An administrative district ready for change
Minden-Lübbecke is a picturesque region located in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia. Its 320,000 residents enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle and a strong sense of community. Tradition runs deep here — including within the local district government. But with an eye on the future, the district’s leaders aren’t afraid to embrace change. Read on to discover how the region's local authority implemented smoother, digital workflows to keep pace with modern work practices.
Onboarding process seeks suitable software solution
For several months, the HR department at the district authority worked on revamping its onboarding process. The goal was to make the onboarding of new employees more efficient and transparent. Once the updated process had been mapped out, the next challenge was to find the right tool to support it. When it became clear that the existing in-house software couldn’t keep up with the demands of the new workflow, the IT department stepped in with a recommendation. It was a tool that had already won over the authority’s planning office: MeisterTask.
We appreciate how intuitive MeisterTask is. As soon as we saw a demo, we knew the team would pick it up quickly and feel comfortable using it.
Marlen Könemann
Human Resources Department, District of Minden-Lübbecke
After a positive first impression, all that remained was to put MeisterTask to the test.
From pilot to partnership: a collaborative rollout of MeisterTask
An initial product demo quickly evolved into a rewarding partnership between the authority’s HR department and MeisterTask’s digitalization experts.
The onboarding process was collaboratively mapped out in a MeisterTask project board and shared as a template with a pilot group. The group was able to test and optimize the process in a controlled environment before introducing it to the wider department.
The next step was crucial. Marlen Könemann and her colleagues, Ann-Kathrin Gubela and Annika Brinkmann, had to convince 2,000 employees of MeisterTask’s user-friendliness. Extensive training sessions were planned, and the schedule was distributed via the intranet and email. Employees could register for one of six sessions. Three were held online, with the other three taking place on-site. Two MeisterTask experts joined the in-person sessions to assist new users face-to-face. Annika is convinced that this personalized, on-site support was key to the successful rollout.
Some people just aren’t comfortable using Zoom. Holding the sessions in person really helped bring everyone onto the same page.
Annika Brinkmann
HR Manager, District of Minden-Lübbecke
The new onboarding process has now been fully implemented, and while minor fine-tuning is still needed, that’s not a problem with MeisterTask’s agile project boards. All updates and adjustments happen in real-time, allowing the process to evolve without disrupting ongoing workflows. And even though the trio from HR is still the go-to point of contact for MeisterTask-related questions, they’ve built a strong foundation for broader, self-serve tool adoption across the department.
The advantage of training team leads first is that they can act as tool champions. They’re able to pass on their knowledge to other team members and walk them through the tool step-by-step.
Marlen Könemann
HR Manager, District of Minden-Lübbecke
This enables team leads to create their own projects and involve stakeholders or contributors as required. With MeisterTask, permissions and licenses can be adjusted at any time as needs change.
Building connections, delivering value
The impact of the new onboarding process was felt instantly. With every task now documented and tracked in MeisterTask, the HR team is working more efficiently — and with greater accuracy — than ever before.
Tasks are less likely to be forgotten — something that often happens during a busy workday. You’ve got a sticky note here, a slip of paper there. Things can get lost quickly. But not in MeisterTask
Ann-Kathrin Gubela
HR Manager, Minden-Lübbecke District
In addition to checklists and attachments, MeisterTask’s comment functionality has helped reduce email overload significantly. Annika and Ann-Kathrin, who both work part-time, coordinate and hand over their tasks seamlessly in a shared board. All relevant information remains neatly stored in one central location, and updates are tracked transparently.
The greatest added value is in being able to perfectly plan your work and easily organize yourself, your team, and even an entire department.
Ann-Kathrin Gubela
HR Manager, Minden-Lübbecke District
With more than 350 users, and over 500 projects created since the software was introduced, the sentiment in the district government’s HR department is overwhelmingly positive. MeisterTask has not only fulfilled the requirements of the new onboarding process, but also improved cross-departmental collaboration in record time.
