Projektron BCS supports practical teaching
Success story from TU Chemnitz
The Chair of Factory Planning and Factory Operation, headed by University Professor Dr Egon Müller, sees itself as a competent partner for the planning and operation of integrated production and factory systems in teaching and research. We are involved in the degree programmes Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology, Automotive Production, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Management. We provide training in project management based on the standards of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). Projektron BCS supports both students and lecturers.
Research focus of the Chair of Factory Planning and Factory Operation at Chemnitz University of Technology
The research focus of the Chair of Factory Planning and Factory Operation at the Institute of Management Sciences and Factory Systems at Chemnitz University of Technology lies in the investigation and development of future production structures and innovative factory concepts for the mechanical and plant engineering sector, the automotive industry and its suppliers, as well as the electronics and textile industries. We focus on current developments such as the advancing performance of information technology, increasing networking, the scarcity of resources and the increasing demands on the learning and adaptability of production and factory systems.
Project management as a research focus and in teaching
Project management is of particular importance here: on the one hand, factory planning projects are handled as projects due to their unique character – on the other hand, mechanical, plant and tool engineering in particular, with their customised products and orders, are predestined for project business. We have already conducted extensive research in this area, for example on the topics of intercultural project management, module-based information and document management, knowledge management and networked communication in projects. Our industry partners primarily come from the tool, plant, automotive and power plant construction sectors.
Project management has also been an established part of our teaching for many years. The project management course is attended by around 120 students every year, and it imparts interdisciplinary knowledge. In addition to traditional mechanical engineering and industrial engineering, the course has also been integrated into degree programmes in other faculties. In addition, there are regular participants in the context of the Studium Generale. The course is based on the IPMA Competence Baseline, which gives participants the opportunity to take the exam for the basic certificate in project management from the German Association for Project Management (GPM). This is an opportunity that is actively used – by 30 to 40 students in each of the past few years.
Structure of the project management course with the help of Projektron BCS
The course consists of a traditional lecture in which the basics and methods are explained and supplemented with practical examples. In addition, there is an exercise in which students work in small teams to develop a project for a given task. The tasks include an environment and stakeholder analysis, the development of a target system, a risk analysis and comprehensive project planning, which includes structure, process, time, resources and costs. The exercise also provides insights into aspects of organisation and document management.
Since 2013, we have been using Projektron BCS for this purpose, which means that students work on the respective tasks directly in the system.
This approach has three major advantages: firstly, it enables efficient working, since hardly any additional documentation is required. Secondly, existing structures and templates make it easier to process tasks. And thirdly, lecturers in the administrator role receive a regular overview of the work status, which in turn enables short-term feedback loops. In addition, the participants of the event have the opportunity to get to know a project management tool intensively and try it out in practice. The training material provided by Projektron allows for quick familiarisation.
Feedback from students on the use of Projektron BCS
The feedback from our students on working with Projektron BCS is positive. For lecturers, Projektron BCS provides efficient support for practical and methodical training in the field of project management.
