From the idea to the finished digital product: In the Digital Product School Interdisciplinary teams learn agile working methods. We have We talked to Sascha Rehbock, Managing Director of the Digital Product School, about the program.
What is the Digital Product School?
The Digital Product School (DPS) is a three-month training program from UnternehmerTUM GmbH within the Digital Hub MobilityThe goal is to educate and train the next generation of digital product makers.
At DPS, product managers, interaction designers, software developers, and AI engineers work together in interdisciplinary teams. Based on a specific customer problem, they develop innovative digital products while receiving intensive coaching from internal and external experts in their respective fields, as well as in agile working practices and design thinking methods.
This unique opportunity to experience the digital transformation first hand and to actively shape it was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs with international technology and mobility groups in the Digital Hub Mobility: Audi, BMW Group, Daimler, Facebook, IBM Watson, Nokia, SAP, Stadtwerke München, ADAC, Infineon, MAN, Deutsche Telekom and TÜV Süd.
Applications from anywhere in the world
Who is the DPS aimed at?
DPS teams consist of four roles: product manager, interaction designer, software developer, and AI engineer. With these skills, the teams are able to build a digital product independently and autonomously.
Each role is represented at least once and filled by either an employee of the named companies or a talent. Talents from these fields, i.e. Master's students and graduates, can apply to us via our homepage. http://dp.school apply.
We receive applications from all over the world. For international participants, the program can provide an entry point into the German job market, and for participating companies, it's an opportunity to establish contact with these urgently needed specialists.
The program has "school" in its name. Is it that easy to learn how to develop innovative products?
Yes and no. Not through theoretical study—but through practical experience! In DPS, teams work on specific customer problems that they have identified and validated through self-conducted surveys. To solve this customer problem, they build a digital product. Thus, learning the methods and techniques of digital product development (e.g., agile working, lean startup approaches, or the application of design thinking methods) is a "learning on the job" experience. Ideally, teams see for themselves that they can make much faster progress and achieve better results with these working methods than with conventional methods.
Intensive three months at the Digital Product School
How do other UnternehmerTUM programs, such as Xpreneurs, relate to DPS?
If you want to see the development from student to entrepreneur as a straightforward process (which it rarely is!), then the DPS is just at the beginning: The program is aimed at students who want to learn how modern startups work and whether founding their own company might be an option for them.
If a team in the DPS develops the motivation to pursue a topic and to found a startup with it, EXPRENEURS, the UnternehmerTUM incubator program, is the next step: there, the young founders receive the necessary support to further develop their product and prepare for market entry. At the same time, they benefit from a large network of founders, experts, and investors who support them with advice, support, and, of course, constructive criticism.
How and where can I apply to participate?
Since we offer three batches, i.e. three three-month programs per year, you can apply at any time. Simply visit our website http://dp.school answer a few questions and upload a CV.
We're aware that many skills have to be learned first. Therefore, we're less focused on strict selection criteria and instead try to identify the motivation of each individual. Because one thing is important: the DPS is an intense three months! As a participant, you not only have to work in a highly international team with diverse personalities, but you also have to develop, test, and revise ideas and prototypes at high speed—or discard them and start over again! We need people who are willing to commit to this.
