From Gut Feeling to Growth Paths: Building a Transparent Career Advancement Framework for DATASEC

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

DATASEC is a growing software and service company with several specialized departments and different internal career logics. Until now, career advancement was handled in a rather informal and less structured way. While this allowed flexibility, it also created challenges regarding transparency, consistency, and clarity for both employees and managers.  

Goal 

The goal of this project was to develop a transparent and practical career advancement framework for DATASEC. The system should support fairer and more consistent promotion decisions while still reflecting the different realities of each department. Instead of creating one generic career ladder, the project aimed to design a flexible structure that makes both promotion and development within a current role more visible.  

Methodology 

The project combined internal interviews with external best practice research. Interviews with HR, department heads, and team leads helped identify current pain points, existing progression practices, and department-specific requirements. In parallel, best practices from companies such as Dropbox, Monzo, GitLab, Spotify, Adobe, and Salesforce were analyzed. These insights were used to define relevant design principles, including clear level expectations, objective criteria, dual career paths, continuous development dialogue, and flexible progression frameworks. 

Results 

The final concept is built around three archetypes: Dots, Onion, and Matrix. Each archetype reflects a different logic of progression and was translated into department-specific framework examples. The frameworks define levels, criteria, and concrete examples of development, while distinguishing between growth within a level and readiness for the next level. 

In addition, the project recommends using the frameworks in regular employee talks, supported by documented development goals and employee self-reflection. The frameworks should not be applied as rigid checklists, but as a flexible orientation tool, a “compass, not a GPS.” This allows DATASEC to make career advancement more transparent, scalable, and development-oriented while still leaving room for managerial judgment and future adjustments. 

Cooperation Partner 

• ​​DATASEC information factory GmbH 
  Welterstr. 57 
  57072 Siegen 
  Germany 
  datasec.de ​ 

​​Contact Person​ 

• ​​Edita Svrkaj 
  e.svrkaj@datasec.de  

Student Team 

• ​​​Alexandra Benchea 
  Noel Bernsteiner 
  David Juhos 
  Wenzel Proksch 
  Almira Tazhibayeva​​ 

Project Manager 

• ​​​Diana Lauer​ 

• ​​Jakob Riener​ 

• ​​Melina Mazzucato​​