processline: making communications efficient again with MeisterTask
Multi-award-winning German consultancy firm processline is an owner-managed consulting firm based in Speyer in the Rhine-Neckar region in south-west Germany. Since 2016, it has consistently ranked as one of the “Best Consultants in Germany” by market and consumer data specialist Statista and business magazine brand eins in the category “Change & Transformation.” Their mantra is that no organization can afford to stand still or become complacent, including their own. That’s why they use task management tool MeisterTask to drive effective change, reduce excessive meetings or emails, and pivot more time to issues that really matter – driving successful, sustainable organizational change.
The challenge: driving efficiency through sustainable change management
There are a lot of self-proclaimed “change experts,” but very few can claim any real change management credentials. Change management is an essential part of growing a business, and processline recognizes that growth must also be measured through efficiencies.
processline was founded in 2002 and has successfully completed change management projects with over 170 clients. In 2020, the firm helped create the DINSPEC 91405 standard on “Organizational change management in consulting contexts”, consolidating their reputation as change management experts.
Our focus is on changing companies through organizational change management. Identifying the changes an organization can make to become more efficient is at the heart of what we do. The best way to do that will depend very much on the individual organization. It’s also vital that we make these changes sustainable.
Holger Lehmann
Head of Consulting, processline
Many organizations still cling to static tools like Microsoft Excel, for instance to manage meetings or to search for information in tables using complicated filters. Part of the problem is that if two colleagues need the same information, they have to open the same Excel sheet in different versions and go through the entire process independently.
It’s an inefficient way of working, and one that change consultant Holger Lehmann is keen to eliminate through the use of purpose-built tools. His advice to clients who work mostly with Excel is to switch to a digital task management tool like MeisterTask:
“MeisterTask is so much simpler and cleaner than Excel. You can find what you’re looking for quickly and streamline communication, addressing two major time sinks in one fell swoop. MeisterTask also allows you to structure and prioritize tasks more efficiently, for instance by introducing checklists and tags.”
As a change expert, Holger Lehmann’s interest in task management is twofold. Firstly, he uses a task management tool to manage his own tasks and collaborate effectively with his ten-person team. Secondly, his role as a consultant requires that he help organizations choose and implement the right task management tools.
The solution: stopping message overload with MeisterTask
Up until 2019, processline used MS Planner as their main task management tool. The team realized that in certain areas, there was considerable room for improvement in terms of internal process optimization. For instance, team members felt they were hampered by:
a lack of transparency
an inability to effectively track the status of ongoing projects
the sluggish flow of information
the poor communication of task-specific details and requirements
They recognized that the latter was easily addressable with checklists, for example, facilitated by the right tool.
These needs led processline to discover MeisterTask at the Deutscher Beratertag (Consultants’ Convention) in 2019. There, Partner Management Lead Raphaela Brandner presented the tool, and processline immediately saw the solution they needed. They also expressed interest in becoming an Expert Partner.
The processline team loved working with the intuitive task management tool from the get-go. As Head of Consulting and an active consultant, Lehmann spends a lot of time managing individual tasks. He describes himself as “efficiency-driven,” and he is extremely satisfied with the amount of time he’s saved using MeisterTask.
“Our consultants now find MeisterTask indispensable. I was surprised by how quickly the tool gained traction. Introduce it in one department, and the next one is already beating down your door to use it. It just goes to show how intuitive MeisterTask is. I’d go so far as to say there isn’t an hour that goes by where I’m not using the tool.”
processline even used MeisterTask to help with the launch of its “Change Academy” program in 2020. Annika Wagner, Content and Online Marketing, masterminded the project and established the system.
The Change Academy is our center of learning for change management and MeisterTask was integral to the planning and implementation of our processline affiliate from the very beginning.
Annika Wagner
Content and Online Marketing Manager, processline
The outcome: MeisterTask is an indispensable resource that gives back valuable working time
Consultancy firms are now using digital task management tools as one way of driving sustainable change in organizations. In fact, processline generally works with SMEs or with individual departments or teams within an organization.
“Of course, how quickly a client can get on board with a digital tool depends on their level of technical expertise. MeisterTask can be used in more or less any of our projects. It’s more about making sure the tool is used correctly, for example by defining tiered editing rights that take account of the user’s experience.”
MeisterTask has enabled processline not only to set and reach its work goals, but to exceed them.
“Bottom line: MeisterTask has become indispensable both internally and in the consultancy services we offer our clients.MeisterTask has saved us from back and forth emails and messages because we can track our progress centrally. And our team meetings have become a lot shorter and less frequent. Now we only need about 45-60 minutes every two weeks. MeisterTask gives me back an hour of my time every day.”
