OKR-based steering creates execution transparency: 17 strategic goals, up to 30 key results, and 150 prioritized tasks per quarter

The e-commerce company launched a comprehensive strategy program. The goals: growth in the core market, higher customer loyalty, targeted assortment expansion, and more operational efficiency along the value chain. The focus was in particular on developing the business model toward greater profitability, strengthening data-driven decisions, and expanding the technological platform to support a scalable marketplace and promotions business. The company carries several thousand products and serves a large, recurring customer base through digital sales channels. Because of the high dynamics of day-to-day business (e.g. changing campaigns, promotional offers, and seasonal peaks) as well as the close interlinking of purchasing, marketing, logistics, and IT, steering in the previous strategy cycle was perceived as increasingly complex and resource-intensive.

As part of the corporate strategy, a total of 17 strategic goals were defined, structured along three central steering dimensions: Business Model, Operational Excellence, and Performance. This made it transparent which overarching value drivers individual initiatives and activities contribute to and how cross-functional initiatives interact. For operational implementation, a quarter-based steering approach was established. Per quarter, 8 to 15 objectives were set and underpinned with 20 to 30 measurable key results. These were translated into concrete operational activities, so that on average 100 to 150 tasks per quarter were defined and tracked. In total, around 40 participants from different functions were actively involved in the implementation. The enablement phase took only a few days: the responsible managers and project participants were introduced to the methodology and made ready to work. In subsequent workshops, the strategic goals were broken down into operational initiatives and translated into clearly structured implementation plans. A central element of the steering was the individual KPI tracking at the level of the key results. For each key result, the Degree of Fulfillment as well as a Confidence Level were continuously captured and evaluated. This created transparency at all times over progress, goal attainment, and potential risks in implementation. The consolidation of all initiatives, key results, and tasks was carried out automatically and prepared in structured form for different management levels. Owners were thus able at any time to follow the current implementation status in their respective area and to intervene in a steering capacity when needed. The program is running stably and with high implementation speed. Through clear structure, prioritization in a quarterly rhythm, and continuous measurability, the organization implemented its strategy significantly more effectively and efficiently.