Communication as the key to project success
Dr Thomas Kranert successfully completed his degree in business education at the University of Hamburg back in 2011. He then moved directly to the University of Paderborn. There, he completed his doctorate at the Chair of Business and Vocational Education under Prof Dr H.-Hugo Kremer until 2017. Today, as Head of Project Management at Schüco Interior Systems, a subsidiary of Schüco International KG in Bielefeld, he looks back on his doctorate and talks about his day-to-day work.
After Thomas Kranert completed his Master's degree in Hamburg, he couldn't let go of one particular subject: quality management. He wanted to delve deeper into the subject and scrutinise standards and the operational activities behind a QM system. This passion initially led him into science before he later turned to business: ‘I was aware that my day-to-day work would not leave me much room for such intensive work,’ says Thomas Kranert, giving an insight into his thoughts at the time. By chance, he heard about an advertised doctoral position at UPB. So in 2012, he travelled from Hamburg to Paderborn, where he started his doctorate.
Crises, routines and turnarounds
Looking back, the 37-year-old compares the doctoral period to a marathon in which he learnt to deal with crises. However, this was also the first time that routines came into play for Thomas Kranert: ‘Only inner routines often give us the security to deal with the unforeseen,’ he reports.
It was only with the help of inner routines that he was able to overcome crises. During the doctoral phase, Thomas Kranert was like many other doctoral candidates: You keep taking two steps forward and are then set back at least one step again when presenting your progress to the professorship team. ‘This has to do with the fact that your colleagues or the professor critically scrutinise the things you've presented, to which you may not yet have any further answers,’ he explains. This then led to him being thrown into crises during his time as a doctoral student, which he was only able to overcome through his routines for overcoming challenges - in other words, a marathon run in which the unforeseen is brought under control through routines.
In the broadest sense, however, his doctoral topic at the time was ultimately the starting point from which he was able to focus on projects, innovations and the processes behind them. When he left his university work behind and went into the private sector, he had to make a turnaround. But one thing didn't let him down here either: routines. He was initially drawn to Volksbank Halle/Westphalia, where he took over as Head of Project and Innovation Management until 2022. Since January 2023, as Head of Project Management Office (PMO) at Schüco Interior Systems, he has been working on a wide range of projects and processes - areas for which, as he says himself, a business education graduate is ideally suited.
Communication is Key
As PMO, Thomas Kranert is responsible for strategically relevant company projects. These are divided into organisational development projects and technical development projects relating to direct production - in other words, what the company sells. Schüco International KG is a system provider for windows, doors and façades, among other things, and therefore also sees itself as a technology company that combines numerous components. As a business educator, Thomas Kranert knows how important it is for project management that his colleagues talk to each other. ‘If we don't talk, we simply pass each other by,’ he says. Only through communication can projects reach their goal in the long term, because ‘projects don't fail because of the project plan, but because the team doesn't work properly’. This is because the company supports its customers in all phases of a construction project: from the initial idea and planning through to the realisation and use of residential and commercial buildings - worldwide. As a result, numerous people from different areas of the company are involved in individual projects.
As PMO, Thomas Kranert therefore has to communicate with people from different areas on a daily basis, because: Communication is key - especially in project management. This is because the business education specialist is responsible for the overall technical management and further development of the PMO, including multi-project management for around 300 employees.
But what exactly are his tasks? The business education specialist is an expert in communication and recognises the importance of communication on the road to success. That's why he spends a large part of his working day doing so: every day, the project manager attends at least two meetings for different projects and holds numerous coordination calls with colleagues. He discusses the progress of projects and exchanges information. He gives his colleagues the opportunity to provide updates, ask questions and address challenges. Through open communication, Thomas Kranert facilitates a shared understanding of each other's tasks. As he says himself, a crucial aspect of project success is giving each team member the physical and emotional security to make an important contribution to the project's success. He is also involved in the preparation and follow-up of project meetings and takes part in a weekly exchange with the company's management team. In his Head of position, he is automatically part of it. At these meetings, he then reports on the individual projects at a higher ‘flight level’ - because he is always best informed about their status and progress. On his journey from PhD student to PMO, Thomas Kranert has learnt two important foundations: establishing routines and the importance of communication.
Thomas Kranert has three tips for you so that you too can start your next project work armed with routines and communication:
You have to enjoy what you are working on, so if possible, choose topics that interest or challenge you.
Put together a diverse team, as this makes it easier to generate ideas. Diversity in a group always allows creativity to flourish.
Don't think directly about deadlines and schedules, but rather see them as basic building blocks that run subliminally - so focus primarily on progress in terms of content!
Is that what you want?
We are one of the few faculties in Germany to offer a structured doctoral programme. This enables you to deepen your specialist knowledge to the extent of 30 ECTS credits and thus acquire the tools for your research activities.
Thomas Doctorate at Paderborn University
