Interaction Room

What Interaction Room does

Interaction Room GmbH is a 12-person German consulting and software firm headquartered in Essen that sells a proprietary workshop methodology ("Interaction-Room-Methode" or "Gezähmte Agilität" / Tamed Agility) for requirements engineering and agile transformation in complex IT projects. The methodology is delivered through facilitator-led workshops — conducted in-person, hybrid, or fully remote — in which cross-functional stakeholders collaboratively model projects using five types of maps (Topic, Process, Object, Integration, Interaction) and a 21-type annotation system that distinguishes value, effort, and risk drivers. Workshops are run by certified IR-Coaches following a dual-coach model (Method Coach + Domain Coach) and are supported by the IR-Tool, a web-based SaaS platform with Miro integration, Planning Poker, WSJF prioritization, retrospective, and Excel export capabilities, offered on a 30-day freemium trial.

The company originated as a research project at the University of Duisburg-Essen in 2011 and was spun off into a GmbH in fall 2014 by co-founders Simon Grapenthin (Geschäftsführer) and Erik Hebisch (COO), with Markus Kleffmann serving as CTO. Its commercial offering comprises three revenue streams: professional services consulting (agile portfolio management, requirements engineering, software development, project management), IR-Coach training and certification programs, and the IR-Tool SaaS subscription. Distribution is predominantly DACH-focused through direct enterprise sales, the adesso AG implementation partnership (which alone fields 12+ certified IR-Coaches), and thought-leadership at industry events. Notable customers include DZ Bank, AXA, ARAG, BASF, E.ON, Roche, Vaillant, and adesso AG, with a published case study at DZ Bank showing scoping time compressed from six months to ten weeks across 150 experts.

The business model is high-touch and enterprise-focused: consulting and training are quote-based with multi-year contracts, while the IR-Tool follows a freemium-to-subscription arc. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no M&A history. Product sub-brands include AugIR (touch-display / VR variant), IR:bi (Business Intelligence variant), and the downloadable Methodenhandbuch eBook. The methodology has been scientifically validated in 23+ projects with documented outcomes (80% more precise effort estimates, 75% better delivery adherence, misunderstandings reduced from 25% to ~6%).

Name

Interaction Room

Legal name

Interaction Room GmbH

Website

https://interaction-room.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Interaction Room GmbH is a 12-person Essen-based consulting and software firm that sells a proprietary workshop methodology and IR-Tool SaaS for requirements engineering, agile portfolio management, and IT project scoping, primarily to DACH-region large enterprises in financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agile Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Software Publishers (513210), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model (BPAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Enterprise Work Management & Collaborative Workflow Platforms (HDAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Agile requirements engineering
• Requirements engineering methodology
• Workshop facilitation software
• Agile transformation consulting
• Project portfolio management

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Agile consulting services including Agiles Portfoliomanagement, Agiles Requirements Engineering, Agile Softwareentwicklung, Agiles Projektmanagement, and Agiles Arbeiten. Workshops conducted by certified IR-Coaches.
2. IR-Tool (SaaS): Software platform for conducting Interaction Room workshops. Offers 30-day free trial, then subscription-based access.
3. Training Programs: Classroom and certification training for Interaction-Room-Methode including IR-Coach certification programs. Training is offered upon request.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Interaction Room provides a workshop-based methodology (Interaction-Room-Methode) and a supporting SaaS platform (IR-Tool) for requirements engineering in agile software projects. The method combines classical and agile approaches ("Gezähmte Agilität") and uses five map types and 21 annotation categories to identify value, effort, and risk drivers. The IR-Tool enables in-person, hybrid, and remote workshops with Miro integration, and is sold alongside consulting, training, and IR-Coach certification services.

Product overview

Interaction Room offers a suite of products and services centered on its core workshop-based methodology for requirements engineering in agile software projects. The flagship offering is the Interaction-Room-Methode, supported by the IR-Tool software (with a 30-day free trial). The product portfolio includes the Method Handbook (free eBook), Planning Poker feature, specialized variants (AugIR for digital/touch displays, IR:bi for Business Intelligence), training and certification programs (IR-Coach certification), and consulting services. The methodology is grounded in 'Gezähmte Agilität' (Tamed Agility), combining classical and agile approaches, and incorporates five map types and annotation systems to identify project risks, values, and uncertainties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IR-Tool: Software tool for conducting Interaction Room workshops in-person, hybrid, or fully remote with Miro integration and prioritization features.
• Gezähmte Agilität (Tamed Agility)
• Augmentierter Interaction Room (AugIR)
• Interaction Room for Business Intelligence (IR:bi)

Products and services

• Interaction-Room-Methode (IR-Methode) Proprietary workshop-based methodology for requirements engineering in agile software projects, combining classical and agile approaches ("Gezähmte Agilität"). Uses five map types and 21 annotation categories to identify value, effort, and risk drivers. Sold to enterprise clients running complex agile projects.
• IR-Tool SaaS platform that supports Interaction-Room-Methode workshops in-person, hybrid, and remote. Includes Miro integration, Planning Poker, WSJF prioritization, Excel export, and multilingual support (German/English). Sold via subscription with a 30-day free trial.
• AugIR IR-Tool variant built around interactive touch displays for collaborative in-room workshop facilitation. Targeted at organizations deploying interactive hardware for collaborative workshops.
• IR:bi IR-Tool variant tailored for business intelligence and digitization projects, applying the Interaction-Room-Methode to BI contexts.
• IR-Coach Training and Certification Training and certification program that teaches practitioners to facilitate the Interaction-Room-Methode independently. Sold to enterprise clients and individual practitioners seeking certified IR-Coach status.
• IR Consulting and Workshops Enterprise consulting and workshop facilitation services delivered with a dual-coach model (Method Coach plus Domain Coach) for in-person, hybrid, and remote engagements. Sold to large enterprises engaged in agile transformation.
• IR-Method Handbook (eBook) Reference handbook that documents the Interaction-Room-Methode, used as both a practitioner guide and a marketing lead magnet. The handbook is available as a free eBook to prospective clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Effort estimates become up to 80% more precise
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• adesso TurkeyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2015adesso Turkey engaged Interaction Room for the AvivaSA project in Istanbul, Turkey - the first IR workshop conducted outside Europe.
• adesso AGcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2014adesso AG is a certified partner of Interaction Room, with 12+ IT consultants certified as IR-Coaches. The partnership enables adesso to conduct IR workshops for their clients. adesso is also a co-presenter at industry events like the adesso Forum Banken and jointly developed the Interaction Room for Business Intelligence (IR:bi) variant.
• Softwareforen Leipzig GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInteraction Room participates in the USER GROUP Requirements Engineering organized by Softwareforen Leipzig, presenting on Gezähmte Agilität and agile requirements engineering topics.
• A3A Consulting GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3A Consulting GmbH partnered with Interaction Room and adesso AG at the 24th IHK-GfI Information Day to present a comprehensive offering for digitalization challenges.
• Universität von Island (University of Iceland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Matthias Book, Associate Professor at the University of Iceland, conducts research on the Interaction Room method and presented at UTmessan. The AugIR software is used in university lectures.
• paluno (University of Duisburg-Essen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing research partnership with paluno institute at University of Duisburg-Essen for continuous development of the Interaction-Room-Methode based on latest scientific findings. The company originated from a research chair in Software Engineering at this university.
• IHK Gesellschaft für Informationsverarbeitung mbH (IHK-GfI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIHK-GfI is the joint IT service provider for 79 chambers of commerce in Germany. Interaction Room presented at their annual information day event.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Visure Solutions: Requirements management tool vendor serving regulated industries (banking, insurance, aerospace); competes with the requirements engineering value proposition of Interaction Room's methodology and IR-Tool.
• Miro: Collaborative whiteboard platform and key integration partner for IR-Tool; offers adjacent agile workflow/templates that overlap with Interaction Room's collaborative workshop use cases.
• Easy Agile: Jira-native agile apps (User Story Maps, Program Board, Team Planner); targets similar agile requirements/prioritization workflows that Interaction Room addresses within the Atlassian ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Scrum.org: Professional Scrum training and certification body founded by Ken Schwaber; addresses the same agile coaching/training demand among enterprise teams as Interaction Room's certification programs.
• Thoughtworks: Global technology consultancy with deep agile/lean engineering practices; competes for enterprise agile transformation and requirements engineering consulting engagements.
• Scaled Agile (SAFe): Provider of the dominant scaled agile framework (SAFe) and a global certification/training network; competes for the same enterprise agile transformation budgets that Interaction Room targets.
• Atlassian: Provider of Jira and the broader Agile+DevOps suite; its work management and planning products overlap with the workflow/prioritization capabilities of the IR-Tool.

Direct peers

• Zühlke Group: European technology consultancy providing agile transformation, requirements engineering, and software engineering services to enterprise clients, with overlapping DACH footprint and methodology focus.
• adesso AG: German IT services firm and certified Interaction Room Implementation Partner with 12+ IR-Coaches; operates overlapping agile transformation / requirements engineering consulting practices and jointly co-developed the IR:bi variant.
• Xebia: International agile/DevOps consulting and training firm with a strong DACH presence; offers comparable enterprise agile transformation, coaching, and certification services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/interactionroom
• Facebookfacebook.com/InteractionRoom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interaction-room
• Instagraminstagram.com/interactionroom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Interaction Room