Innovation journey for connect.IT at the Strategy Workshop 2018+
How connect.IT can develop further was discussed at the Strategy 2018+ workshop on January 20. A total of 15 participants from the association's board of directors, board of trustees and head office came together at the Innovationsfabrik Heilbronn to define key strategic areas of action and activities for the future.
After being welcomed by the chairmen Steffen Jung and Frank Oschmann, they first presented the milestones of the association's work since 2014. connect.IT now has around 120 members and an office has been set up that is in great demand as a contact and advice center for IT vocational training. Visibility in the region has increased significantly and the association is a welcome partner at events in the region, e.g. Heilbronn University, IHK, IT-Bündnis Baden-Württemberg and the Employment Agency. New collaborations have been established and the association is becoming more involved in regional activities, for example as part of the Digital City of Heilbronn or the recruitment of IT specialists by the Employment Agency. The FabLab Heilbronn has been signed and sealed and will be officially opened in the coworking space on February 17.
A survey of participants in the run-up to the event revealed that the visibility of connect.IT in the region has developed well. However, there is still a lot of potential to increase it. The internal organization was predominantly rated as good, but the work could be distributed even more among more players, as the limits of volunteer work are now apparent among the active participants. The events and forums on offer were rated very positively, but the effective public marketing could be expanded. Important fields of action for the future include further increasing the visibility of the association, maintaining the office, creating additional added value for members, attracting more active members and networking with the start-up scene.
After the introductory presentation, the participants embarked on a very exciting and dynamic innovation journey. Wolfgang Kraus, Chairman of the Association, first explained how innovation works and then two groups were formed. His colleague, Markus Schwarz, Agile Coach at Kaufland Informationssysteme, kindly supported this dynamic workshop and moderated group two. In each group, the first step was to identify the key problems for the association based on the relevant subject areas, user groups and their needs. In a group dynamic process, the next step was to develop numerous brainstorming questions, four of which were then selected for further idea development by awarding points. The two groups then developed a wide range of ideas, including how to address people interested in IT and young people, how to raise funds, how to reach start-ups and how to impart knowledge effectively.
The participants agreed that the ideas should be pursued further after the workshop by special working groups in order to develop new offers and services that will promote the further development of the association. A final assessment showed that the very lively and active workshop method was rated extremely positively and that further workshops are desired by the participants.
After lunch together, the participants moved on to the coworking space in Heilbronn. There, Dr. Thomas Wendt presented the plans for experimenta Heilbronn. The new building, which is currently under construction and boasts spectacular architecture, will be the largest science center in Germany when it opens in 2019 together with the existing building.
Finally, the participants visited the FabLab Heilbronn, which is run by the newly founded association Code for Heilbronn. connect.IT initiated the project and continues to support it. Jonathan Günz, Deputy Chairman of Code for Heilbronn, explained the equipment provided by experimenta and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. The laser cutter, 3D printer and CNC milling machine were of particular interest and Jonathan Günz demonstrated how a connect.IT business card can be produced from wood with little effort using a laser cutter.
The results of the workshop were presented at the connect.IT makeTogether on January 23. All association members are welcome to get involved in the further innovation process. If you are interested, simply send a short e-mail to [email protected].
