Scoring strategically: VfB Stuttgart brings its strategy to the field with Mooncamp
What we absolutely love about Mooncamp is how intuitive the user interface is.
About VfB Stuttgart
As a professional soccer club in the Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart is not only a social player and ambassador for Stuttgart and the region, but also stands out beyond. Five German championship titles, three DFB Cup victories and fourth place in the eternal Bundesliga table impressively illustrate the club’s success story and underline its continuous striving for top performance.
With more than 90,000 members, 5 million fans and 13 million sympathizers, the traditional club strives for the vision of playing international soccer with the power of the Jungen Wilden and filling its fans with pride. VfB aims to be a role model both on and off the field, acting boldly and openly and inspiring with Swabian innovative spirit. The home ground is the MHPArena, one of the most modern stadiums in Europe, which offers unforgettable stadium experiences for more than 60,000 spectators.
Since 2017, VfB Stuttgart 1893 AG has included the licensed match operations with the associated commercial business areas and has started to introduce the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) methodology to implement the overall strategy in the 2022/2023 season.
Talking with Kolja Dickmann, Head of Executive Department Strategy & Special Projects to CEO at VfB Stuttgart
I head up the Strategy & Special Projects department at VfB Stuttgart and report directly to the CEO. In addition to the further development and implementation of the strategy, I am also responsible for managing various special projects and representing the club in socially relevant environments and sports associations (including the DFL, DFB and ECA).
Challenge
Circumstances and requirements change quickly and dynamically - we have to be able to react in short cycles and adapt our direction.
Please explain how you came to introduce OKRs. What challenges did you face?
OKRs are an effective management method for us to prioritize and operationalize our strategic direction. As a professional soccer club, we act as an economic and social player and take our responsibility seriously by covering a range of topics that go beyond sport. Our strategy is correspondingly complex and comprehensive and must be brought to the field in the stadium, on the training fields and in the office. In addition to the fast-paced day-to-day business of professional soccer, it is important for us not to lose focus on our strategic development and to continuously work on the right things. Conditions and requirements change quickly and dynamically - we have to be able to react in short cycles and adapt our direction.
Accordingly, OKRs were the ideal solution for us - not only to implement our strategy and work together across divisions in a focused and transparent manner towards mutually aligned goals. They were and are also the right answer to fast-moving changes in the world of soccer and work.
What problems or challenges led you to decide to introduce OKR software?
We were looking for a way to track OKRs easily and clearly, to be able to customize reporting dashboards and at the same time to simplify our OKR process through automation. We wanted to make working with OKRs as simple and clear as possible for our colleagues.
In this context, it was also important for us to be able to integrate OKRs into our system landscape, particularly Microsoft Teams.
Solution and implementation
For us, it's not about dogmatically introducing a methodology, but about creating added value for daily, goal-oriented work [...].
In the search for software solutions, we ultimately decided on Mooncamp, as it best met our requirements for intuitive usability and customizability, a clear and simple presentation as well as excellent reporting and visualization options.
In addition, Mooncamp convinced us with its high adaptability to our specific business processes and its efficient integration into our existing infrastructure (e.g. Microsoft Teams).
Why don’t you tell us a bit about your experience? Is everything already running perfectly or are there things that you are still optimizing?
After a pilot phase in the 22/23 season, we have now been working with OKRs throughout the organization since July 2023. Adaptation, evaluation and continuous learning play a major role in this. We optimize on a recurring basis and adapt the methodology and process based on the rhythms of the various business areas and feedback from our colleagues.
For us, it’s not about dogmatically introducing a methodology, but about creating added value for daily, goal-oriented work and, above all, the success of the company.
How were your employees prepared for using Mooncamp in advance?
Our employees were provided with the most important tips and tricks by Mooncamp in a training block right at the start. In addition, we developed a condensed guide with the most important functions, which is designed for our structures and processes so that all users also receive visual support at the same time.
Results
We also use Mooncamp for our OKR reporting up to the board level. With the individually configurable custom dashboards and filterable progress dashboards, our managers have the best support.
What feedback do you get from your employees about Mooncamp?
We often get feedback on how easy Mooncamp is to use and how helpful functions such as the creation of individual dashboards or filter functions are.
Even new employees hardly need any time to familiarize themselves with the tool and can work productively with it straight away.
How does your OKR process benefit from Mooncamp?
The simple update mechanisms and check-in automations help our teams to track their progress.
We also use Mooncamp for our OKR reporting up to the board level. With the individually configurable custom dashboards and filterable progress dashboards, our managers have the best support for the exchange and can easily see and recognize which goals need increased attention.
What we absolutely love about Mooncamp is how intuitive the user interface is. In addition, Mooncamp is constantly being further developed and our needs are incorporated into the further development via great support.
Conclusion
VfB Stuttgart has successfully met the challenge of operationalizing its strategic direction through the introduction of OKRs and the integration of Mooncamp. This decision enables the club to act in a more targeted and efficient manner, which has a positive impact on various aspects of the organization.
Mooncamp’s adaptability to the specific needs of VfB Stuttgart and its ease of use contribute significantly to improving strategic work and promoting a transparent, collaborative working culture.
