In this interview with Katie Rose, KNX Planner and Project Manager Ann-Christin Gotsch shares how she sees the KNX community as a lighthouse for the future.
KNXtoday: Tell us your background and how you came to work in your current role.
ACG: During my practical semester at ise GmbH in Oldenburg in 2011 as part of my degree in Business Informatics, I was introduced to Scrum, an Agile project development framework. Scrum has since become the de facto standard in software development projects, enabling those undertaking and managing projects to work in a completely different way to the classic waterfall model, which is a linear, sequential approach to software development. It aims to improve stakeholder communication, optimise processes, and achieve the best possible user outcomes through fast iterations and ceremonies (team meetings).
Since 2012, I’ve worked as an external consultant, serving as an Agile coach and/or Scrum Master for teams in various industries, from banks and public authorities to tourism and e-commerce. This July, I’ll be celebrating ten years of self-employment. As structural changes can only be sustainably implemented with the full support of leadership roles, prior to the COVID pandemic, I focused primarily on coaching and workshops for managers. The Agile mindset, values and working methods have formed the basis of my approach to KNX projects for the past six years.
KNXtoday: How, why and when did you start working with KNX?
ACG: Whilst completing his IT training, my partner, Daniel Kunath founded ambilogic in 2007 as an IT start-up. After several years working as a KNX systems integrator, he expanded ambilogic to become a full-time venture specialising in KNX services in 2019, and, as of 2025, a certified KNX training centre. Since 2019, I have worked as a consultant supporting ambilogic and other companies with planning, consulting, DALI commissioning, KNX testing, and documentation.
KNX has been part of my daily life since our first visit in 2010 to the Light + Building fair in Frankfurt, and over the years, our home has become a KNX test laboratory for various buttons, apps, and functions. As a direct user, I gained a working knowledge of the advantages KNX offers including how important it is to involve customers, what requirements are crucial, and which different scene and button concepts work best. This hand-on experience is reflected in my KNX consultations and planning and I am now catching up on the official KNX training.
KNXtoday: As a KNX specialist planner and project manager, tell us about some of the projects you’ve enjoyed working on.
ACG: The users are always at the forefront of my mind: I always ask, ‘Who are we actually doing this for?’ Projects are so diverse – one day we might be working on a single-family home, whereas another day it might by a five-story office building or a new hotel construction. Our current specialty is KNX retrofits as well as assisting other systems integrators or electricians who typically focus on new builds.
KNX projects are exciting in all phases – from planning to implementation and training users during the usage phase. We see ourselves as part of a shared workbench, working with architects, lighting and electrical planners, and all kinds of implementers. This requires a great deal of communication, coordination and visualisation, but these are also my personal strengths. The feedback I receive confirms that we can reshape collaboration in every project, regardless of its content.
KNXtoday: What does a typical working day look like for you?
ACG: No two KNX projects are alike – each involves a variety of players, and it’s up to us to complete the planning whilst always keeping user-friendliness and integration capability in mind. Every day is different, and sometimes being on a construction site feels like an escape room – we solve puzzles left by previous trades, plan KNX components, question and refine existing plans, visualise layouts, create switch and scene concepts, support customers and clarify integration questions that no one else asks. It’s a very colourful mix of tasks, and KNX projects are never boring!
KNXtoday: What challenges have you faced as a woman working in the industry and how would you like to see these being addressed?
ACG: I generally find the industry to be very open-minded. Most KNX professionals I’ve met are truly passionate, and have a great deal of enthusiasm and love for the system, despite the day-to-day challenges involved in projects.
As I’m used to having more male colleagues from my background in software development, the transition wasn’t too difficult. I believe that performance and motivation should count more than gender.
KNXtoday: How and when did you join Women in KNX and why do you feel this initiative is important?
ACG: Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the kick-off event at Light + Building 2024, but even before the initiative started, exchange and mutual support were already a given in my work. Projects can sometimes get chaotic, and I’m always happy to share my experience, and exchange tips and ideas with other women (and men).
KNXtoday: What message would you like to give younger women considering a career in the industry?
ACG: Find your allies! I believe gender battles are outdated and generally wish for more cooperation and communication across the trades. Of course, there are still people who don’t want to move with the times, but dwelling on the past won’t move us forward. To succeed in life, we need to surround ourselves with positive people who want to cooperatively create amazing projects.
KNXtoday: What excites you about working with KNX in the future – what are you looking forward to?
ACG: I’m excited by the continuous evolution of KNX technology – as no two KNX projects are ever the same, I anticipate even more unique challenges and opportunities to which we can apply innovative solutions.
In the future, we’ll need to deliver projects with significantly fewer skilled professionals, requiring radically different forms of collaboration and project management. That’s why, as a certified training centre, we at ambilogic offer hands-on ‘project Gotscha’ coaching, meaning KNX training expanded by us to include planning requirements and task management. I also still love giving Scrum trainings and coaching, which brings me full circle to my first professional career.
I believe KNX can help solve many questions in the construction industry, provided that decision makers and planners remain open to the system, and that we, as the KNX community, share experiences and deliver lighthouse projects by and for people.
Ann-Christin Gotsch has worked independently as an Agile Coach and Scrum Master for ten years. She has worked as a KNX Planner and Project Manager for ambilogic and other companies since 2019.
www.gotscha.coach (relaunching shortly)
