SMART BREW - A completed series of project modules offered by the PMDT Department (2024–2026)

From 2024 to 2026, the Project Management in Digital Transformation department offered a series of three sequential project modules under the name SMART BREW. All three modules focused on the same everyday technology: a portafilter espresso machine and a coffee grinder. This deliberately narrow field of application allowed for the mapping of a complete development cycle, from the collection of user requirements through technical implementation to the evaluation of the results.

The appeal of the subject lay in its concreteness. With an espresso machine, it is possible to immediately verify whether a further development actually creates added value: the result is right there in the cup. At the same time, the task required precisely that combination of mechanics, sensor technology, software, and economic evaluation that is characteristic of connected products as a whole.

Three modules, one development cycle:

Interdisciplinary Teams

The series was driven by the composition of the project groups. The teams consisted of bachelor’s and master’s students from mechanical engineering and industrial engineering. This mix was not an afterthought but a prerequisite for the task: Anyone developing a connected product must keep technical feasibility, usage scenarios, and economic viability in mind simultaneously. The integration of business and technical perspectives—including their negotiation within the team—was an integral part of the learning process.

Collaboration with Industry

The assignments were not conceived at a desk. With roest space – specialty coffee roasters, the program had a project partner that introduced real-world challenges and provided the teams with technical guidance throughout the project. Within the University of Kassel, the PMDT department worked closely with the Quality and Process Management department.

Results

In each round, several teams developed functional prototypes in parallel. The results included, among other things:

• a smart coffee grinder with Grind-by-Sync,
• app-controlled espresso machines with personalized brew profiles,
• a data-driven brewing coach for the perfect shot,
• as well as a range of other solutions that measurably simplified the daily brewing process.

The closing events

Each round concluded with a public prototype demonstration featuring a coffee tasting. There, the teams presented not only their technical solutions but also their approach: project management, agile working methods, and how they handled course corrections. Guests from academia, research, and the specialty coffee scene were able to operate the machines themselves and taste the results immediately.

What Endures from the Series

SMART BREW has demonstrated how effective hands-on learning can be when students work on a real-world problem, with a real partner, and under real time pressure. Participants did not merely learn about agile methods; they worked with them—including the friction, prioritization conflicts, and setbacks that are part of the process. The experiences gained from this format are being incorporated into the department’s ongoing course offerings.

The SMART BREW project module series has concluded. You can find an overview of the department’s current course offerings on the “Course Offerings” page.

Key Data for the Series