to departments X and Y. Both tasks depend on each other (X needs to be finished before Y can start).
• Now, department X is having work packages of six different programs to deliver and two key resources fall out.
• What is the basis for the department manager to prioritize? Maybe it is profitability or team management? Most likely, it is not aligned with the goal of a single program manager.
• Let’s assume a prioritization has been done. Who needs to be informed now? Or should I better ask: Who is going to be informed?

For sure, there are more centers of conflict. But these competing goals are the top reason for conflicts. It has happened to me in almost every project I have conducted over the last years. And there is only one resolution: Transparency. We need to resolve those independent planning platforms for a program and a department.

If you are interested in how to bring up an integrated solution that establishes transparency into each role’s planning and highlight deviations, stay tuned here or visit my session on the Microsoft Project Conference (#mspc12) in Phoenix, AZ, March 20th–22nd (abstract for session #pc310).

You’ve read about the two contributing roles and their competing goals. In the next article, we will break down the goals into tasks relevant for program management in matrix organizations.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Small communication traps and missing transparency in resource planning often lead to conflicts and costly over-allocations in projects.

Standish Group’s Chaos Report of 2009 states that 68% of all projects are not successful. Due to latest experiences and my research, one important factor to mitigate the risk of failure is having the right resources in place when needed.

This article shows how simple temptations in communication combined with missing transparency lead to a mismatch in resource allocations.

Let’s view an example where the project manager first meets the resource and next the resource manager. Then let’s drill into the resulting issues.

1. Project manager asks resource for capacity

The project manager asks for at least 2–3 months and the resource tempts to confirm this (there are many reasons for this). On the communication level: Adam receives the question with "2 months" (sender-receiver issue). And since this would work out, he simply confirms.

2. Project manager asks resource manager for approval

The project manager asks for approval. The resource manager is a little irritated that everything’s already clarified and approves by trusting the given information. Confirmation is sent via e-mail in separated systems.

3. Analysis

Let’s look at the resulting planning. June and July are fine. First issues will rise in August and September, when the resource is on vacation. We are facing an over-allocation of ~20%.

And now, a few weeks later, let’s view the same situation again. As time goes by I assume that efforts in "Project A" rise by 25% and "Project B" cannot be finished in time (should have been completed in July). Now we are looking at an over-allocation of ~50%.

Assuming we are not having this kind of transparency, the question is: Who will prioritize? Most likely it will be the resource doing the work that is liked best. And there is a high risk that this is not the work bringing the ideal overall benefit. Put differently: Having No Transparency Will Burn Money.

This is only one example of situations with issues in communication and lacking transparency. I ran into settings like this not only once, and sometimes they have even been worse. Now that we have a common understanding we can start discussing how to address these issues. My next article is on how to create transparency.

If this article caught your attention, stay tuned here or visit my session at the Microsoft Project Conference (#mspc12) in Phoenix, AZ, March 20th–22nd (abstract for session #pc309).

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

According to the Standish Group’s 2009 Chaos Report, almost 7 out of 10 projects fail. This highlights the urgent need to raise maturity in project management.

Standish Group stated in their Chaos Report of 2009 that ~68% of all projects are not successful.

For sure, the Chaos Report has recently been discussed controversially. Stefan Hagen looked behind the numbers and published the findings on his blog (German). The bottom line of many articles: organisations still have huge room for improvement in project management maturity.

In recent weeks, I did a lot of web research on reasons why projects have been challenged or even failed. I was overwhelmed by the diversity of reasons, split into hard and soft factors. Here’s a brief summary (unsorted):

• Incomplete Requirements
• Lack of Involvement
• Moving Targets (Scope Changes)
• Lack of Resources
• Insufficient Communication

Resource management was repeatedly listed as a key factor. Related terms included: lack of resources, inappropriate resource allocations, overbooked resources, missing skills, and missing availability.

I’ve spent the last years working in the field with many clients and can fully confirm these findings. Resource allocation has always been a recurring challenge. Think of your last projects! Who can truly say there was no issue with availability?

That’s why I decided to write a series of posts on Resource Management. I want to share my experience and show ways to cut the Gordian knot of resource allocation.

If this article caught your attention, stay tuned here. In addition, I will speak about this subject in a session at the Microsoft Project Conference (#mspc12) in Phoenix, AZ, March 20th–22nd (abstract for session #pc309).

In the next article, I will share insights on underlying conflicts and day-to-day situations I experienced first-hand.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Program management in matrix organizations differs from classic project management: work packages are delegated to departments while the program manager owns structure and schedule.

Maturity has an immense leverage on the success of programs with many dependencies. Organizations with high maturity have ~30% more probability to deliver successful results than those with low maturity (details in my last article).

Within this article you’ll gain an understanding of how program management works in matrix organizations of large enterprises. These experiences are based on multiple projects I’ve performed for various clients. Those DAX-listed companies span a variety of industries such as chemical, energy, manufacturing, information technology, etc.

We’ve observed that program management is conducted slightly differently than usual project management. In a regular project, all competencies are tied together with the project manager (structure, schedule, resources, etc.).

In our cases, the program manager is responsible for the WBS (work breakdown structure) and the schedule, but explicitly not responsible for the resources and their management. This leads to the following picture:

A program is structured and scheduled by a program manager. The work packages are defined as deliverables and delegated to the designated departments. Within the departments, work packages are detailed and staffed with resources. Let’s break this down with an example from the airline industry:

The program is structured into work packages delivered by departments (e.g. Wings and Engines). Tasks are scheduled in the program context. Departments, on the other side, structure their work by programs (e.g. P400, X7). Work items are detailed, planned and executed here.

The challenge is to create an integrated solution that highlights deviations to manage conflicts. If you are interested in how to address these conflicts, stay tuned for the next post or visit my session at the Microsoft Project Conference (#mspc12) in Phoenix, AZ, March 20–22 (abstract for session #pc310).

You’ve seen how program management is conducted in matrix organizations of large enterprises. The next article in this series will focus on the different roles and how their goals compete with each other.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

A TU Berlin study found that half of all projects fail in complex landscapes with low organisational maturity. The good news: maturity boosts success rates significantly.

Did you know how many projects are not successful caused by low maturity in managing complex landscapes?

The Technical University of Berlin (Chair Prof. Dr. Gemuenden) discovered in last year’s study that approx. 50% of all projects fail in complex landscapes. This is where a high degree of dependencies between the projects is given and the organization’s maturity of managing these landscapes is low.

Here’s the good news: You don’t need to bury your head in the sand. If you are able to increase the organisation’s maturity in managing such complex scenarios, you can improve project success probability by approx. 30% (according to the study).

In the coming weeks I will publish a set of posts that will enable you to set up a basic environment for proper program management. This will provide the foundation for increasing maturity.

If this article caught your attention, stay tuned here. In addition, I will talk about this subject in a session at the Microsoft Project Conference (#mspc12) in Phoenix, AZ, March 20–22 (abstract for session #pc310).

What’s next: Learn about our experience of how program management works in matrix organizations.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Resource conflicts slow down productivity in matrix organisations. This article outlines three steps to create transparency, manage capacities and commit resources effectively.

In March, the Microsoft Project Conference 2012 will take place in Phoenix, AZ.

I am hosting a session on resource management. As promised before, here's the abstract:

Resources are lacking productivity through competing projects. Cut this Gordian knot of resource planning using Microsoft Project Server and the product CS RME of Campana & Schott. We will demonstrate how to solve conflicts between project and line organisations by adding a controlling layer to the standard resource management capabilities of Microsoft Project Server.

Based on two international customer cases this session will focus on three key subjects with regard to a well-managed resource management:

1. Establish transparency: Setup an appropriate environment with Microsoft Project Server to create transparency of your resource situation.
2. Manage long term capacities: Ensure that general resource availability is given while starting new projects.
3. Commit resources: Use CS RME to establish a controlling process on resource commitments.

If you are interested, you are more than welcome to attend the session #pc309 at #mspc12. Or drop me a few lines. In case this article catches your attention, check out my other session on program management.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Programs in matrix organizations often struggle with resource conflicts. This article outlines how an integrated planning process and Project Server can align program and line management.

In March, the Microsoft Project Conference 2012 will be conducted in Phoenix, AZ.

I am holding a session on program management. As promised before, here's the abstract:

Programs often fail due to divided responsibilities. The program manager’s job is to drive a program through different functional departments. The resource managers (e.g. department heads) are planning separately, often not aligning their planning to the programs. This is a typical situation in a company with a matrix organization running programs and projects across the different organisational units.

We will demonstrate how to solve conflicts between program/project and line organisations based on a customer use case from the engineering area (global manufacturing/transportation company). Our customer faced the typical problem that the conflict for resources between line management (the owners of resources) and program/project managers (the users of resources) was not properly addressed by the available tools. The session will address:

1. The basic planning problem in matrix organizations
2. The process approach on how to solve such a problem in complex engineering programs
3. The Project Server solution used to manage these projects and the resources working on them

Attend this session to learn about typical project & resource planning conflicts in a matrix organization and how to encounter the challenges of major engineering projects. View a process that addresses those challenges and that leads to an integrated planning process. Learn about the crucial role of Microsoft Project Server and how this process is implemented.

If you are interested, you are more than welcome to attend the session #pc310 at #mspc12. Or drop me a few lines.

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

In March 2012, the Microsoft Project Conference takes place in Phoenix, AZ – and I am proud to contribute as a speaker in two sessions on resource and program management.

In March, the Microsoft Project Conference will be conducted in Phoenix, AZ.

I will be the speaker of following two sessions:

• 3 Steps to Cut the Gordian Knot in Resource Management
• Deliver Successful Program Results in Matrix Organizations

Details coming up soon...

Ingo Meironke, PMP – Manager at Campana & Schott - @meiroTweet

Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” is a moving legacy: An inspiring book full of life lessons, written for his children – and for everyone who wants to make their dreams come true.

Randy Pausch was full of life – happily married with three children and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. At the age of 40, he received devastating news from his doctor: pancreatic cancer. Life expectancy: 4–6 months in good health.

Against all odds, he did not bury his head in the sand but prepared for his "Last Lecture". His goal: not to address his students and colleagues, but to leave a legacy for his three children.

The book is simply inspiring. In many short, clear chapters he shares the wisdom that shaped him into the person he was. At its core, it is about how he repeatedly enabled others to realize their dreams.

His lecture was also recorded on video and published on YouTube. It provides a great preview of the book. In about 75 minutes, he shares his essential insights.

YouTube-Video: Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture

All in all, an admirable person and a remarkable achievement to create such a "Last Lecture" during the final months of his life.

A book truly worth reading.