OpenProject is the winner of the INNOVATIONSPREIS-IT 2018 in the OPEN SOURCE category
In search of innovative products and solutions in the IT sector, every year the “Initiative Mittelstand“ draws Companies under the motto “Inspiring. Lively. Digital.”. OpenProject was able to convince the jury with its innovative product for cross-location networking of project teams. OpenProject supports end-to-end web-based project and product management and enables projects to be managed successfully and intuitively without system interruption. Compared to proprietary software, the open source software can be tailored to the needs of the user and adapted to the processes in the company. With OpenProject, companies can work together particularly efficiently and save considerable costs, for example for licenses and workload. A cloud edition was specially developed for the needs of medium-sized companies in order to be able to use the product securely and inexpensively without installation and maintenance costs.
OpenProject winner interview
Your product is the winner of the INNOVATIONSPREIS-IT 2018. Can you describe your solution to us in three concise sentences? OpenProject is an innovative open source project management software for cross-location networking of project teams. The intelligent, web-based software supports multi-project management, team collaboration and communication along the entire project life cycle without system interruption and is available in more than 30 languages. OpenProject meets the highest data protection and security requirements according to German standards and is also barrier-free.
In your opinion, what is the most innovative thing about your IT solution? The open source software offers a tailor-made solution for the entire project management process and, compared to proprietary software, can be individually tailored to specific needs and adapted to processes in the company OpenProject supports both classic and agile project management. The strengths of the entire team can be used through the best possible networking - projects are led to success faster and collaboratively. Risks and planning errors are recognized quickly. Companies can work together particularly efficiently with OpenProject and save significant costs, e.g. for licenses and workload.
Why does a company need a solution like yours and what advantages does it offer medium-sized companies Planning and controlling projects is still a major challenge regardless of the industry. Cross-location networking and the exchange of information are particularly difficult for many project teams. Frequent system interruptions, high manual effort, lack of transparency, uncertainty, chaos, cost pressure and project delays are the result. With OpenProject, teams can easily network across locations and collaboratively lead projects to success. Powerful functions combined in one system provide support along the entire project process. For medium-sized companies, a hosted solution, including support, offers optimal security and minimal effort. The software can be extensively tested free of charge for 14 days without notice.
How long did it take to develop your innovative solution and do you plan further optimization measures? OpenProject was launched in 2015 and has been continuously developed since then. There are 4 major releases of releases with powerful new features each year and numerous small releases. The releases can be found here.
How important is it for you to take part in competitions such as the INNOVATIONSPREIS-IT and what does such a prize mean for your company and your work? As the winner in the Open Source category, this award encourages us in our endeavors. We live the open source idea and are convinced that free and open source software offers many advantages for companies and public institutions. Participation in competitions like this one also promote the open source idea and enable us to become better known. We offer a safe German open source alternative to Microsoft, Jira, Trello, Wrike and Co.
In your opinion, what role does the topic of “innovation” play for medium-sized companies? Innovations are essential for medium-sized companies to grow, secure jobs, maintain locations in Germany and keep up with the fast-paced and financially strong international competition. In particular, increasing digitization and automation is an increasingly important topic for medium-sized companies. We are particularly pleased that the topic of open source is also becoming increasingly important in the innovation environment. That is why many medium-sized companies in particular decide to use OpenProject in order to optimally plan their projects and map their processes across locations in a reliable and secure application.
How does your company manage to stay innovative over the long term? What is your future planning? Our company is young and dynamic. We continuously get external feedback and actively exchange ideas with other companies and entrepreneurs. Especially in Berlin there is the ideal breeding ground for creating innovations. Young, creative and smart people who develop ideas and solutions contribute to this. We soak up all of this and bring it to our own product. With OpenProject we want to create a project management paradigm with a tool that intelligently supports teams in their work.
