Claudia Küchen
Chief Creative Officer & Chief Human Resources Officer at Schattdecor SE
“When developing our own project management standard, it was particularly important for us to involve our employees and create a standard that fits our corporate culture and way of working. partnaer played a key role in helping us to establish the relevant methods, processes and standards together as a team.”
MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING
How Schattdecor established clarity in project management across 16 global locations
When projects span 16 international locations and involve hundreds of people, small inefficiencies accumulate fast. Schattdecor, a global leader in decorative surfaces, faced a critical challenge: in completing their international projects, the organisation struggled with inconsistent execution, unclear requirements, and a lack of transparency at leadership levels. This made it difficult to control the projects and learn from them.
Strategy: Driven by people, not technology
Rather than reaching for an off-the-shelf solution, Schattdecor's board decided that the company should create their own project management standard. To make it happen, Schattdecor connected with partnaer to develop a framework that would reflect the company's values, culture, and ways of working. Over three years — including more than 150 days of joint efforts — this partnership shaped the foundation for how projects would be led across the entire organisation.
Building the standard from the inside out
The constructed solution defined what a "project" means at Schattdecor. Each step from kick-off to reporting has been mapped in ways that could be repeated, scaled, and measured. In parallel, practical management software has been implemented to bring consistency across global teams. In addition, a dedicated training program was rolled out to equip team leads, project managers, and department heads with practical role-relevant skills ensuring the stable application of the new approach.
Real impact: clearer projects, smarter decisions
The outcomes have been significant. Schattdecor experienced immediate improvements in transparency and resource allocation. Planning became more structured and execution more standardised. Projects are now aligned with strategic corporate goals, ensuring quality outcomes and maximizing value at every step. Instead of reacting to local frictions, the leadership can now make decisions with clarity and confidence.
A Playbook worth repeating
Employees have been involved in the change from the beginning - shaping the methods and adjusting early on in iterations - as a result, adoption of the new solution was high.
Schattdecor's story offers proof of the point, that structured project management does not mean rigidity in operations. What makes the new solution work is the intentional involvement of strategic sponsorship, long-term commitment to change, and definition of what best practice shall look like for one's organisation.
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