Passion
Developing the balancing act - between employee service and providing accurate data for executives and company management.
Expertise
Experienced in the HR field, whether in large or small projects, whether international or national.
Smart Consulting
Cool solutions - The secret: Listening, clarifying, understanding, implementing.
Maren Petersen HR and IT Consulting in Hamburg Germany

30+

HR - Projects worldwide

Maren Petersen HR Consulting in Hamburg Germany
Heading to new grounds ...

The expectations that HR departments meet – all the same whether in medium-sized businesses or in corporate groups – are huge: reorganizations are to be implemented and staffed more and more rapidly, measures to take are to show an immediate effect, down-sizing activities to be realized lean and smoothly, the recruiting process intelligent and the employees more effective and cherishing…

This means in detail for HR: To support the organization even more efficiently, it is indispensable to become more effective and faster in initiating and realizing the HR-backed steps.

20+

Years Expertise

Maren Petersen

Founder MPBK Germany

... and how to leap to safe ground?

It’s under these requirements on HR that Maren Petersen Beratungskontor GmbH (MPBK) comes into play: Together we review and design the processes in the HR department which are driven digitally so that in the end you may take hold on structured and efficient people’s work with staff feeling involved and convincing results.

MPBK - Smart Solution for Human Resources

Consulting
Sound advice and support in personnel work
Integrated HR-Concepts
Development and implementation of integrated HR concepts into viable solutions suitable for everyday use
Structuring & Optimization
Structuring and optimization of processes in the HR department
Implementation
Design and implementation of HR software and training of users
International Projects
International Roll-out of HR- IT-Projects
Interim Management
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What else does MPBK bring to the table?

Top-notch quality, steadfast reliability

Profound experience meets creativity and pragmatism

Extensive industry expertise

a.o. financial services, automotive, IT security ...

Multilingual consulting

English, French, Spanish, German

Send me an email!

Some of my most successful projects of the last five years

Einzelhandel - Projekt Personalbereich und Personalberatung - MPBK Hamburg Maren Petersen

Fashion Retail Industry

Approximately 480 stores; 26,000 employees in Germany - Tasks include:

  • Supporting the project manager in the new role as a sparring partner
  • Development of a project plan, including naming the work packages and defining the necessary strategies to achieve the goals

Learn more  

Finanzdienstleistungen - Projekt Personalbereich und Personalberatung - MPBK Hamburg Maren Petersen

Financial services sector

1,200 employees worldwide - Tasks include

  • Analysis of data collected in HR from various sources and presentation of an optimized data collection approach
  • Preliminary study for the acquisition of a new HR-IT system including the option of a BPO payroll

Learn more  

Renewable Energies Sector 1 - HR consulting projects - Maren Petersen Hamburg MPBK Hamburg, Germany

Vendor for Renewable Energies

Approximately 420 employees - Tasks include:

  • Ensuring German input in the development of the Global Template for SAP SF
  • Selection and implementation of a German payroll system and integration with the Global Template

Learn more  

Travel Booking and Service for B2B customers

750 Employees Nationwide

HR Generalist

Task:

  • Adjusting the queries used in the previous system to the new Workday HR information system due to a changed system landscape.

Situation:

  • Quick takeover of the project due to the sudden departure of the previous project owner.

Challenge:

  • The globally oriented processes were not easy to understand.

Success:

  • Development of How-To guides for Excel functions (VLOOKUP, Pivot) and specific perspectives in HR controlling (headcount, FTEs, turnover rates).
  • Description of payroll activities processes.
  • Development and creation of new reports due to changes in the system landscape.
  • Robustness check of data maintained by the business in the system.
  • Coordination between HR, Finance, and the business to define certain metrics, especially headcount and FTE.

Cyber Security

550 Employees Worldwide

Task:

  • Analysis and streamlining of HR processes, implementation of an HR-IT system, and initiation of the change process in the HR department.

Situation:

  • The management and internal customers were overall dissatisfied with the results delivered by the HR department.

Challenge:

  • The HR team had a negative attitude towards the HRIS project.

Success:

  • Management and timely international rollout of the HR-IT project with budget responsibility (PeopleSoft)
  • Structuring and optimization of processes in the HR department
  • Development and formulation of an HR target organization
  • Initiation and support of the change process in the HR department
  • Establishment and development of robust HR controlling

On behalf of a Consulting Company

HR IT Expert for PeopleSoft®

Task:

  • Leading an international team of HR and IT members using SCRUM methodology.

Situation:

  • The PeopleSoft® Workforce Administration module was designed in an agile manner according to global customer requirements, and a Version 0 was to be developed for acceptance.

Challenge:

  • Upon assuming the role, the team was in a critical phase of its performance.

Success:

  • The team regained its original high level of performance and presented an acceptance-ready prototype of the PeopleSoft® Workforce Administration module.

University Sector III

Approximately 500 employees and approximately 1,400 students

Senior Project Manager

Task:
Roll-out of the HR modules Applicant Management and Travel Expense Accounting in the personnel information system LOGA

Initial Situation:
The newly established internal organization was not considered in the system.

Challenges:
In addition, a new cost center and cost carrier structure was established retroactively.

Successes:

  • Prompt resolution of cost center and cost carrier discrepancies
  • Stabilization of the position plan
  • Implementation of the Applicant Management module
  • Implementation of travel request and approval using ESS/MSS
  • Implementation of travel expense accounting using ESS/MSS and BPO Travel
  • Conceptual development of time sheets for students, taking into account customer-specific requirements like the location of working hours and employees with several cost centres

University Sector II

Approximately 500 employees and approximately 1,300 students

Senior Project Manager

Task:

  • Implementation of LOGA HR modules ESS/MSS, Organization

Achievements:

  • Roll-out of the vacation request and approval process using ESS/MSS
  • Stabilization of the staff structure
  • Development of HR controlling queries

Banking Sector

Approximately 3,500 employees

Consultant

Task & Achievements:
Consulting activities for the implementation of a BPO Payroll project:

  • Creation of requirements specification
  • Development of high-level timeline
  • Preparation of RFP (Request for Proposal)
  • Vendor selection
  • Support for test concept (scenarios, error ratio)

Plant Manufacturing

50 Employees

Consultant

Task:

  • Consulting and support for management in personnel matters
  • Monthly payroll processing

Achievements:

  • Efficiency check and streamlining of processes in the personnel department
  • Monthly payroll calculation for all employee groups
  • General HR work, e.g. issuing warnings, issuing certificates

Renewable Energies

Approximately 2,400 employees nationwide

Project Manager

Task:

  • Implementation of ESS/MSS (Self Service for employees and managers)
  • Mapping of electronic time management (both positive and negative time management) in SAP

Situation:

  • The project had already been started and postponed. The HR Services department was very eager to roll out the project this time.

Challenges:

  • The project was located in the HR department, while the budget was in the IT department.

Achievements:

  • Preparation and execution of the beauty contest, including final vendor selection
  • Efficient negotiation of the works council agreement for ESS/MSS
  • Timely implementation of ESS/MSS in the SAP HCM environment
  • Completion of ready-to-sign blueprints for positive and negative time management as achieved milestones
  • Regular reporting on project progress to the board in English
  • Coaching of a project team member who was being developed into a project manager

Fashion Retail Sector II

Approximately 480 branches, approximately 26,000 employees in Germany

Consultant

Task:
Preparation of a preliminary study on time management and workforce planning, including the presentation of various scenarios for process, system, and interface decisions.

Initial situation:
The results of the used time management system were not accurate. At the same time, the headquarters in Sweden had globally rolled out a workforce planning that collided with the German labor laws.

Challenges:
The global organization is complex, with very different rules and standards.

Successes:

  • Presentation of three different scenarios for time management, taking into account the respective associated risks
  • Presentation of the study and its results at the recommendation meeting
  • Development of a high-level project plan
  • Gathering requirements for a new time management system from all subsidiaries and developing a corresponding Request for Proposal (RFP)
  • Initiation of the Beauty Contest

Vendor for Renewable Energies

Approximately 420 employees

Project Manager

Task:

  • Ensuring the German input in the development of the Global Template for SAP SF
  • Selection and implementation of a German payroll system and integration with the Global Template

Initial Situation:
International headquarters was interested in implementing the same processes in all countries. A Global Template should be developed in common and SuccessFactors (SF) rolled out in all countries. At the same time all the different HR-systems should be replaced by one sole system.

Challenges:

  • The high absence rate of key personnel did not lead to high reliability in completing the work packages.
  • Headquarter’s limited IT resources had an impact on the SF project.

Successes:
SuccessFactors (SAP SF):

  • Successful transfer of German requirements to the Global Template, including configuration sheets and workflows.

New Payroll System:

  • Successful and timely selection of the system and vendors: SAP HCM
  • Handover of signed blueprints for payroll and time management according to the project plan.

University Sector I

Approximately 500 employees and approximately 1,200 students

Task:

  • At the start of the project, the recently implemented personnel information and payroll system LOGA did not have robust data quality. This needed to be corrected retroactively.
  • With the entry of a new HR manager, preparation of a BPO Payroll.

Situation:

  • LOGA was implemented without accompanying project management.
  • In addition, the HR department had moved closer to payroll processing through the introduction of LOGA, for which they were not prepared.

Challenges:

  • Impulsive decisions and a lack of project management and support resulted in a strongly negative attitude towards the software within the HR team.

Achievements:

  • LOGA project coordination:
    The project situation and fulfillment level of the already rolled-out modules were defined, and the milestones and project acceptance process were established. Sign-off of the rolled-out modules was achieved.
  • Validation of the staff structure
  • Guidance for the HR team in using the LOGA system
  • Definition, development, and checks of HR controlling queries
  • Preparation and implementation of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) Payroll:
    Creation of the specification document and vendor selection, as well as preparation of the business case and decision-making and approval documents for the supervisory board
  • Obtaining approval from the data protection officer

Hochschulsektor I

ca. 500 Mitarbeiter und ca. 1.200 Studierende

Aufgabe:

  • Zum Projektstart zeigte das kurz zuvor eingeführte Personalinformations- und Abrechnungssystem LOGA keine robuste Daten­qualität auf. Diese sollte nachträglich korrigiert werden.
  • Mit Eintritt eines neuen Personalleiters Vorbereitung eines BPO Payroll.

Ausgangssituation:

  • LOGA wurde ohne begleitendes Projektmanagement implementiert.
  • Zudem war die Personalabteilung mit der Einführung von LOGA in eine Abrechnungsnähe gerückt, auf die sie nicht vorbereitet war.

Herausforderungen:

  • Sprunghafte Entscheidungen und ein durch mangelndem Projektmanagement und Support aufgeriebenes HR-Team führten zu einer stark ablehnenden Haltung gegenüber der Software.

Erfolge:

  • Projektkoordination LOGA:
    Projektsituation und –erfüllungsgrad der bereits ausgerollten Module wurden definiert und die Meilensteine und Durchführung der Projektabnahme festgelegt. Sign-off der ausgerollten Module wurde erreicht.
  • Stellenplan wurde validiert
  • Guidance des HR-Teams bei der Anwendung des LOGA-Systems
  • Definition, Aufbau und Checks der HR-Controlling-Abfragen
  • Vorbereitung und Umsetzung des BPO – Business Process Outsourcing Payroll:
    Erstellung des Lastenhefts und Vendorenauswahl sowie Vorbereitung des Business Case sowie der Entscheidungs- und Beschlussvorlagen für den Aufsichtsrat
  • Erwirkung der Freigabe durch den Datenschutzbeauftragten

Logistics Sector

Approximately 1,800 employees worldwide

Consultant

Task:

  • Creation of a business case for Payroll BPO vs. Payroll Buy-in
  • Development of an HR Data Cockpit

Initial Situation:
Parts of the company were acquired by an international investor, and the company reoriented itself towards a new reporting structure.

Challenges:
Lack of standardization and isolated solutions in HR systems led to constant manual data reconciliation and high maintenance efforts.

Successes:

  • Initial considerations for regular, simplified international data collection with transition to an HR Data Cockpit
  • Development of a business case for Payroll BPO vs. Payroll Buy-in nationwide

Fashion Retail Sector I

Approximately 480 branches, approximately 26,000 employees in Germany

Sparring Partner

Task:
To support the project manager in the new role as a sparring partner.

Initial situation:
The customer had developed the idea to roll out the SAP Employee Central, Time Management, Workforce Planning, Document Generator (DocGen), and Digital Personnel File (DPA) modules together on a defined date. The sub-project for DocGen & DPA was staffed too late.

Challenges:
The main beneficiary of the DPA was appointed as the project owner and did not accept the project manager in the role. The project manager left the sub-project after six months.

Successes:

  • Development of a reliable project plan, including naming the work packages and defining the necessary strategies to achieve the goals
  • Definition of the folder structure
  • Development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for scanning personnel files
  • Preparation of role, authorization, and deletion concepts, as well as sign-off by the data protection officer

Vendor Erneuerbare Energien

ca. 420 Mitarbeiter

Projekt-Managerin

Aufgabe:

  • Sicherstellung des deutschen Inputs bei der Entwicklung des Global Templates für SAP SF / SuccessFactors
  • Auswahl und Implementierung einer deutschen Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung und Verknüpfung mit dem Global Template

Ausgangssituation:
Nach mehreren Aufkäufen war es der ausländischen Mutter daran gelegen, international die gleichen Prozesse zu etablieren. Dafür sollte ein Global Template entwickelt und SuccessFactors (SF) global ausgerollt werden.

Zeitgleich sollten bei der deutschen Gesellschaft die verschiedenen HR-Systeme abgelöst werden.

Herausforderungen:
Die hohe Abwesenheitsquote von Schlüsselträgern führte zu keiner hohen Verlässlichkeit bei der Abarbeitung der Arbeitspakete.

Bei der Konzernmutter hatten die schlanken IT-Ressourcen Einfluss auf das SF-Projekt.

Erfolge:
SuccessFactors (SAP SF):

  • Erfolgreiche Übergabe der deutschen Anforderungen an das Global Template einschließlich Configuration Sheet und Workflows.

Neue Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung:

  • Erfolgreiche und zeitnahe System- und Vendoren-Auswahl: SAP HCM
  • Übergabe der unterzeichneten Blueprints für die Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung sowie für die Zeitwirtschaft gemäß Projektplan.

Financial Service Sector

Approximately 1,200 employees worldwide

Consultant

Task:

  • Investigation of the HR data collected in different ways and presentation of an optimized data collection process
  • Preliminary study for the acquisition of a new HR-IT system, including payroll

Initial situation:

  • Existing processes were often not traceable and highly error-prone.
  • Due to a rapidly growing international business development, the used HR-IT system was not future-proof.
  • Identified figures could not be verified systemically.

Challenges:

  • Jointly defined processes were questioned or not adhered to.
  • Although a new HR-IT system was desired, it was not supported at the management level.

Successes:

  • Identification of root causes and presentation of efficient HR processes
  • Gathering of requirements and preparation of a corresponding Request for Proposal (RFP)
  • Selection of suitable vendors and preparation of the Beauty Contest including option for a BPO Payroll