Track Record

50Hertz – Building the Next-Gen Settlement Tool Link to heading

At 50Hertz, one of Germany’s four energy-grid-transmission system operators, I’m part of a team building a modern accounting tool to gradually replace an outdated legacy system that’s been running core energy settlement processes for over 30 years. The existing platform is still in operation, maintained by a separate team, but after an in-depth analysis of the codebase and team structure, we concluded that refactoring the legacy system wasn’t viable — poor code quality, an outdated tech-stack, and dysfunctional team dynamics made it a dead end.

Solution:
Together with a senior software engineer, I kicked off the initiative and laid the foundation for what is now a cross-functional team of seven: three internal developers, a product owner, a software architect, and (starting April 2025) a junior developer. We’re also supported by an external UX designer.

We began with a particularly complex settlement process that became the core of our MVP. The MVP has since gone live and proven itself in real usage, allowing us to extend the platform incrementally — process by process — and gradually replace the legacy system in a sustainable and validated way.

Outcomes:

  • The MVP successfully launched and is now being extended to additional processes
  • One of the first truly agile teams within the organization, with strong ownership and team spirit
  • Clear roles, high trust, and fast decision-making lead to exceptional team efficiency

My role has been central across all stages:

  • Identifying the initial use case and mapping it into a usable process model
  • Supporting early product decisions using insights from key users and the legacy platform
  • Avoiding repeat mistakes by deeply understanding how the old system evolved

The project is ongoing and expected to run for at least two more years, depending on the traction we maintain.

Time-Slot Management App at LEIPA Group Link to heading

Over a period of 1.5 years at LEIPA, I led a project to overhaul an inefficient implementation of the Transporeon SaaS timeslot management system. This system was used to coordinate the entry of 250+ trucks daily through three factory gates.

Initial Issues:

  • The timeslot system was disconnected from real-time truck data.
  • There was no feedback loop to adjust for delays, early arrivals or no-shows.
  • The system lacked prioritization based on punctuality or demand peaks.

Solution: We redefined the system to ensure a high likelihood of factory entry within a booked slot, based on truck arrival times. I led a team of external developers to build a backend system, integrated with the yard management frontend, and developed a mobile app for truck drivers. We incorporated real-time data, including truck arrival history, geofencing, and capacity predictions, to create a dynamic timeslot shifting algorithm.

Outcomes:

  • The new system provided truck drivers with real-time updates on their queue position and remaining wait time through the app. (!) A huge change for waiting drivers, who could now shower & pee while waiting, conveniently seeing their remaining waiting time on the phone, anywhere around the parking lots.
  • 15-minute reduction in lead time per truck.
  • Increased transparency and fairness in truck handling, with a reward system for punctuality.

This project, to me, demonstrated the crucial difference between simply implementing a software tool, and unlocking its full potential - by deeply understanding the needs of on-site users, thoughtfully designing around those processes, and smartly integrating other systems through APIs to create a solution that is not just functional but inheritely performance-enhancing.

SAP Implementation at LEIPA Group Link to heading

After starting at LEIPA Group as a junior process engineer, I gradually took on responsibility in various smallish and supporting-projects. When a senior project manager unexpectedly left the company mid-project, I was asked if I wanted to step into the role of subproject manager for the logistics and warehousing component of the SAP Procurement implementation at the Schwedt factory.

Initial Issues: The project faced several challenges that needed to be addressed before a successful SAP rollout could take place:

  • A range of legacy tools and homegrown processes were in use, some of which were inefficient and fragmented, most of them undocumented.
  • Lack of standardization made it difficult to align procurement, production, and logistics planning.
  • Cross-department communication was weak, and existing workflows were not well understood or consistently applied.
  • Poor data visibility and limited reporting capabilities hindered day-to-day decision-making, especially for shift and production managers.
  • The sudden departure of the previous subproject manager put the timeline at risk, with a potential delay of up to two years for the factory-wide implementation.
  1. Blueprinting Phase: Together with a cross-functional team of five internal stakeholders, three external consultants, and two SAP programmers, I guided the project through its remaining phases.
  2. A blueprinting Phase: We carried out a legacy system analysis, identifying pain points and mapping operational needs.
  3. Customizing Phase: We focused on quick-win improvements to generate early value. Key features included automated reporting for ramp shift managers, giving them real-time insights, and a three-day procurement forecasting tool that significantly improved coordination between production, purchasing, and logistics.

Outcomes: The project successfully met its original deadline, avoiding the anticipated delay. Even more importantly, the Go-Live phase ran almost entirely without high-impact disruptions to production. The system replaced outdated tools and was customized somewhat to actual operational needs.

This was was a turning point for me, after spending half a century in educational institutions: I realized that stepping up, working under high-impact real-life conditions while staying reliable in chaotic moments is a core strengths of mine. It also showed me that deep collaboration within a team can make all the difference - I might be somewhat opinionated but I think this is the main point the previous manager in the project fails himself on, he had not created a functional environment for a team to collaborate within. And finally, I proved to myself that I was more than ready to take on responsibility.