Christian Kotzbauer on PM Software Trends [Interview]

Today, I am speaking with Christian Kotzbauer (Managing Director of Genius Project). He has been with Genius Project since over 14 years. He is based in Germany at the company’s headquarters.
Christian was my interview subject. He discussed his role and the future prospects of project management software. Without further delay:
Christian Kotzbauer is the Managing Director at Genius ProjectHello Christian. What does a Managing director of a software company do every day?
My daily responsibilities include managing and following-up on sales goals. This requires prioritizing customer and employee needs as well as organizational requirements. I’m sort of the bridge between our Sales and Marketing departments; my goal is for them to achieve maximum results.
I am also involved in the development of our organization’s strategy and goals, and communicating them to our staff. This means that I am in constant contact with our multinational offices.
To be able to manage our strategy, I also have to oversee the design, marketing, and quality of our product. I am always thinking ahead about what we can do to improve our product delivery and organizational efficiency.
Wow, that sounds very busy and more extensive than I expected. Genius has a track record of success and is often nominated to awards. What was your proudest moment in the company?
Genius has had many great moments, but my proudest moment was our recent Top 100 Award in Germany. To be more precise, we won the Top-Innovator Excellence Award.
Ranga Yogeshwar, my mentor, gave me the honor of accepting the award on behalf of the organization. The room was filled by leaders from the biggest industrial companies, who, as you may know are the key drivers of the German economy.
We were all proud that Genius Project was recognized amongst such influential leaders, it is no surprise.
Congratulations! Congratulations!
New employees are looking for simple, easy-to-use tools that can be accessed from anywhere. We are quick to notice changes in user behavior and respond accordingly.
Our social collaboration software was introduced to the market three years ago. We have continued to improve and expand on it over the years. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to adopt this trend at their own pace, even though we are helping to accelerate it and supporting it with new features in every version.
What do you think the future of project management software will look like in five years?
The challenge vendors face is that their tools and features can be complex, but they are not always easy to use, especially for new employees. My opinion is that the software industry is moving towards simplicity and accessibility but with a growing demand for powerful features.
These demands are being met by organizations in innovative and new ways. It is evident in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, that more companies, including Genius Project, are investing in cloud-hosted software deployment. This is a natural shift we all need to adapt to.
Access to tools will be demanded by people from all over the globe. I believe it is important to address privacy and security concerns before this can take root, especially for countries and organizations that have a compelling need for their data to be protected.
We will continue to see software written by a group of people, not just a company. This is the direction that we are heading: more collaborative, social, and more accessible.
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