Establishing a Decision Support System
As part of the PerspektiveArbeit Lausitz (PAL) initiative, there is a joint project between Grötschel GmbH and TU Dresden, and we are addressing the question of how company data can be processed more efficiently and made usable for well-founded decisions. The starting point was a concrete practical problem: Important information on order status, deadlines, costs, and capacity utilization had to be manually exported from the ERP system on a weekly basis, consolidated, and processed—a time-consuming and error-prone process.
Although all relevant data was fundamentally available in the ERP system, suitable options for linking, analyzing, and clearly presenting it were lacking. Information on actual project execution or departmental capacity utilization had to be obtained individually with considerable coordination effort.
ProjektOr: Intelligently Linking and Visualizing Data
Together with researchers from TU Dresden, the tool “ProjektOr” was therefore developed. The system extracts the existing ERP data, links it in a central data warehouse, and presents it clearly in target-group-specific BI dashboards. Project and department managers thus receive a unified, current overview of orders, deadlines, costs, and capacities.
In addition, feedback on project status can be recorded directly in the system. This creates, for the first time, comprehensive, transparent documentation of order processing for all parties involved.
Real-World Laboratory Instead of Theory
The project was deliberately implemented as a real-world laboratory: Theory and practice worked closely together to develop solutions that meet the actual requirements of the company. In regular coordination meetings, problems, dashboard designs, and new requirements were discussed and further developed together. The iterative approach ensured that the system remains practical and grows with the technical possibilities.
Greater Transparency, Less Effort
With ProjektOr, decision-making processes will be significantly better supported in the future. Automated data retrieval and visualizations considerably reduce manual effort, while simultaneously increasing transparency regarding deadline compliance, order status, and capacity utilization. Deviations can be identified earlier and countermeasures initiated in a timely manner.
Open Source and Future-Proof
ProjektOr is based on open-source software and is therefore independent of existing commercial standards. The system can be flexibly adapted to our requirements and further developed in the long term. Digital transformation here does not occur through a ready-made external solution, but through collaborative development from practice.
The project already demonstrates how digitalization can succeed: through collaboration, clear requirements, and solutions oriented toward real working conditions.
