User-centricity: The guiding principle behind WINPACCS from day one

Sophia Groß: Martin, you’ve been involved with WINPACCS for many years and even knew it before it became a standard software solution for development cooperation. How important was customer involvement in the software’s development from the very beginning?

Martin Bork: Extremely important. Even in the early years, there were always people who placed great value on making WINPACCS easy and intuitive for users. User‑orientation has always been a guiding principle – long before the term “customer‑driven software” even existed.

Sophia Groß: WINPACCS has evolved significantly over the decades. In the early days, it was used exclusively by GIZ. What did customer involvement look like back then?

Martin Bork: WINPACCS was developed in 1987 at GIZ as a project accounting system. It was led by Günther Herrmann from the IT department, who shaped its development for many years. He and the project accounting team were highly motivated to create a user‑friendly solution and involved users around the world as intensively as the technical possibilities of the time allowed.

Sophia Groß: In 1992, you became self‑employed, later founded mbi GmbH, and from the beginning mbi was closely involved in the functional and technical development of WINPACCS. How did collaboration with users work during that time?

Martin Bork: Exchange with users was always essential. One important channel was the training sessions and workshops held either at headquarters in Eschborn or directly in partner countries. These sessions gave us immediate insight into where improvements were needed. This feedback systematically flowed into the further development of WINPACCS.

Sophia Groß: And after 2002, when mbi fully took over WINPACCS?

Martin Bork: It became even more important. The number of customers grew, and we began collecting their requirements systematically. Our WINPACCS symposia and customer days became key platforms for exchange. This dialogue has shaped WINPACCS in a fundamental way.

The Key User Concept: Our customers understand the challenges of development cooperation best – that’s why we involve them closely and from the very beginning

Sophia Groß: Today, WINPACCS has more than 35 customers and several thousand users worldwide. The range of functions has grown significantly. At the same time, the system has become so broad that it’s almost impossible for a single user to fully understand every area. What has changed?

Martin Bork: On the one hand, our customers’ requirements have become much more complex – and the software has grown accordingly. Today, many organisations have users who act as experts for specific WINPACCS functions. We make targeted use of this expertise by involving these users directly in the development process. It’s no longer realistic for one person to know every detail of the system. That makes the input from users with specialised expertise all the more valuable.

Sophia Groß: That’s why you introduced the Key User concept. What exactly does that mean?

Martin Bork: Organisations can nominate Key Users for different functional areas – specific WINPACCS features. These are users who have deep experience in their area and the expert knowledge we rely on. They are actively involved in our development process.

Sophia Groß: And how does that work in practice?

Martin Bork: In WINPACCS, there is a dedicated “Key User” section in the organisational settings. Customers can assign one or more Key Users to each topic. We use this information to involve the right people at the right time in our agile software development process.

Sophia Groß: Can you explain what “agile” means in this context?

Martin Bork: Agile means that we work in regular development cycles, called sprints, where we implement enhancements step by step and can respond quickly and effectively to customer feedback.

Sophia Groß: And you involve customers in this agile process through the Key Users?

Martin Bork: Exactly. We invite Key Users to our online sessions – the Key User Meetings – where we gather and discuss requirements at the very beginning of a new feature. In later phases, we present our concepts and, towards the end, show the almost finished implementation. At every stage, we receive extremely valuable feedback that we incorporate directly.

Sophia Groß: Is there a current example that illustrates how this approach works?

Martin Bork: Yes, a very good example is the new financial accounting for branches. This feature is currently being developed in close collaboration with several Key Users from our customer organisations. It will allow customers to prepare annual financial statements in their branches according to local requirements. We have another Key User Meeting coming up soon, where we’ll present the current development status and discuss the next steps.

Our mission at WINPACCS: Strengthening organisations in development cooperation so they can focus fully on their core work

Sophia Groß: Finally, I’d like to know: What personally motivates you to host the Key User Meetings and maintain such close exchange with our customers?

Martin Bork: For me, it’s a central part of our mission. WINPACCS aims to provide organisations in development cooperation with a software system that truly meets their needs. That only works if we continuously listen and involve the people who work with WINPACCS every day. The Key User Meetings are ideal for this: we gain valuable insights, better understand our customers’ challenges, and develop our solutions together. Because our mission goes beyond great features.

Because our mission goes beyond great features. WINPACCS provides reliable, powerful software and services that support our customers in their important work and genuinely lighten their load. So they can focus on what truly matters: helping people in need. That’s what sets WINPACCS apart. It’s a solution born from the needs of its users – and continuously shaped together with them for their success.