Biodi e si y In o ma ion Science and S anda ds 9: e178513
doi: 10.3897/biss.9.178513
Con e ence Abs ac
Specimens, Sp in s, and Sc um Mas e s: P ojec
Managemen a he Museum ü Na u kunde
Be lin
Cai lin La a Tho n , Jessica Zimme mann
‡ Museum ü Na u kunde (M N) - Leibniz-Ins i u ü E olu ions- und Biodi e si ä s o schung, Be lin, Ge many
Co esponding au ho : Cai lin La a Tho n (cai lin. ho n@m n.be lin)
Recei ed: 18 No 2025 | Published: 19 No 2025
Ci a ion: Tho n C, Zimme mann J (2025) Specimens, Sp in s, and Sc um Mas e s: P ojec Managemen a he
Museum ü Na u kunde Be lin. Biodi e si y In o ma ion Science and S anda ds 9: e178513.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3897/biss.9.178513
Abs ac
A he Museum ü Na u kunde Be lin (M N), he Digi al Ca alog In as uc u e (DCI) eam
is expe imen ing wi h p ojec managemen ools ha ex end beyond hei adi ional use
in he echnology sec o . The eam, comp ising de elope s, da a and media manage s,
and digi iza ion manage s, wo ks collabo a i ely o build and main ain he sys ems ha
suppo he museum’s complex digi al da a landscape. To manage his mul i ace ed wo k,
he eam in oduced sc um p ac ices wi hin a wo kplace no ypically s uc u ed o agile
me hodologies. Guided by ce i ied sc um mas e s, agile p inciples we e adap ed o i he
museum con ex h ough he use o sho i e a ions, s uc u ed mee ings, and sp in
planning boa ds designed o o ganize p io i ies and imp o e communica ion ac oss
di e se g oups. This wo k p esen s he lessons lea ned om implemen ing sc um in a
museum se ing. I highligh s wha succeeded, challenges encoun e ed, and how he
balance be ween lexibili y and s uc u e was main ained o keep he eam aligned.
The i e pilla s o a museum: collec ing, p ese ing, esea ching, exhibi ing, and
educa ion (Deu sche Museumsbund e.V. e al. 2023) o m he basis o he need o
p ojec managemen a he M N. Cu a o s, de elope s, conse a o s, esea che s and
many o he s wo k oge he , communica ing ac oss di e en p o essional languages.
Museums a e no jus abou collec ions, hey a e a complex ecosys em o people, da a,
‡ ‡
© Tho n C, Zimme mann J. This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion
License (CC BY 4.0), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal au ho
and sou ce a e c edi ed.
and p ojec s, and p ojec managemen helps connec hese mo ing pa s. Museums a e
also becoming inc easingly digi al, and museum wo k is long- e m, bu o en esou ces
a e only secu ed in he sho e m.
The M N aced se e al challenges. Mul iple eams o de elope s ca ied ou complex
p ojec s independen ly wi h li le communica ion be ween hem. Insigh in o wha p ojec s
o he s we e doing was limi ed, esul ing in epea ed e o s and delays. Then in 2023, a
cybe a ack hi M N’s sys ems and exposed he need o be e isibili y and coo dina ion
among he g oups and eams. Following he eme gence o a new p ojec equi ing
collabo a ion among p e iously dis inc eams o he c ea ion o a digi al da a ca alog, i
became clea ha a solu ion was needed o imp o e collabo a ion.
The DCI eam began by explo ing se e al p ojec managemen amewo ks. I was
quickly decided ha agile p ojec managemen migh be sui able o he eam. Agile
p ojec managemen is an app oach ha o igina ed in so wa e de elopmen and is o en
used in so wa e eams. I s ocus is on lexibili y and eamwo k o deli e wo king p oduc s
(Beck e al. 2001).
Speci ically, he eam decided o adop sc um as a s uc u e o i s wo k ollowing se e al
wo kshops. Sc um is a ype o agile p ojec managemen . I uses sho wo k cycles, called
sp in s, and in ol es egula eam mee ings called s and-ups. I also includes e iews
and e ospec i es o e lec on comple ed wo k and how he eam unc ions. The e a e a
ew co e posi ions wi hin he eam: p oduc owne s (POs), who main ain he backlog o
asks ollowing communica ion wi h s akeholde s, and sc um mas e s (SMs), who
acili a e mee ings and emo e ba ie s o wo k (Ka lesky and Vande Voo d 2008). Wi hin
he DCI eam, sc um mas e s we e esponsible o hos ing mee ings, enabling clea
communica ion, and emo ing ba ie s o wo k. Fo he DCI eam, wo king wi h agile and
sc um mean wo king in sho , clea cycles ollowing h ee week sp in s, a he han
ollowing long, igid plans and p o iding he abili y o adjus as needed.
Wi hin he p ocess, he DCI eam aced he challenge o adap ing sc um o a museum
con ex . Key di e ences be ween a ypical sc um and ha in he DCI eam a e highligh ed
in Table 1 below.
The DCI eam did no copy sc um exac ly bu ansla ed and adap ed i o make sense o
he museum con ex . Since using sc um, he eam’s de elopmen successes became
clea e and he e was a no able inc ease in communica ion and collabo a ion among
de elope s. The eam gained a sha ed awa eness o p ojec s, bo h in and ou side he
eam, as in o ma ion was passed on mo e eely du ing daily s and-up mee ings. The e
was quicke coo dina ion when p oblems a ose, and mo e eamwo k and accoun abili y.
S uc u ed e ospec i es p o ided oppo uni ies o e lec ion on eam p ocesses and
p og ess.
The e we e, o cou se, hu dles along he way: he sudden inc ease in mee ings was
o e whelming a i s . I ook a lo o wo k o b eak down he asks o he backlog.
Unde s anding he iming o hese asks emained an ongoing challenge. The e was
2Tho n C, Zimme mann J
agile ja gon o become amilia wi h and a need o es ablish in-house de ini ions. As he
only eam a M N wo king agile, he p ocess was no always s aigh o wa d. T aining
sessions o he whole eam, led by ex e nal aine s, es ablished a common ounda ion
o he p ojec , ollowed by addi ional aining o POs and SMs. Re lec ing on he
p ocess, i made sense no o apply he en i e sc um amewo k a once. Me hods could
be adap ed o each ins i u ion and ailo ed o i s con ex , ocusing on wha he eam
needed. The DCI eam needed g ea e cohesi eness. Al e na i ely, i a eam needed o
quickly p oduce p oduc s, hose aspec s o agile and sc um could be highligh ed.
Typical Sc um DCI Sc um Why
1 P oduc owne (PO), 1
Sc um mas e (SM)
2x PO, 2x SM Subs i u e, o he esponsibili ies in hei main oles,
di e en expe ise, mo e connec ions o s akeholde s
PO & SM only hold hose
oles
POs & SMs also ha e
de elopmen asks
Re ains hei expe ise in he p ojec ; ull- ime
posi ions a e no needed a he momen
"S o y poin s" o quan i y
he size o asks
No s o y poin s Ha d o es ima e; oo many dependencies in he
public sec o (e.g. ime-consuming p ocu emen
applica ions)
Finishing asks in one
sp in
Un inished asks a e pushed
o nex sp in – Mo e luid
sp in s
Common dependencies on o he depa men s ha a e
no wo king agile
Wo king so wa e o e
comp ehensi e
documen a ion
Le el 1-3 documen a ion,
Newsle e
Los documen a ion a e cybe a ack; colleagues wi h
empo a y con ac s - in o ma ion should be
documen ed and sha ed o a oid u u e loss
Fixed 2–4 week sp in s 3-week sp in s wi h
adjus men s
Slow communica ion ou side o eam; holiday pe iods;
wan ing o e ain lexibili y
Agile can wo k anywhe e, including a museum. The DCI p ojec a M N b idges a
adi ional esea ch- ocused wo kplace wi h mode n de elopmen me hodologies. The
ini ia i e demons a es ha , wi h hough ul adap a ion, agile me hods can b ing cla i y,
ocus, and momen um o adi ional scien i ic ins i u ions.
Keywo ds
agile p ojec managemen , sc um me hodology, biodi e si y in o ma ics, digi al
in as uc u e, in e disciplina y collabo a ion, o ganisa ional adap a ion
P esen ing au ho
Cai lin La a Tho n
Table 1.
Compa ison be ween a ypical sc um and he DCI eam a M N’s sc um.
Specimens, Sp in s, and Sc um Mas e s: P ojec Managemen a he Museum ... 3
P esen ed a
Li ing Da a 2025
Con lic s o in e es
The au ho s ha e decla ed ha no compe ing in e es s exis .
Re e ences
• Beck K, Beedle M, an Bennekum A, e al. (2001) Mani es o o Agile So wa e
De elopmen . h ps://agilemani es o.o g. Accessed on: 2025-10-25.
• Deu sche Museumsbund e.V., ICOM Deu schland e.V., Kon e enz de
Museumsbe a ungss ellen in den Lände n (KMBL) (2023) Lei aden: S anda ds ü
Museen. Deu sche Museumsbund. URL: h ps://www.museumsbund.de/lei aden-
s anda ds
• Ka lesky M, Vande Voo d M (2008) Agile p ojec managemen . ESC 247 (267): 4.
4Tho n C, Zimme mann J
