They started with a blank sheet of paper, lots of creative ideas and the will to create something new. One year later, eleven business informatics students have created a software prototype that they will soon be presenting at CeBIT.
The time has come in mid-March: the Master's students of Information Systems will present their software "IMPACT" at the world's largest IT trade fair. The individual parts of the prototype are not yet connected, several tests are still pending and the product video only exists in their heads so far. But Jan Fischer and Dirk Tesche are surprisingly calm. "We have a pretty hefty to-do list, but it's all doable," says Fischer. After eleven months of project work, nothing can worry the 28-year-old and his team mates so easily.
It was in April 2015 when the ten budding business IT specialists joined forces to develop a new type of software for in-house innovation management. Together with a partner from industry, the software company Lufthansa Industry Solutions, the aim was to develop the prototype of a platform that motivates employees to submit ideas and suggestions for improvement.
Lots of freedom
During the first meetings with their external partners and academic supervisors from the university, it became clear that the students, who were completing the one-year project as part of their Master's degree programme, would be given a lot of freedom. "It was a bit like starting with a blank sheet of paper and seeing in which direction it develops," recalls Fischer. A challenge for the students, who had already mastered a software project during their Bachelor's degree, but were now faced with the task of realising a project completely independently for the first time.
"It was difficult at the beginning," says Tesche. "We only knew the goal, but didn't know how to get there." They relied on creative processes such as mind mapping and brainstorming. "The main part of our work was actually developing ideas together," says Tesche. The students have retained their penchant for constantly coming up with new ideas and have fundamentally changed their concept three times, most recently in December - around three months before the presentation at CeBIT. A decision that cost them a few nerves, but which they have not regretted to this day. "This quick change of mind is typical of software development," says Fischer. The group decided to make the entire process more playful. To do this, they had to change the data model and parts of the software, but ultimately they didn't have to rewrite everything, so the effort was limited.
Leaving a positive impact
The software prototype is now almost complete. They have named it IMPACT, an abbreviation for "Innovation Management Platform To Activate Creative Thoughts", which also has its own message. "Behind the project name is also the desire that every employee can leave a positive impact on the company," says Fischer. IMPACT is a web-based platform for innovation management in companies. The approach is quite simple: an employee who has an idea or a suggestion for improvement creates this as a new "challenge" in the system. His or her colleagues can then rate this challenge and comment on it - in this way, the community helps to decide which topics are taken forward.
"The good thing is that line managers or decision-makers can see at a glance what is particularly on employees' minds," explains Tesche. If they consider a challenge to be promising, they convert it into an official proposal, which means that the idea is refined and further information is obtained, such as the expected costs. "This makes the proposal assessable for the decision-maker, who has to give money, for example," says Fischer. The entire process is handled transparently via the platform - even the public feedback, which is intended to motivate other employees to also submit a proposal.
Transparency is very important to the developers. "This platform is there to involve as many people as possible in the process," explains Fischer. Many ideas would probably never succeed on their own; it is the support of the community that makes them successful. "When I throw a suggestion into a suggestion box, I usually don't know what happens to it. I don't even find out whether others see the problem in a similar way or what they think of the whole issue. I also don't have the opportunity to take part in the development, let alone have any say in it. It's different on our platform, where everyone can understand everything," says Fischer. What's more, IMPACT is a stand-alone solution - in other words, software from a single source that works on its own. "This allows us to serve a niche market," says Fischer.
Test computer and product video
They also want to convince visitors to CeBIT in Hanover from 14 to 18 March. At the joint stand of the state of Lower Saxony (Hall 6, Stand A18), the students will be showing a product video and providing a computer for testing the software. "We are hoping for feedback from the testers, especially from people from the field. We're really looking forward to seeing what other suggestions they have," says Fischer. This is his first time exhibiting at a trade fair - a great feeling: "I like presenting my products. Of course, I'm also a bit proud of what I've done." He also wants to make contacts in the industry. "Trade fairs are always good for networking, and we might even meet a potential employer."
One thing is already certain: Fischer, Tesche and some of their colleagues will continue to work on IMPACT even after the official end of the university project. "We've put blood, sweat and love into it for a year," says Tesche. It would be a shame to simply let the prototype disappear into a drawer now. If the feedback at CeBIT is positive, they even want to think about founding a company.
