Agile Project Management in Logistics and Foreign Trade

Agile Project Management in Logistics and Foreign Trade 04.08.2017 - We have summarised the following article for you from the following source https://www.pressebox.de/inaktiv/aeb-gmbh/AEB-und-DHBW-Stuttgart-starten-Online-Umfrage-Welche-Rolle-spielt-agiles-Projektmanagement-in-Logistik-und-AussenwirtschaftOE/boxid/850755
 
 
 
The Role of Agile Project Management
 
A press release that was published in the press box focuses on the role that the concept of Agile project management is playing in logistics and trade. A survey carried out by AEB GmbH and the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Stuttgart has examined the trend towards Agile project management. Managers of logistics departments, supply chain managers and personnel responsible for export and customs were surveyed in order to gain a picture of the situation and to obtain a professional assessment from the users’ perspective. 

Agile Project Management Tested in Practice

Who uses Agile project management methods and concepts and what do users feel are the main advantages and disadvantages? The study undertaken by AEB GmbH and the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Stuttgart considered these and other questions and examined the user behaviour of managers working in the foreign trade and the logistics sectors. In these two sectors in particular, there are a multitude of projects and many of them are extremely complex and wide-ranging. In addition, it is increasingly becoming necessary to take into account the fact that external factors in these sectors are dynamic and that the project environment is in a state of flux. The means that particularly managers working in these areas are now turning their backs on Classic project management methods and are keen to embrace new methods. A manager who finds he has hit a wall with traditional methods is more likely to try alternatives than someone who is less affected by changes in his working environment. Whilst some users simply hope for an alternative to traditional project management approaches, others look for methods that are more flexible, more efficient or simply more cost effective. However, is it possible for Agile project management to achieve this in logistics and foreign trade?

What is the Agility trend all about?

Agile project management has already been used for a number of years in software development and it is gradually superseding traditional methods. This trend started to spill over to other sectors of the economy only recently. Agile management is a hotly debated topic and it appears as if everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. However, it is true to say that it is not appropriate for all types of projects. Professor Dirk Hartel from DHBW Stuttgart is aiming to find out through his research the extent to which Agile project management has been used in logistics and foreign trade. The survey participants completed online questionnaires and were promised to be sent the results of the study in the autumn of 2017 and were also offered the chance to win various non-cash prizes. The results are likely to be very informative because the respondents are actually managers of the relevant departments in a range of companies. 

A study on the Global Trade Management Agenda

The study of the use of techniques employed in Agile project management is part of a wider series of studies that focus on the subject of Global Trade Management. Software provider AEB and the Cooperative State University are collaborating on these studies. Other studies from this series have researched other trends and themes in the logistics and foreign trade sectors. For example, a study from 2016 focused on the subject of apps in the sector. The study looked at the type of apps that are being used in the sector and the extent to which they are being used. The results of the app study are available to read free of charge in the Media section of the website at www.aeb.com/de. 

Approximately 8,300 students are working towards achieving their Bachelor degrees at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Stuttgart. The university is one of the largest of its kind in the region surrounding Stuttgart. In order to achieve its research objectives, the university works on an extremely diverse range of projects with approximately 2,000 companies and social institutions. The Cooperative State University is called the Duale Hochschule in German because its 40 degree courses, which focus on a range of subjects in the fields of economics, technology and social science, are based on a dual study concept. The Bachelor degree courses are partly delivered in lecture theatres and partly through work placements in companies and social institutions. Students simultaneously learn about theory and practice which gives them a considerable advantage in comparison with other types of educational training and the courses enable them to gain their first experiences of the world of work. Many of the students are able to get to know their future employees during their course of study. They appreciate the fact that they are able to earn some money during their studies and that they have significantly improved their chances of getting their feet on the first rungs of the career ladder. Many of the students highlight the fact that the international focus of the study programme is a major advantage of this system. 

AEB GmbH 

AEB GmbH has been providing software products for companies from the logistics, foreign trade, industrial, commercial and service sectors for over 35 years. It has over 5,000 customers located in 35 different countries which means that its software solutions are extremely diverse. The products support inventory management, the management of transport processes, import and export processes, and preference management. Automated embargo and customs audits and software for shipping processes are examples of some of AEB’s solutions which control and simplify day-to-day business operations. AEB is one of the many companies that benefits from collaborating with the Cooperative State University and the company in turn makes a very positive contribution to the courses on offer at the university.

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