Thesis Topics

• Summary of the basics of strategic management
• Creation of an overview of methods of strategy development
• Identification of the special features of social collaboration for strategy development
• Adaptation or further development of the methods to the social collaboration environment
• Creation of a case study for strategy development for social collaboration using a customer example

• Working out the need to review and adapt organizational skills with regard to (strategic) transformations (digitization / sustainability / New Work)
• Identification of concepts, approaches and methods for checking the need for adjustment of organizational capabilities and their dissemination (e.g. capability building, dynamic capabilities)
• Comparison and evaluation of the identified approaches and methods as approaches for the targeted change of entrepreneurial skills in the context of transformation
• List of similarities and limitations of the identified approaches

• Overview of the special features of benefits management as a benefit-oriented management approach
• Highlighting the challenges of introducing and establishing benefits management in (large) project-oriented organizations
• Conception of a process model for the introduction and establishment of benefits management in (large) project-oriented organizations
• Validation of the process model and the identified challenges based on empirical data collection

• Elaboration of the relevance of benefits management with regard to (strategic) transformations (digitization / sustainability / new work)
• Development of starting points and approaches for the application of benefits management with regard to (strategic) transformations (digitization / sustainability / new work)
• Showing the organizational anchoring of benefits management
• Derivation of strategic recommendations for action for the implementation of benefits management as part of corporate planning
   

• Examination of the state of research on the advantages of diversity in companies and teams. Is this always good?
• In which cases or contexts is which kind of diversity in the team useful or promising?
• The aim of the work is to sift through available studies and bring them into structure and context.

• Investigation: How are variable salary components and performance management systems linked to the implementation of business strategies?
• Analysis: when is there a positive or negative correlation?
• Development of a summary hypothesis on the relevance of performance management systems in the implementation of business strategies

• Analysis and definition of potential challenges in strategy implementation if conflicting goals are defined in the company, such as: growth goals, increasing shareholder value vs. pursuing sustainability development goals?
• The work can relate to the specifics of a specific industry OR compare several industries.
• Development of initial recommendations for action on how to meet the challenges examined.

• Analysis and definition of potential challenges in strategy implementation when conflicting goals are defined, such as: growth goals, increasing shareholder value vs. pursuing sustainability development goals? How do they affect specific organizational units?
• In this work, corporate functions can be compared in one company OR the same function (e.g. IT, finance, HR) in several companies.
• Development of initial recommendations for action on how to meet the challenges examined.

• Analysis and development of potential conflicting goals in companies with regard to sustainability such as: growth goals, increasing shareholder value vs. pursuing the sustainability development goals?
• Development of appropriate approaches/procedures to resolve the identified conflicts. How can strategies still be implemented successfully?

• Create an overview of current communication and knowledge management approaches
• Classification of these in project-oriented organizations
• Derivation of advantages and disadvantages of identified approaches for project-oriented organizations including recommendations for action
• Application and validation based on a case study

• Analysis and definition of the Digital Workplace (DWP)
• Conception of a procedure model for the creation of a business case for a DWP project
• Market research for current providers and options for mapping a digital workplace
• Validation of the process model based on the research results and derivation of DWP strategies

• Research question: Are adjustments to the P3M system a mandatory and success-critical prerequisite for undertaking strategic initiatives such as a transformation of one's own business?
• Analysis of the challenges and characteristics of business transformations as well as the structure and value proposition of project and multi-project management systems (P3M)
• Derivation of a matrix regarding maturity and design of the P3M system vs. the type of transformation
• Application and evaluation of the derived matrix based on an example/customer project

• Research question: How can project portfolio management create benefits in the context of digital transformation?
• Identification and evaluation of existing portfolio planning processes
• Special features of the implementation of digital transformation projects in companies
• Derivation of a targeted portfolio planning process for digital transformation in the company, especially in one or more of the following focus areas
  • Dealing with increased number of projects
  • Mapping of the strategic goal "digital transformation" in the portfolio
  • Agile portfolio management

• Summary of the current state of theory and practice on agile project portfolio management
• Identification of empirical studies and analysis of the results
• Development of a questionnaire on the needs, status and requirements of agile project portfolio management in Germany
• Implementation and evaluation of the survey

The aim of the master's thesis is to research existing knowledge management concepts for long-term projects in the construction industry and to develop an adapted concept for line construction projects.

• Analysis of knowledge management models for major projects, construction projects, overhead line construction
• Evaluation of knowledge management methods
• Creation of a knowledge management concept for overhead line construction
• Validation based on a practical example

• Analysis of tool requirements in the context of scaled agile processes and frameworks, such as SAFe or Less based on a literature study and/or expert interviews
• Evaluation of tool solutions for their application in scaled agile projects and portfolios
• Conducting a gap analysis
• Implementation of a proof-of-concept with tools from the Microsoft ecosystem to support scaled agile projects and portfolios
• Development of a roadmap for further research questions and features in the context of scaled PM tools

• Context: Large digitization programs are changing organizations. If the associated changes in terms of the organization, its processes and capabilities are not managed, these initiatives cannot deliver long-term benefits.
• Research focus: transformation management
  • Analysis of the success criteria for good transformation management
  • Development of a transformation approach / concept for transferring skills, tools, processes and organization of a digital transformation program to the respective line function
  • Definition of interfaces and interactions with change management

• Context: Large digitization programs are changing organizations. If the associated changes in terms of the organization, its processes and capabilities are not managed, these initiatives cannot deliver long-term benefits.
• Research focus: Organizational design to anchor digital skills
• Analysis of the success criteria of a good organizational design to anchor digital skills
  • Definition of procedures for anchoring the skills
  • Assessing the pros and cons
  • Validate the results with experts

• Evaluation of existing project management methods (waterfall & agile) in the context of project controlling
• Analysis of the benefit potential of agile KPI's for the project
• Collection of possible transformation scenarios
• Development of a dashboard prototype

• Research question: How must change management be adapted and implemented in connection with agile project management? How should change management activities be planned when deliverables are continuously evolving?
• Identification of suitable process models and methods for change management in the field of agile product development
• Development of a model for change management when introducing product increments
• Validation of the developed model

• Selection of a model for classifying corporate cultures
• Analysis of existing process models for the implementation of agile transformations (e.g. SAFe, LeSS)
• Derivation of a process model in order to be able to develop and introduce an Enterprise Agile Framework that suits the corporate culture
• Demonstrate how this model can be implemented using agile project management software

• The aim of the work is to analyze the benefits and limitations of classic lean construction methods for linear infrastructure construction sites, including the derivation of adjustments to the lean toolbox.
• Analysis of the current construction schedule and process of the selected major construction site using Lean methodology to identify waste, bottlenecks and potential improvements
• Development of recommendations and recommendations for action for the effective application of lean principles to construction scheduling and processes
• Identification of possible obstacles and barriers in the implementation of Lean principles and recommendations for overcoming these obstacles
• Outlook on future developments in the field of lean optimization of construction schedules and processes

• Literature research and analysis of project entities (milestones, risks, deliverables...)
• Description of the project entities with regard to their influence on the project control
• Evaluation of the use of the various project entities depending on e.g. Number of participants, length of the project, project methodology, dynamics of the project, requirements for controlling....
• Creation of hypotheses that describe the connection between project parameters, entities and project success
• Qualitative/quantitative evaluation of the hypotheses
• Transfer of the results to a project management system

• Identification of Azure buildings blocks for the implementation of a reporting solution
• Creation of a prototype for testing in the customer context
• Carrying out a cost analysis to validate the business case

• Identification of possible solutions for text analysis and the acquisition of relevant information
• Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of individual solution options
• Transfer of a solution sketch to a concrete customer use case, e.g. automated scanning of contract PDFs with text recognition and determination of important master data such as contractual partners, data, etc.
• Derivation of a general implementation concept for other similar use cases

• Identification of technological, organizational and cultural trends in the field of communication and collaboration in companies
• Analysis of existing solutions for the implementation of the digital workplace, especially Microsoft Office 365
• Derivation and evaluation of use cases for the use of the digital work place
• Detailed elaboration of one or more use cases using Microsoft solutions and, if necessary, implementation of a pilot
   

• Creation of an overview of relevant new technologies for knowledge management based on the knowledge spiral
• Presentation of the potential and challenges of these technologies in interaction with MS Sharepoint and MS Teams
• Analysis of the effects of search algorithms (search behavior, need for manual keywords and categories)
• Conception and prototypical implementation of a "knowledge processing bot"
• Measuring the added value of this technology

• Determination of the requirements of a minimal project management software from literature and practice
• Elaboration of the potentials and challenges in connection with MS teams
• Conception of the application including data connection
• Prototype implementation
• Evaluation of the application with regard to the requirements

• Literature research on principles of portfolio and program management
  • Emphasis on methods from practic
  • Collect and evaluate attributes and metrics of portfolios
• Creation of a concept for simulating portfolios
• Implementation of a prototype via the Microsoft Power Platform
  • Desirable features, simulation:
    • save
    • evaluate
    • to get approved
    • make productive
    • discard

• Determination of advantages and disadvantages of citizen developers from literature and practice
• Creation of an overview of current low-code applications in companies
• Derivation of the associated citizen developer profile
• Preparation and implementation of a citizen developer survey at various companies and low-code providers
• Preparation of a decision support when in-house development projects are advisable (and when not)

• Definition of the term and analysis of compliance or security in the context of the digital workplace
• Research into current trends in this subject area
• Conception of a catalog of requirements for security or compliance for a digital workplace
• Application of the catalog of requirements to the Microsoft platform and, if necessary, 3rd party addons as well as derivation of strengths and weaknesses

• Development of a definition for low-code platforms
• Research into low-code platforms available on the market
• Research of application scenarios for the use of low-code platforms
• Derivation of categories and procedure for evaluation, e.g. by means of expert interviews
• Application of the evaluation catalog and classification of the platforms in terms of suitability and limits for various application scenarios

• Identification of current change and adoption measures for the introduction of technology platforms
• Analysis of the relevant target groups and the special requirements when introducing a low-code platform
• Creation of a catalog of measures for the introduction of low-code platforms
• Application of the catalog of measures as part of an elaboration using the example of the low-code platform technologies from Microsoft

• Technological contextualization of the metaverse
• Analysis of the relevance and existing implementations of Metaverse in the context of business & technology
• Interviews with CS experts regarding possibilities for implementation in project contexts
• Evaluation of the interview data and analysis of the technological implementation options in future projects

• Evaluation of existing project management solutions in the context of user communication
• Analysis of the potential benefits of Power Virtual Agents in the context of project management solutions
• Development of a prototype for an existing Microsoft project management solution

• Development of a theoretical introduction to the field of virtual agents and user communication
• Evaluation of existing approaches for rollout/migration projects
• Analysis of the potential benefits of Power Virtual Agents in the context of rollout/migration communications
• Development of a prototype for a rollout/migration project

• Determination of the requirements for a digital transformation platform, the technically required modules and processes from literature and practical projects
• Elaboration of the potentials and challenges in connection with the M365 platform and MS teams
• Conception of an overall architecture, as well as exemplary implementation of at least one module (prototypical implementation) of the application including data connection
• Evaluation of the application or the module with regard to the requirements

• Identification of digital regulation options for the room temperature in offices, depending on the workload
• Analysis of the possibility of integrating a solution with already implemented sensors in the offices, the room booking system and a corresponding radio module
• Development of a sustainable temperature regulation solution with Azure IoT Cloud architecture and on-premises gateway

• Literature research on demand management and current practice in German companies
• Conception and qualitative evaluation of procedures and relevant parameters (workflow steps, participants, required information...)
• Creation of a concept for intelligent demand management that can be used beneficially for companies
• Prototypical realization of the concept using the Microsoft PowerPlatform

• Analysis of procedures, methods and trends in the field of digital workplace and training
• Investigation of the practical example Microsoft 365 learning pathways (classification in the world of training and LMS, fulfillment of the requirements of an LMS, possibilities and limits)
• Development of a procedure for training for Office 365 based on Microsoft 365 learning pathways

• The aim of the work is to research existing knowledge management concepts for long-term major projects in the construction industry and to develop an adapted and practicable concept for line construction projects.
• Identification of the challenges and difficulties in knowledge management in large projects in overhead line construction
• Assess existing knowledge management practices in overhead line construction and other industries to identify best practices
• Analysis of future developments and trends in the field of knowledge management in large projects in overhead line construction
• Identification of possible obstacles and barriers in the implementation of the process model and recommendations for overcoming these obstacles

• Summary of the current state of theory and practice on the topic of agile organizations
• Identification of empirical studies and analysis of the results
• Development of a questionnaire of effective elements in agile project management and at the same time in agile organizations
• Implementation and evaluation of the survey

• Research on the state of research regarding rollout management
• Analysis of the different levels of rollout management (high-level strategic vs. operational)
• Investigation of the extent to which rollout management is used in different areas of the company and for different topics
• Investigation of the extent to which rollout management can be generalized/standardized
• Conception and development of a rollout management framework based on the research results

• Research question: Which assessment model can be used to measure the maturity of a company with regard to sustainable transformation?
• Task: Benchmarking existing models and development of a methodology / assessment framework for assessing the maturity of companies regarding their progress towards more sustainability.
• Consideration of the relevance of governmental or industry frameworks in the area of sustainability (Sustainable Development Goals, Science-based targets, Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative etc.)
• Assessment of one or more companies to demonstrate the applicability of the framework in order to derive concrete recommendations for action for advancing the level of maturity w.r.t. sustainable transformation

• Identification of a quantifiable business case for the application of BIM for linear infrastructure structures
• Evaluation of the advantages and potential of BIM, such as better collaboration, cost and time savings, improved planning and construction
• Assess the requirements and constraints for using BIM in the planning and approval phase
• Development of strategies for the implementation of BIM in linear infrastructure projects in order to maximize the benefits of BIM
• Conclusion and recommendations for the future application of BIM