“Travelling light” – a report from the road An interim report on the transformation project

Anyone who has ever been on an expedition – whether in the wilderness or through their own organisation – knows that you never know exactly what you will discover. But you know what you’re setting out to do. The same is also true of the “Mit leichtem Gepäck“ (Travelling light) project led by Dietmar Smyrek, TU Vice President for Human Resources, Finance and University Construction. Since May of this year, around 50 colleagues from administration, science and science management have been exploring ways to simplify internal processes at TU Braunschweig.

“Administration is particularly supportive when, despite all the rules, it is hardly noticeable from an academic perspective; then cooperation runs smoothly.”

In May, nine teams, each tasked with a challenge identified by the Senate as particularly important to solve, got started. Their goal was to take a fresh look at familiar issues and come up with ideas that could be implemented quickly to create simplification. According to project initiator Dietmar Smyrek, this fresh perspective is now becoming noticeable: “Administration is particularly supportive when, despite all the rules, it is hardly noticeable from a scientific point of view; then cooperation runs smoothly. This project brings us as close as possible to achieving this goal. Even now, shortly after the initial stages, I feel that issues can be openly discussed within this new framework, including in each other’s areas. This spirit exists thanks to the joint effort and broad participation.”

Feasibility walks

The teams are currently in the “Understanding & Classifying” stage. During this analysis phase, processes are examined from the users’ own perspective. The aim is to identify needs, pinpoint areas for improvement and develop concrete approaches based on these findings.

“For us, dialogue is the basis for good cooperation and, at the same time, the key to improvement.”

A special focus is placed on the diversity of perspectives, both within the teams and through external input. The teams have the opportunity to use various interactive participation formats that differ significantly from conventional meetings. These include the unusual “feasibility walk” – a kind of walk & talk where teams can engage in dialogue with TU Vice President Dietmar Smyrek and refine their ideas. During the walks, discussion is encouraged and ideas are fleshed out in direct conversation.

In addition to the feasibility walks, the project house’s process facilitators support the teams through internal workshops and by gathering feedback from various sources, including short interviews and a university-wide survey.

“Working with the different needs of the teams was a valuable experience for us,” explain process facilitators Sarah Zerwas and Madita Olvermann. “Each team has a different approach to information and requires different stimuli. This teaches us a lot not only about the teams themselves, but also about how we function as a university as a whole. For us, dialogue is the basis for good cooperation and the key to improvement.”

Insights into the journey of some of the teams so far:

Team “Creative, digital interim solutions”

“Perhaps there is already a solution that solves 80 per cent of the problem, but we’re unaware of it.”

How can good, improvised IT solutions from everyday life be made visible, and perhaps even used systematically? This is exactly what this team is working on. Professor Anne Paschke from the Institute of Law says, “It was important for us to realise that many pragmatic IT solutions arise when concrete needs have to be met at short notice through workarounds, for example. These are often very effective, but remain isolated because they are not made visible or integrated in the long term.” She finds the process very stimulating, “above all because it leaves room for discussions and perspectives that are often lost in internal university IT structures. The exchange within the team was open and solution-oriented, showing us the innovative potential of so-called “emergency solutions”.”

Kai Brunzel, Head of the Enrolment Office, adds: “Departments and institutes are always coming up with new requirements. However, we also have a wide range of tools available at TU. The important thing for us is that people get what they need. That saves us a lot of effort. Perhaps there’s already a solution that addresses 80 per cent of the problem, but we’re unaware of it. It would make more sense to make this available immediately, rather than waiting for the perfect long-term solution.”

The team is currently collecting case studies from everyday university life and developing a draft process for the journey from identifying a need to implementing an interim solution.

The “New Work” team with a focus on workplace design

“For a university, rooms are not only places to work and learn, but also central locations for meeting and interpersonal exchange.”

The “New Work” team is addressing the challenge of designing university spaces that enable new ways of working, facilitating collaboration and integrating the diverse needs of different user groups. Team member Jun.-Prof. Michael Heere, from the Institute of Internal Combustion Engines and Fuel Cells, reports on the past few weeks: “We asked ourselves what specific challenges there are and what options we have, ranging from a framework agreement for furniture to “picking up a paintbrush ourselves”. To find an answer, we organised various exchange formats within the team, including a feasibility walk (Walk & Talk) with the university management to discuss specific questions about what is possible, in order to define the scope of solutions. In addition, two workshops were held to clarify specific requirements for rooms and how they will be used in the context of future work and its users.”

According to Jun.-Professor Heere, it is important for the team to focus on the users: “It was important to us to look at the topic from the users’ perspective. To do this, we worked with different personas – and now want to carry this approach over into the departments.” The discussions focused on the potential of shared spaces and alternative room concepts, as well as how the university can move away from the principle of “inherited spaces”. “For a university, rooms are not only places to work and learn, but also central locations for meeting and interpersonal exchange. However, it is likely that these rooms will not be available indefinitely and that space will have to be conserved. Nevertheless, or perhaps precisely because of this, it is important to consider all aspects of working, researching and learning, and to recognise that these are influenced by the spaces, from the quality of the environment to the research results.”

Team “Support instead of control”

“After all, we are one big “we” and not just individual “you’s”!”

The team is working intensively on establishing a greater sense of support at TU Braunschweig, beyond control. Anike Altschwager, from the Institute of Numerical Mathematics, describes what this involves: “In discussions within our team and with other colleagues, we found that many of us have had positive team experiences in our departments. Where this is not the case, there is often a lack of background information and knowledge to develop understanding of each other or the subject matter. One idea we had was to introduce a consultation hour for suggestions, changes, problems, etc. In any case, we are looking for ways to engage in real dialogue about each other’s problems and how we could support each other more effectively. After all, we are one big “we” and not just individual “you’s”!”

And what happens after the summer break?

The next stage of the journey for the teams is “Learning and Designing”. They will be tasked with gathering and evaluating diverse ideas and using them to design initial prototypes. These will be presented at the interim event in mid-October and then tested for seven weeks during the “Testing and Implementation” stage.

As a time-limited, results-oriented project at TU Braunschweig, “Mit leichtem Gepäck” will conclude in December 2025. Funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture as part of “Spaces for the Bold”, the project aims to promote a changemaker culture of personal initiative and creative enthusiasm. The project also aspires to encourage TU Braunschweig to use the findings to develop a new attitude towards process design, shedding unnecessary baggage and making better use of existing resources. In short, the aim is to move into the future together with light baggage.

Text: Madita Olvermann