project management

Efficiency in container terminal operations is key for competitiveness. Many large German terminals use the flexible but relatively risk-laden manned straddle carriers (SCs). The research project STRADegy evaluated the reliability and profitability of automated SCs in northern-German container terminals via a combination of a pilot installation and an emulation at the container terminal in Wilhelmshaven. Parallel to that, rollout-guidelines were developed. This paper introduces central results regarding a successful rollout of auto-SC-systems.

In many companies there is still a lack of clarity about the “right” way to implement digitalization projects. Therefore, the article describes guidelines for the successful implementation of digitalization projects. They are derived from the experience of various practical projects and include considerations of economic efficiency as well as resources and staff. Structured as “Ten Commandments for Digitalization Projects”, they are designed to support actors in the practical implementation of digitalization projects

This article is about agility, awareness and diversity in project management. In agile project management and especially in the working world 4.0, the importance of cooperation in diverse teams is emphasized again and again. Diversity does not only comprise crossing cultural, organizational and professional boundaries, but also integrating people who are sometimes excluded from communication in the working world. Deaf people belong to this group of people who are often disadvantaged regarding their job opportunities. Daily.Srum.Diverse offers a possibility to work together agilely in various teams and to bring together agility and diversity.

Complexity of construction projects requires continuous documentation. Within the framework of the mPRO research project, a software-supported functional model is being developed in cooperation with community4you AG for flexible project documentation. In this article, project environment factors are considered as the basis for a successful integration of mobile technology.

New and unique tasks are regularly solved in interdisciplinary and sometimes cross-company teams. Thus, the necessary expertise can be combined for the collective success of projects. In this project-specific organizational form the advantages of collective intelligence can be used. Unfortunately, the acquired additional experience in project knowledge is often not systematically rooted in the company after the project expired. There are also specific challenges of SME projects. A project-based networking of expertise in terms of Corporate Capability Management often requires new approaches and tools. The idea for a simulation-based project management with integrated logistics could be forward-looking. It is based e.g. on the development and utilization of reference plans as well as project- and logistic-scenarios. Thereby, step by step experience and process improvements can be integrated.

Knowledge management around projects has been supported for a long time by a host of software applications. But still the knowledge exchange between organisation and projects is weak throughout the project cycle: from project inception where company knowledge is ignored to transfer of results to the dump of collective company data. Social media bring about a sense of communication which may help to solve some of these problems - if it can be successfully implemented. We explore how SharePoint can be employed to enhance the knowledge transfer between organisations and their projects.

Today’s new products and services must be marketed in cycles which are rapidly becoming shorter and shorter. The pricing pressure and the progressing trend toward individualisation of products pose a tremendous challenge for major sectors of the industry. In the future, therefore, the implementation of digital methods will be necessary to a much greater extent than in the past, not only in product development, but also in process, production, and factory planning. For ensuring their own survival in a globalised world, small and medium-sized enterprises will also be faced with the inescapable necessity of introducing the digital factory. In this context, 3D-CAD factory planning can be regarded as a basic prerequisite for successful implementation of the digital factory. However, this prerequisite has not yet been satisfied in many companies. In the present publication, an overall method for implementing computer-aided 3D-CAD factory planning in conformance with the requirements is ...

Companies need to manage increasingly turbulent and dynamic competitive environments. Organizational change is no longer the exemption in phases of stability but a constant challenge. The translation of these challenges in internal change projects is thus a major success factor for long term competitive advantage. Based on a case study of a strategic reorganization of a German Technology company this article shows the boundaries of formal planning in regard to strategic reorganization. In the course of the change project, the project organization changed several times in order to adjust to varying requirements. Based on this case study characteristics of flexible project organizations are identified. The paper concludes with implications for the management of strategic change projects.

Due to increasing product complexity, quality, timing and resource constraints, the management of product development projects becomes more and more challenging. Especially the determination of current product quality, an indicator for the actual development status, is hard to accomplish. For this reason, the article presents a concept for a real-time quality estimation for products and intermediate results. The concept is used and evaluated in the semiconductor industry.