ISG Intermed

InLoox as a virtual space for projects

Intermed relies on Kanban boards an project management in the cloud for cross-organizational task management

Intermed, an owner-managed trading and logistics company, works as a partner with the laboratories in the LADR laboratory network Dr. Kramer & Kollegen with more than 20 independent laboratory locations. The challenge is to coordinate the various tasks that this cooperation entails. Above all, the fact that different sites are affected and tasks are interdependent makes the coordination processes more difficult. In concrete terms, the coordinated implementation of IT projects was extremely complicated. Above all, because different IT standards prevailed in the Intermed branches and in the LADR laboratories, cooperation did not always run entirely smoothly. 

Kanban in the cloud

Borris Hoffmeister, IT security and process manager at Intermed, therefore went in search of a cloud solution that could be used as a central communication platform and for joint task management. He became aware of InLoox via the Internet and realized that this solution offered exactly those features he had defined in his requirements profile. Hoffmeister: "We were looking for a tool with which tasks can be distributed and processed easily - not a complex project management solution whose application has to be learned in a time-consuming way. The fact that InLoox is a cloud solution and comprehensively integrated with Outlook was a plus right from the start. The Kanban Board and the ability to collaborate across system and network boundaries then tipped the scales."

This pragmatism is also reflected in the decision-making process. After a short test phase, Intermed's IT department decides to implement the software and also starts with the first projects - software migrations, updates and rollouts. Especially the better marketing and the communication of innovations of the so-called " order entry" system started to be handled via InLoox. The goal was to inform the customer faster and more effectively about updates and improvements. 

New project roles and better resource planning

"We also took part in a training course at that time, where we learned many interesting tricks and possible uses," says Hoffmeister, who explicitly praises the software manufacturer's support and training team in this context: "At InLoox, we've always been helped quickly, well and in a friendly manner."

Intermed has around 20 licenses in use in the areas of marketing, laboratory organization, hospital, IT and in the medical profession. These primarily use the solution via the Kanban board feature. Moreover they use the Gantt planning when they want to find out about the project status or want to intervene in the project control. "If, for example, we have the rollout of an update, we can see the time and personnel framework conditions in the planning overview and can act accordingly. This makes it easier to avoid planning errors, for example in the use of resources, and to carry out rollouts more easily," says Hoffmeister, describing his experience. He is pleased to tell us that he has not had any employees "double-scheduled" since then. 

Noticeable improvements

His colleagues are also satisfied, because the desired assignment of tasks to project members is easier. Everyone knows which task the other is currently working on and the progress of the various tasks can be tracked at any time. Hoffmeister can also observe a faster, more effective processing of tasks: "Thanks to InLoox, no one can claim anymore that they didn't know about the task to be executed. But at the same time, everyone can schedule and work through their tasks quite flexibly. We now have better communication and faster processes, which saves us time and money."

In the IT department, the advantages are even more extensive, because here, the solution is not only used for task management and communication, but also planning and controll features are used. " Here, it's good that you can work very simply and effectively with InLoox. The solution is not overloaded like other project management tools, but you have everything you need, compactly and clearly together," summarizes Hoffmeister, the IT specialist. He finds it particularly practical that nothing gets lost anymore, everyone can divide up their tasks and work from any location - an advantage that is clearly evident, not least in times of Corona.