Volkswagen pushes for agile working at new Berlin site

Car giant, Volkswagen, has begun its new We Campus facility in Berlin, with the intention of integrating and building agile practices into its teams.

The aim of them using agile within the new working system, is so they can help connect developers, software engineers and outside consultants in a modern, digital workplace.

The 15,900 sq. meter campus is aimed at helping the working lives of the 900 people that are employed there. It brings together experts who have previously worked at other firms as well as specialists who currently work at Volkswagen to create a new and forward-thinking team of professionals.

The future of Volkswagen

Building the We Campus is part of a bigger plan by Volkswagen to create a community they have dubbed the We Ecosystem. Part of this system includes an electric car-sharing system that uses 1,500 e-Golf cars and is already deployed in Berlin.

The car company also plan to create jobs at the organisation that are more future-orientated. As part of their Car Software unit, they want to bring together 5,000 experts in software development, electronic development, cloud architecture, e-commerce, and automated driving. As part of this unit, they will even offer up the space for other brands to use as a development centre.

“Two pizza rule”

Tech companies often imply a two pizza rule, which Volkswagen will also be taking advantage of. This is the rule that works under the idea that agile teams must be so small within a company, that two pizzas will be enough to feed each member of the team. The benefits of having a team this size being that individuals get the opportunity to input thoughts and ideas whilst not being dominated by anybody. It also gives them the confidence to work autonomously.

Volkswagen also want to encourage user experience designers on the campus, who will feel comfortable with incorporating their ideas with different teams, which they hope ultimately will improve communication, speed of testing apps, and will make working procedures much easier overall.

Making the most of tech

As part of the We Ecosystem, the organisation is also combing smart technologies with their cars and smartphones. These include battery charging (We Charge), cashless parking, sharing services (We Share) and even the ability to open the cars to allow for cleaning and parcel delivery services (We Deliver).

Deputy governing mayor of Berlin and senator for economy, energy and enterprises, Ramona Pop, says: “Berlin is the city for digital future technologies; innovative mobility solutions are a major challenge and at the same time a driver of new economic dynamism. More and more companies like Volkswagen invest in technologies and concepts for sustainable urban transport and create new jobs. Nowhere is this better than in Berlin.

“Here in Berlin, work is being done to reconcile mobility needs with climate and environmental protection.”

All new models from 2020 will be connected to Volkswagen’s Automotive Cloud with the fully electric ID3 being the first car to do this. The Volkswagen We, a new digital service from the car company, already has 1.5 million people signed up to its services.

 

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