ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH from Bremen is a thyssenkrupp AG company, integrated as an operating unit into thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH. With over 120 years of experience, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK is one of the leading system houses for products and integrated system solutions in the field of marine electronics. The company offers, among other things, highly specialized sonar systems as well as autonomous and controlled underwater vehicles for submarines and surface vessels.
We were the ones who looked at 50 tools. We really rummaged through the market and found everything, maybe not everything, but lots of tools that were available. In the end, the Aeneis BPM suite prevailed. And we didn't try all 50 to the end; in the end, there were two or three left over, which we then tested intensively. And yes, it ended up being the BPM software Aeneis.
The introduction of the Aeneis BPM software at ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH represents a remarkable success story: In just six months, the company succeeded in implementing the software and convincing employees to use it.
Read on and find out how ATLAS ELEKTRONIK was able to combine various management systems in a central system by introducing the Aeneis BPM software — in a period of just six months.
Since 2017, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK has been a wholly owned subsidiary of thyssenkrupp AG, which made the introduction of the Aeneis BPM software a complex task. The close involvement with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and the need to integrate various business areas and a large number of employees presented the company with various challenges. The following challenges had to be solved by introducing the Aeneis BPM tool:
The first challenge in introducing the Aeneis BPM software was the integration of various management systems. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems previously used various tools and processes to manage their management systems.
These systems were partially integrated but often still separated. As a result, there were various process diagrams, key figure systems, textual instructions, tools, and audit systems that did not communicate with each other. This separation led to a high level of manual effort, which had to be overcome in order to create a uniform and efficient integrated management system.
One of the most important challenges was the introduction of the Aeneis BPM software within a tight time frame of just six months.
The goal was to complete the migration by the turn of the fiscal year on October 1, 2021. The focus was on seamless integration into the existing IT landscape without making immediate process improvements. The transition should ultimately improve the quality of process models and increase their efficiency.
As shown in the previous graph, the first milestone was the selection of a suitable BPM tool. The company used a structured methodology:
In order to find suitable software, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK first carried out market research and defined the necessary range of functions. After this market research, the company had around 50 potential software solutions.
After an initial evaluation of the available tools and an in-depth analysis of the most promising candidates, Aeneis finally prevailed.
Another major challenge was to convince all employees of the new software and to actively integrate it. Switching to the Aeneis BPM software is a challenge in many companies, as there can be resistance to change among employees. It therefore requires targeted training and communication to promote the acceptance of a new tool. To achieve this, all employees must understand and be able to use the benefits of the new BPM software.
After identifying the challenges, the next step was to systematically address and overcome them.
In order to overcome the challenge of different management systems, Aeneis was established as a “single point of truth.” This meant that all processes, instructions and key figures were brought together in Aeneis as a central system. At ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH, Aeneis is also referred to internally as “One Process”.
This single point of truth ensured that all employees had access to the same, up-to-date information. This enabled efficient administration and development of processes and significantly reduced manual effort. Internal audits and process management were also integrated into Aeneis, resulting in a coherent and seamless software solution. In this way, all important management aspects are combined in one system.
In order to make the introduction of Aeneis efficient, the project team initially refrained from extensive customizing. This decision made it possible to react flexibly and agilely to unpredictability. Instead, the team focused on adapting only the necessary schema information and background structures that were required for modeling and migration.
While the migration was being carried out, customizing could be gradually advanced in parallel in order to adapt the portal to specific needs. This agile approach was crucial to successfully complete the project within the tight time frame.
A well-thought-out communication strategy played a decisive role in the successful rollout of the Aeneis BPM software.
A comprehensive communication concept was developed and implemented in advance:
Training concepts, which were specifically tailored to various stakeholders and user groups, were an essential part of this concept. Even before the official rollout, key users, process owners and managers were identified and trained. These key users served as multipliers to pass on knowledge.
The involvement of end users was a particularly decisive factor for the success of the rollout of the Aeneis BPM software. At the official launch on October 1, extensive measures were taken to inform employees about the new software and to get them excited about it:
This extensive communication promoted the acceptance and use of Aeneis.
Transparent communication was also crucial. It was openly informed that the initial rollout only migrated the status quo. Only in the following months would the software be continuously developed.
Users were actively involved in this development process. Specific training for modelers went beyond simply using the software and promoted process thinking. Modelers were also empowered not only to document processes, but also to critically evaluate them. In addition, editors were trained to supplement modeled processes with further content and links.
After rolling out the Aeneis BPM software, it was important to first maintain a stable phase without any changes. The internal goal was to stop development in order to give end users time to get used to it. As a result, the software was not changed in the first three months after rollout, unless there were serious errors that needed to be fixed.
This stable phase was decisive, as employees switched from various tools to the Aeneis BPM software and had to get used to the new software first. This period of rest allowed users to get to know the software and adapt to the new processes without having to constantly adapt to new changes.
Another key point of the project was collecting feedback from end users. All employees in the company were encouraged to actively get involved and submit suggestions for improvement. Various channels were available for this purpose: calls, emails and the integrated CIP module in Aeneis, which enabled a direct improvement loop.
With this open attitude and the promotion of the participation of all employees, acceptance of the new tool was increased. This continuous involvement and feedback from end users therefore made a significant contribution to the successful completion of the project within just 6 months.
After the BPM software was successfully introduced at ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, continuous development is now a central component of the integrated management system. The aim is to involve all users and to implement continuous improvements through a variety of feedback channels.
In the past two years, 700 improvement suggestions have been submitted via the CIP module (Continuous Improvement Process), of which more than 450 have already been implemented. This shows that Aeneis is not a static system, but is actively co-designed by users.
Another focus is on networking data. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK is constantly working to link processes, roles and standards to increase efficiency. In future, for example, certification auditors should be able to see where certain requirements in the system are being met at the push of a button.
The expandability of Aeneid has also shown great benefits. Employees appreciate the opportunity to quickly implement their data requirements and ideas, which further increases the acceptance and use of the system. Adjustments to the portal display, data links and the development of queries and reports have significantly improved the user experience. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK is also working on setting up key figure reporting systems and completing the transition to an integrated management system so that all management aspects can be mapped in Aeneis.
Aeneis has established itself as a central element of the process model and is making significant progress, particularly in the area of audits, where previous reluctance is overcome by the benefits of the new software.
The project to introduce the Aeneis BPM software at ATLAS ELEKTRONIK and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems was a complete success. The initial challenges were tackled systematically and successfully overcome.
Here we would like to summarize the main successes of the project once again:
These successes show that Aeneis is not just a software solution, but a living, constantly evolving system that was able to sustainably improve cooperation and efficiency at ATLAS ELEKTRONIK and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
