Customer Succes stories
Intermax
Discover how Intermax uses AgileWalls to make strategy visible and tangible, strengthening collaboration at every level, from the boardroom to day-to-day operations.
Improve performance with AgileWalls
The collaboration between Intermax and AgileWalls
Intermax provides high-quality IT services to socially critical organizations such as hospitals, ministries, and companies active in vital infrastructure. From its headquarters in Rotterdam, Intermax supports customers in achieving digital security and continuity, with sustainability and transparency as guiding principles.
During an Obeya Association Summit, Agile coaches Carola Machwirth and Patrick de Kok were inspired by the visual Obeya of Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep, an Intermax customer. “We saw that wall and immediately knew: this is what we want too,” recalls Carola. That very same day, the connection with AgileWalls was made. Just a few months later, the Intermax Obeya was standing in the central hall of their headquarters, visible to everyone.
Obeya
The AgileWalls Obeya literally brings the core of the organization into view. The panels outline Intermax’s mission, vision, customer promise, and strategy, broken down into five-year goals, annual objectives, and concrete quarterly plans. These are supported by KPIs that show where the organization stands and where adjustments are needed.
According to Carola, the real strength of the Obeya lies in creating connection. Where planning or dashboards used to be disconnected from the bigger story, the wall now establishes a clear visual line from “why” to “what we are doing today”.
Shared ownership
The arrival of the Obeya significantly changed the way of working at Intermax. Not through more top-down control, but by making the right information available and visible to everyone. The Obeya is actively used for quarterly planning, reviews, and bi-weekly sessions where goals and progress are discussed.
What began with Agile coaches facilitating sessions quickly evolved into shared ownership. Increasingly, sponsors and management team members lead discussions themselves. Teams feel connected to the story and ask more critical questions about the value of their work.
The transparency also strengthens collaboration between departments. With everything visible, it becomes immediately clear where work overlaps or depends on others. “You avoid surprises. And where friction does arise, we put it on the table, not to control, but to connect,” says Carola.
“People now ask: does this initiative truly contribute to our strategy, or are we doing it because it’s technically interesting? Those conversations make us better.”
Carola Machwirth
Agile Coach at Intermax
Designed in style
The AgileWalls Obeya at Intermax has been fully designed in the company’s corporate identity. Recognizable colors, icons, and typography give the wall a professional and trusted look. The panels are lightweight, mobile, and modular, making it easy to adapt the structure to changing priorities.
In addition to strategic content, the wall includes concrete progress indicators. KPIs and OKRs are reviewed monthly, not just in terms of numbers, but especially their meaning. For example, if employee satisfaction unexpectedly drops, it is noticed and discussed.
Physical vs. digital
Although Intermax uses digital tools like Jira, the choice for a physical Obeya was very deliberate. Especially in this phase of organizational growth and cultural development, personal interaction and physical proximity are essential.
The wall invites real conversations. Teams gather around it, review progress, and align on actions. These conversations are concrete, engaged, and purposeful, an effect that is difficult to replicate with a digital dashboard. At the same time, Intermax is exploring hybrid forms where digital connections can be added.
Digital or physical Obeya
In the preliminary phase of the Lean implementation, a digital dashboard was also considered. In the end, the choice fell on a physical wall board from AgileWalls. Uythoven: “The advantage of a real board is that you don’t need a laptop, no network connection, no projection. Moreover, it is less distant. An action item that you manually place on a board yourself is still more ‘yours’ than an action item that someone else adjusts on a laptop.”
“But the foundation will remain physical,” emphasizes Carola. “Especially now that we are still discovering so much.”
Visuele Obeya
Visual management
Operational data clearly and continuously visible
For each department
Specially designed for each department
Teamwork
Emphasis on ‘seeing together, understanding together, acting together’
Continuously visible
The Obeya is placed in the main building at Intermax. This means employees, teams, and even customers pass it daily. Everything on the wall is public: strategic goals, results, and obstacles.
That visibility fosters transparency and ownership. Employees see not only their own goals, but also those of colleagues and departments. If there are questions or bottl
Flexible and future-proof
“One important advantage of AgileWalls Obeya is modularity. Intermax does not see the Obeya as a finished product, but as a living system,” Carola explains. Panels are adjusted, goals are updated, and layouts are optimized.
The role of the wall also continues to evolve. What started as a visualization of strategy is now also a place for cultural development, leadership development, and even security and compliance tracking.
Looking ahead
In the coming period, Intermax aims to further improve the quality of its OKRs. The company is also exploring how the Obeya can be extended to other teams, such as HR and product development. Carola dreams of teams creating their own Obeya walls that translate their specific purpose and plans into a visual format.
“Any IT organization that wants to grow, collaborate, or stay on course in a complex world should consider this. Obeya combines direction, clarity, and ownership in one place.”
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