CONSULTING
Our consultants show new ways forward, develop solutions, provide fresh impulses, and contribute new ideas. Whether it is designing workshops on digitalization, creating readiness for product implementation, preparing an RFP, organizational consulting, system reviews, acting as a professional and content-focused sparring partner, or supporting concept development and requirements analysis – end to end, we provide you exclusively with experienced consultants. Methodologically sound. Highly competent. Quality-focused. And always with a focus on turning consulting into practical solutions.
We work on a wide range of consulting projects with universities, universities of applied sciences, research organizations, foundations, and companies. Our approach is sustainable and focused on delivering high-quality results. Because we know that consulting must not end with a set of presentation slides.
Can’t find your specific topic or challenge below? Talk to us!
AT-CRIS Consulting does not leave you with nothing but polished presentation slides.
Quite the opposite: if you wish, we support you in putting our consulting recommendations into practice. End to end. Across all phases of our steps towards successful product implementation. Here are just a few examples of situations and challenges where we have supported our customers:
- Is your implementation project stuck and you are unsure how to move forward?
- Do you need external project management support to get your project back on track?
- Are you missing the right concept to resolve a complex situation?
- Do you need new ideas and fresh impulses?
- Do you need a market overview on a specific topic?
- Are you lacking a clear overview of your data, processes, or systems?
- How about an independent product evaluation?
- Are the organizational structures across your systems inconsistent?
“Software doesn’t rust.”
True—but the world keeps moving forward. What is up to date today may already be outdated tomorrow and potentially expose security vulnerabilities.
“Software requires continuous maintenance.”
Most of our customers do not have to deal with software maintenance themselves, as this is handled by their software vendors. However, some customers require highly specialized custom software that is simply not available as an off-the-shelf solution.
In these cases, we support the planning, preparation, and implementation of software modernization:
- Detailed planning of agile software modernization.
- What exactly needs to be done?
- Definition of the scope.
- What should the software architecture look like?
- What resources are required?
- Are organizational changes required?
- Process optimization and digitalization
- Migration and implementation planning from legacy to new systems
We also advise software vendors on the implementation of new modules and solutions, drawing on our extensive knowledge of our customers’ requirements and needs.
Up-to-date and accurately maintained Organizational Management (OM) is a prerequisite for integrated information management. However, organizational master data at higher education institutions often does not meet the requirements of modern digital processes.
An assessment of the current Organizational Management landscape and how the organizational structure is represented acrolss IT systems—aligned with the objectives of OM—helps identify the Organizational Management topics that need to be addressed within an organization.
Particular attention should be paid to the following aspects:
- Consideration of the organization’s individual culture
- Involvement of stakeholders in the development of the OM concept
- Involvement and role of university leadership in the OM project
- Definition, optimization, and digitalization of OM maintenance processes
- Planning the transition from the existing to the new structure (migration plan)
- Identification and definition of follow-up projects
Professional preparation for the implementation of new software:
- shortens the duration of the implementation project
- reduces potential conflicts with software vendors pushing for acceptance during implementation
- creates early acceptance of the new software solution within your organization
Through our work in consulting and implementation projects, we have gained extensive knowledge of the functional and technical requirements placed on software solutions.
AT-CRIS does not offer its own software. Instead, we make our expertise available to you and advise you on the implementation of new modules and solutions. In doing so, we always follow the philosophy of your software.
- AT-CRIS does not act as a reseller of existing software products.
- AT-CRIS does not benefit if a customer chooses a software product from a particular vendor.
- AT-CRIS does not provide development resources for products from third-party vendors.
- When AT-CRIS implements Open Source software at a customer’s request, we contribute to its further development where this is necessary for our customer’s project.
We work with you to develop the technical solution tailored to your POM requirements and support you in implementing it.
Whether funds are allocated across the entire university to departments/faculties, within individual faculties, or used as the basis for performance-related allowances under the W salary system, POM calculations are often based on performance parameters such as supervised doctoral candidates, courses taught, third-party funding acquired, publications, and many other factors.
- AT-CRIS supports you in the automation and digitalization of your existing POM processes.
- Together with you, we define the parameters relevant to the calculation and their weighting and specify the data model required to implement your POM.
- Together with your experts, we specify the interfaces required for system integration and, if requested, support you with their implementation.
Jede Hochschule steht im engen Wechselspiel mit ihrer Region und den dort ansässigen Menschen. Dabei sind Hochschulen als Lehr- und Forschungseinrichtung, Arbeitgeber, Dienstleister und Kooperationspartner aber auch im Rahmen des Wissens- und Technologietransfers aktiv.
Trotz ihrer regionalen Einbindung und Vernetzung können Hochschulen die Frage
„Welche Aktivitäten gibt es an meiner Einrichtung, die unter das Themengebiet Transfer / Third Mission / Mission Gesellschaft fallen?“ oftmals nicht beantworten.
Die Kenntnis der eigenen Transferaktivitäten ist jedoch die Basis, um die Mission Gesellschaft aktiv zu managen, und Wettbewerbsvorteile zu erlangen. Mit dieser Überzeugung hat AT-CRIS einen gesamtheitlichen Ansatz entwickelt, der es Hochschulen erlaubt, die Mission Gesellschaft IT-unterstützt aktiv zu betreiben und so nicht nur Antworten auf offene Fragen zu finden, sondern auch aktiv Mehrwerte für sich und die Gesellschaft zu schaffen.
Research organizations in Germany are currently facing the challenge of deciding whether and, if so, how the KDSF should be implemented.
The basis for this decision should be a Current State Assessment (see iFQ et al., final report on the “Kerndatensatz Forschung” project, October 13, 2015).
- As part of a three-stage Current State Assessment (Assessment, Analysis, Report), data availability and data quality as well as data collection are examined with regard to reliability, handling, and data protection.l
- Based on this assessment, the need for action regarding the implementation of the KDSF can be identified and existing data collection processes can be optimized.
- In this sense, the Current State Assessment serves as a quality assurance measure, supporting research organizations in ensuring the long-term quality and availability of data for the KDSF with the least possible effort.
The service is designed so that it can also be used as a Current State Assessment for Research Information Systems (RES). Based on the underlying methodology, we have already successfully applied the Current State Assessment service to other areas as well.
You have implemented an RES and have been operating it for some time. Changing internal and external conditions continuously present your system with new challenges.
Is your RES running smoothly?
- Are you satisfied with your RES implementation?
- Have you achieved all the goals you originally set for your RES implementation?
- Do you have a strategy for supporting future use cases with your RES?
- How satisfied are your users – and how satisfied are you with your RES?
- Is your RES integrated into your IT infrastructure?
- Do you know the full potential of your RES – and do you want to make use of it?
The Offer
Commission an independent expert review of your RES that takes a close look at its use and operations. Discover opportunities to optimize your system and make use of its untapped potential.
- Der 360°CRIS Review hilft Ihnen Anwendungsfälle, Services und Geschäftsprozesse zu identifizieren, die unrund laufen.
- The 360°CRIS Review helps you identify use cases, services, and business processes that are not running smoothly.
- We advise you on optimization opportunities and the untapped potential of your RES.
- We analyze how changes in the research landscape affect your RES (e.g. new tasks and requirements, Open Science, evaluations, initiatives, reporting obligations, and budget cuts).
- We review onboarding for RES users, training, and user satisfaction.
- We examine hosting, system upgrades, and IT infrastructure.
- We review the data quality, data protection, and data security of your RES.
- We support you in developing and prioritizing plans for the further development of your RES, including embedding these plans within your organization.
Services & Results of the 360°CRIS Review
- Optimization of your RES operations
- Management of responsible staff and RES users
- Definition and allocation of resources
- Development of an RES roadmap
- Supporting decision-making regarding your research information management
- Adaptation of business processes
- Identification of gaps to be closed
Your Contact Person
Dr. Wolfram Schüßler
Head of Consulting Services
Am Sandfeld 4
76149 Karlsruhe