Nutzen und kontinuierliche Weiterentwicklung von Performance-Dashboards in einem Softwareentwicklungsunternehmen

Abstract

The continuous development and optimisation of work processes within a company is an important factor in avoiding standstill and reacting more quickly to the changing market. For this reason, this thesis describes the introduction of modern BI-supported performance dashboards for reporting in the software development department at logi.cals GmbH. The aim is to answer the question of the resulting effects on work processes and the benefits for budget managers. The process of continuous improvement in practice is analysed and the most important factors are highlighted. To answer the first research question, the theoretical foundations are first elaborated. The handling of projects, particularly in software development with the support of the agile project management method SCRUM, is explained in more detail, as well as project controlling, along with its the reporting, is established as a central component for project management. The theoretical foundations are concluded with the key factors of continuous development and change management. The setup of data sources, the use of performance dashboards in practice and the continuous improvement process practised by the company logi.cals GmbH are presented in a practical context. To answer the last two research questions, a qualitative study is conducted using guided interviews with experts. Since the performance dashboards are a specific use case in the company logi.cals GmbH, the experts are selected from the company based on defined criteria. Subsequently, the collected data is evaluated, analysed and summarised within the formed main categories. The results show that the introduction of a BI-supported reporting system and the resulting central management and processing of existing data reduce manual activities and simplify work processes, as well as creating transparency and easy access to the processed data. Communication emerges as an essential factor in continuous improvement, playing a crucial role in all phases of the PDCA cycle methodology. The establishment of readily accessible formal communication channels ensures continuous communication.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Michael Tesar (Supervisor)