Quality Management in Sports

Improving quality

If you ask CEOs and top managers of any organization, one of their main objectives is usually to continuously “improve quality”. But what exactly does quality mean?

“Quality” by definition is the "extent of how the content meets the intent". Or in other words, to which degree a set of inherent product or service characteristics fulfills a set of requirements. Why is this important for any organization?

A simple answer would be that customers choose the best available quality, if they can afford it. However, this answer only focuses on the final result. To achieve the desired results, organizations need to implement these necessary process steps in between.

Therefore, a more complex answer to this question would consider detailed process steps. Which details are important? Basically, every detail of your organization matters. To simplify the management of these process details, organizations have the option to implement quality management systems as frameworks and guidance.

Like in every industry, sports organizations should implement basic quality principles according to international best practice such as ISO 9001:2015, as well as industry-specific processes, highlighted in the Golden Ball Model by BALLYMPICS.

Specific Implications for Sports Organizations

Similar to a game of football where the coach needs to explain which tactics will lead the team to the desired final result (think of Pep Guardiola), a CEO or manager has to be able to guide his/her organization based on detailed thinking (think of Steve Jobs).

The better tactics are defined and explained in detail the higher the likelihood to succeed.

For practical implementation at sports organizations, we have developed the BALLYMPICS Golden Ball Model based on international best practice standards in quality management.

The Golden Ball Model contains the formula to help you achieve objectives together with your team. The following steps will support you and your sports organization in this journey:

Context

• What is the context of your sports company, association, league or club? Define the setting you are in. Examples are legal requirements, such as statutory by governments/countries and regulatory by governing bodies like FIFA, FIBA, ICC etc. (SPORTING)

Stakeholders

• Who are your stakeholders or interested parties? Define your stakeholders and be aware of their needs. Examples are sponsors or fans. (MARKETING and FAN EXPERIENCE)

Scope

• What is the operational scope? Define what are you able to control and what not, so be clear about your boundaries. (SPORTING)

Leadership

• How does your leadership influence your sports organization? Define quality matters as well as the role of management. Examples are quality policy, quality objectives and assignment of roles. (SPORTING)

Planning

• To what extent do you plan strategic and operational objectives? Define SMART objectives that are specific, measurable, applicable, realistic and time-bound. (SPORTING and OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY)

Customer First Approach

• What do your customers need? Define your customer communication and product or service requirements. Examples are concrete fan content offers for social media distribution or position-based player profiles for nurturing top-talents for your first team. (OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY and FAN EXPERIENCE)

Core Services and Talent Development

• What are your core processes to achieve the intended outcome of your operations? Define what brings direct value to your product or service. Examples are the management of your first team squad (= financial assets) or the design of regular training and games for youth players within your internal talent development system, but also development services for your admin employees and coaches. (FINANCE and TALENT)

Corrective Actions

• How do you manage change? Define how you conduct a root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions to avoid re occurrence of undesired outcomes? (OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY)

Continuous Improvement

• How do you foster a climate of continuous improvement in your organization? Define the mechanism how you create a learning organization. Examples are the values and culture of your sports organization as well as feedback cycles and innovation concepts for the future. (SPORTING and OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY)

This initial assessment will help you determine a set of indicators highlighting the needs of your sports organization. This will enable you to analyze, develop and implement pure quality. Naturally, these steps will take time if you implement them in the right way.

Would you like to hear more about Quality Management and the BALLYMPICS Golden Ball Model? Please contact us and we are more than happy to support you in generating better results!