Agile approaches improve project overview

- We want to be as LEAN as possible and be smart about our resources, says Anna Hedberg, project manager at Uddeholm. We cannot promise materials development on demand and on schedule. We just have to accept that things sometimes work out, but a lot of the time they do not. In invention, when you work with something completely new, certain natural laws apply and things don’t always go according to plan.

Uddeholm has separated materials development from product development to raise the success rate of their developments and to ensure the final product is as safe as possible.

- In materials development – the step preceding product development – we want as much structure as possible to help us navigate all the uncertainty. The training in agile approaches at Karlstad Business School has helped us a lot.

The training has helped Uddeholm more clearly define their desired outcomes.

- The different sprints provided clarity on what we are supposed to achieve within a project. That makes us a lot quicker at realising if something is going to work or if we need to make changes as we go. We also have the option of simply shutting a project down.

Uddeholm now makes much swifter decisions about where to spend the company’s resources. That gives Uddeholm a better idea of how to make projects successful.

- This is important to us. Materials development isn’t a job that just anyone can do – you need the right training, resources, and equipment, which is relatively expensive and challenging. So we want to be smart about the resources that are available to us.

Uddeholm has cut the number of simultaneous materials development projects in half thanks to the Karlstad Business School training. As a result, the company will be able to launch more product development projects than before.

- We cut the ones we knew wouldn’t amount to anything, so the ones we kept are moving ahead at a much faster pace.

John Johansson at Karlstad Business School explains the training layout.

- Uddeholm received customised training. We worked with a combination of films, literature, and lectures. With the foundation in place, we designed an approach specifically for their materials development projects. The project team has regular meetings to check in, so management and any other stakeholders can easily join in and listen from a front-row seat to the project.