CYNORA is a classic hidden champion of the German middle class with nearly 125 employees. Innovative and globally positioned, the company from Bruchsal in Baden-Württemberg relies on Atlassian solutions such as Jira, Confluence and Jira Service Desk in order to advance the digitization of knowledge and processes.

“From the very beginning, I was convinced that we, as SMEs in every sector, must take advantage of digitization. As a comparatively small company, we are a speedboat - and we have to tackle such issues early."
- COO CYNORA Michael Bächle

COO CYNORA Michael Bächle

Before implementing the Atlassian tools, there was OneNote, Excel and a lot of email for communication and project control. Michael Bächle, COO, realized early on that this rather classic-looking setup was unsuitable for the digital future of the company. After all, factors such as transparency, collaboration, business intelligence based on real-time data, and digital project and task management are inevitably missed out. In a nutshell, SMEs, in particular, can profit in many ways from the challenge of digitization. Just as this story will show.

Digitization of processes and knowledge at CYNORA

Examples from the project:

• Research project management: Previously handled in OneNote, they now use an integrated system of Jira and Confluence, with links to in-house databases. For this purpose, a new app has been developed: the Resource Manager for Jira. Find out more below.
• Employee care: Jira Service Desk along with additional tools for managing business travel and training requests. The ultimate goal is the gradual transformation to a fully-digitized service organization.
• Tracking internal SW development: Jira and Bitbucket
• QM: Confluence intranet and draw.io for the mapping of the company processes
• Security lessons and eLearning: Confluence and the Stiltsoft App Course and Quizzes
• Contact and employee directory: Confluence with Linchpin User Profiles
• Communication: Confluence is used for:
  • An intranet and knowledge platform
  • Blogging/microblogging
  • Collaboration and project spaces
  • Meeting Notes

“Long-term success is largely ensured by the fact that new concepts are quickly integrated into internal processes and organizations are constantly evolving. This is the only way to gain an advantage in a highly competitive environment."
- COO CYNORA Michael Bächle

A short overview: CYNORA & demicon

CYNORA is a leader in TADF (Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence) technology. The focus of the company is on highly efficient OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) systems. With a multidisciplinary team of more than 110 TADF experts, CYNORA has developed a robust IP portfolio with more than 150 granted patents and expects to reach 1,000 patents and patent applications in the next 2-3 years. CYNORA works closely with its customers in materials and device development.

As an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner, demicon GmbH is one of the largest technical consulting teams and one of the leading Atlassian full-service providers in the DACH region. With locations in Stuttgart, Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, they support their customers throughout Europe in digitizing their project management and business processes. This includes consulting, conception, training, support, configuration, managed AWS hosting as well as custom software development and license sales.

As an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, they also create a highly available and scalable IT infrastructure with optimal system performance in the Amazon Web Services Cloud (AWS). This includes individual consulting, architecture and development of cloud infrastructures, as well as migration, automation and scalable hosting.

SME digitization successfully staged

Scope and requirement workshop

The clear definition of goals is indispensable for the success of a project. This not only includes concrete goals to be achieved in the short and medium term, but also a more long-term vision. The successful cooperation of CYNORA and demicon GmbH was able to build on this foundation right from the start. After an essential requirement workshop to kick off, there were periodic feedback sessions with decision makers and continuous feedback across all stages of implementation.

“It's refreshing to work with a company that wants to go iteratively. We are dealing with processes that affect the whole company. And yet we get results quickly. We try our ideas in a timely manner and everyone involved learns a lot. It's great that there is no fear of mistakes or feedback. It is true that holistic progress can be continuously developed."
- Christoph Thomas, Digital Solution Agilist at demicon GmbH

Vision: No paper no pain

At CYNORA, it was clear from the outset that they wanted to digitize as many processes in the company as possible, while at the same time focusing on planning and collaboration on a new project and knowledge base. After the evaluation, it quickly became clear that this trend-setting approach, with as little paper, Excel and e-mails as possible, could be optimally achieved with Jira, Jira Service Desk and Confluence.

Confluence, which was rolled out as a central knowledge platform, should serve as a cockpit for daily work. In order to combat mass notifications and CC emails in collaboration and projects, Confluence was not even connected to the mail server for notifications. In order to ensure an optimal user experience and an intuitive information architecture, the App Refined Theme for Confluence was used. This makes it easy to provide out-of-the-box Confluence with a suitable corporate design.

Change: C-level, stakeholders and decision makers

In every change project, there is always the challenge of questioning established structures. Often companies, especially those that have been successful in the market for a long time, find it difficult to do so. That is only too understandable since superficially all numbers are correct. In times of digital disruptions, however, the certainties of the past are on shaky ground. Against this background, the willingness to change at C-level is absolutely critical to success. Using the example of CYNORA, it becomes clear what a positive impact it has when decision makers such as COO Michael Bächle are among the relevant drivers. An important piece of advice: Always identify stakeholders early and get them on board.

Employees in focus, create acceptance

Even though the digitization project was actively promoted by the management from the outset, it was always important to keep the focus on rolling out the tools in a step-by-step manner. A clear recommendation: Pay close attention to the fact that in each case very concrete measures are taken, which offer the employees an added value for their daily work. Change projects have a far greater chance of succeeding if uncompromisingly open communication and a user-centered approach is pursued.

Cultural and process change

Inevitably, implementing these new tools will also change collaboration in a company. This starts with the collaborative use of Confluence, Jira & Co. and echoes the way employees communicate with each other on a daily basis. Therefore, it is only appropriate to equate the digital transformation with a "cultural journey". It should be understood that tools for agile and collaborative work do not automatically make a business agile and improve collaboration. The change of the corporate culture towards a more open system must be taken one step at a time and is usually a challenge for all participants. However, one that turns out to be extremely rewarding in the end.

Once all the stakeholders are on board, it is worthwhile to visualize and clearly document the existing processes. In this project, this was done using the Confluence app draw.io. In the holistic approach of demicon, process analysis and consulting with a sense of proportion was carried out in this step in order to digitize only the really lived processes.

App spotlight: Resource Manager for Jira

At CYNORA, new and innovative projects are constantly being initiated in research. This ranges from materials research to the construction of devices to testing molecules and measuring their properties. Such projects require certain resources including personnel, equipment, and laboratories. These must be predictable according to prioritization and dependencies on the individual tasks. A control on the basis of people/time is therefore not sufficient.

Because no existing add-ons from the Atlassian Marketplace provided an appropriate solution, a custom extension of the software was developed according to a proof of concept (PoC). The new Resource Manager for Jira app now allows resource planning to be done on a time-by-thing basis instead of time-based resources. A process can always require several resources, even at specific points over its duration.

With the help of appropriate dashboards, all research tasks can be approved by the Steering Committee and the results reviewed. The result: real-time controlling and sustainable planning for research project management.

Please contact us if you would like to know more about the Resource Manager for Jira.

What's next? An outlook without emails

It is important to realize that digital transformation is not a project that starts today and will be completed tomorrow. Also with regard to acceptance by the employees, gradual development of the digital tools on an ongoing basis is absolutely necessary.

At CYNORA, the next steps on this path are already planned. Other software tools are to be integrated, and the management of the research projects should be further developed. The resource management app developed by demicon is also undergoing continuous development.

In addition, a number of other processes are still waiting for their paperless equivalent in Jira and Jira Service Desk. It is clear that the goal of daily business processes and research and project management without many emails cannot be achieved overnight. But: only those who set out on the path can achieve it.

“My recommendation is to work with experts right from the start and achieve quick success. With Christoph Thomas from demicon GmbH, we have had a true Atlassian professional at our side right from the start, who has guided us to the goal with know-how and circumspection and accompanied us in the continuous development."
- COO Michael Bächle

Atlassian apps in action

Many of the tasks necessary for a digital transformation can be managed using just Atlassian tools, including Jira, Jira Service Desk and Confluence. In practice, however, there is hardly an Atlassian toolchain without extensions (apps) from the Atlassian Marketplace. For every scenario, small and large helpers can be found here. These apps are developed and deployed by third-party vendors. With over 3,000 partly similar and very different solutions, the right selection in the "app jungle" requires good orientation. As an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner, demicon has the experience necessary to make the right choice for their clients. In addition, they are partners with many of the mentioned manufacturers and therefore have a direct line.

Examples of the apps used by CYNORA:

Jira and Jira Service Desk

• Structure for Jira by ALM Works
• Structure.Gantt by ALM Works
• eazyBI Reports and Charts for Jira by eazyBI
• ScriptRunner for Jira by Adaptavist
• Refined for Jira Service Desk by Refined
• Extension for Jira Service Desk by Deviniti
• JSU - Utilities Suite for Jira by beecom
• Kantega SSO, SAML / Kerberos for Jira by Kantega SSO

Confluence

• Kantega SSO, SAML / Kerberos, Confluence by Kantega SSO
• Refined for Confluence by Refined
• Comala Canvas for Confluence Server by Comalatech
• Linchpin User Profiles by // SEIBERT / MEDIA
• Microblogging for Confluence by // SEIBERT / MEDIA
• Polls for Confluence by Mohami
• draw.io Diagrams for Confluence by // SEIBERT / MEDIA



Selecting the right apps to use is not always easy. Let experts advise you.

About Christoph Thomas

Christoph Thomas is a Technical Consultant and Digital Solution Agilist at demicon GmbH. In addition to assignments in the enterprise/automotive environment, he has devoted himself to the subject of digital transformation with people and technology in German SMEs. In particular, he enjoys provocative workshops and holistic processes intended for people and technology. When he’s not supporting digital transformation from his home office in Karlsruhe, he wanders in the nearby Black Forest and likes to cook vegan.

Interest aroused?

Do you want to know more about how demicon helps SMEs with digital transformation? Their Atlassian experts are at your disposal for a non-binding and free consultation. The same applies, of course, to their cloud services. As an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, they support the design and migration. You can reach them via email: atlassian@demicon.de

Not in Germany? Reach out to ALM Works to learn more via: info@almworks.com