EMPOWER – BVG · SUGAR project 2023/24

The project · from brief to prototype

What happened, step by step.

01

Challenge

BVG, Berlin's public transport operator, asked how to redesign bus dispatching for flexible short-term distribution and long-term planning, with an intuitive tool for internal staff. The team later reframed this towards digitalisation by employees.

02

What the team learned

Research with more than 70 people showed a single dispatching tool would touch only the tip of the iceberg. Deeper issues lay in internal culture, workforce shortage and passenger dissatisfaction.

03

What they built

A framework and training programme for Microsoft PowerApps. Kick-off workshops and learning videos teach employees to build a first app and pass skills on to peers; example apps serve as templates, and a lighthouse PowerApp shows what automation can do.

How it evolved

Step 1Ten prototypes and ten personas in the critical function phase; five prototypes tested with BVG volunteers.
Step 2BV-GPT, an internal AI assistant, was liked by almost all five testers; a Camunda workflow concept drew mixed reactions.
Step 3Bus Career Express was dropped: many drivers value the job's stability more than career advancement.

04

Results

Fall research reached 70+ people in 50+ meetings, with more than 1,700 minutes of exchange.

05

Impact

For BVG, the programme aims at faster processes, fewer errors and staff who keep digitalising their own work.

Full project text

The team’s original texts from the project page.

EMPOWER enables BVG employees to build their own software!

Challenge

"How can we redesign BVG's bus dispatching system to facilitate a smooth and flexible distribution of buses across the BVG operation area, ensuring short-term responsivity as well as long-term planning security while providing an intuitive usability for BVG-internal stakeholders?"

Solution

EMPOWER is our dual-component solution designed to kickstart digitalization at BVG through technology and education. Firstly, it includes a workshop where participants learn to utilize and develop applications using the low-code platform PowerApps. Secondly, we introduce a specially designed PowerApp that serves as a lighthouse project within BVG. This application demonstrates the potential of PowerApps to automate processes and streamline workflows, setting a benchmark for innovation at BVG.

Impact

The EMPOWER initiative at BVG should streamline workflows. Thus, leading to faster processes and reduced errors. Additionally, our workshops have equipped BVG employees with skills for ongoing digitalization, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. These advancements increase not only employee satisfaction but also improve service delivery, thereby showcasing the potential of low-code platforms to improve business operations.

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