As announced in my last post, I’ll take you behind the scenes of the operational operations of Weisse Arena AG. True to the motto “You build it, you run it”, we also managed the software operationally ourselves – a practice that had already been established by Inside Labs. Especially in the high season, the system through which the majority of ticket sales were generated had to function absolutely reliably – which we have always guaranteed.
The catering businesses in particular were heavily dependent on the functionality of the app. Many restaurants on the mountain used “mobile ordering”, which allowed guests to order their food directly to the table via app. The traditional point-of-sale systems only served as a backup for guests without an app. In times of high demand, when the kitchens were at capacity, there was simply no room for error or failure – a responsibility we took very seriously.
The system has always been fundamentally stable. The only notable incidents, especially at the beginning, concerned the Twint payment system, which was occasionally unavailable for a few hours – which understandably led to frustration among our Swiss guests. The strongly fluctuating number of visitors also presented us with challenges. In summer, when only a fraction of the number of winter guests used the app’s gastronomy offers and gamification features, a new database abstraction was implemented with Prisma. The influence of this change was only felt in winter – more precisely on the first sunny Saturday in December. Some database queries were not optimally designed, and with the sudden increase in the number of users, this led to performance issues as the database could no longer scale as desired. But our team was quickly on the spot: Together, we identified and fixed the problem early on Saturday morning, before the big rush in the restaurants – and thus satisfied both the guests and the restaurateurs. A prime example of the importance of DevOps and rapid responsiveness.
My key takeaways from the last three years:
Self-organization & transparency
One of the most valuable insights of my time at the Weisse Arena: Absolute transparency is the necessary consequence of successful self-organization. Management must know at all times what is being worked on and what goals are being pursued. Conversely, management must provide a clear vision that the team can use as a guide. Decisions are easier on both sides if there is a trusting relationship and the mutual goals are known.
We maintained an idea board where all managers could contribute their input on an Epic basis. The cooperation with marketing – our main stakeholder – was particularly intensive. Weekly voting, feature prioritization and the inclusion of topics from day-to-day operations were part of our routine. We regularly shared our roadmap – the rough planning for the next three months – with the other teams and visualized it as a Lego board in our office. At this point, a big thank you to my former colleague Florian Karb – shaping the board has always been a lot of fun and made the cooperation tangible.
A clear vision as a guide for self-organized teams
In an environment where teams are increasingly autonomous and self-organized, a crystal-clear vision becomes a decisive success factor. It serves as a compass that allows all team members to make independent decisions that are still aligned with a common goal. If each person understands the overarching picture, creative solutions can emerge without the need for constant queries or micromanagement. The vision creates a framework within which innovation and self-reliance can flourish.
Regular stakeholder contact as the basis for sustainable solutions
Direct and continuous exchange with stakeholders is more than a formality – it is the foundation for successful projects. Through regular discussions, needs are identified at an early stage, misunderstandings are avoided and trust is built. This transparency not only creates acceptance for the procedure, but also enables the joint development of solutions that really meet the requirements. When stakeholders are actively involved in the process, a productive dialogue is created that leads to better results and increases the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
The balancing act between stability and innovation
One of the biggest challenges in product development is the skilful balance between stability and innovation. On the one hand, users need a reliable basis that works smoothly. On the other hand, products have to grow and evolve through new features in order to remain relevant. This balance requires a keen sense of timing and the right dosage of change. Successful teams understand when it’s time to focus on consolidating existing functions and when it’s time to boldly break new ground.
Conclusion: More than just code
Numerous changes in recent months and a change of direction in the strategic orientation of the digital vision have finally prompted me to break new ground and put down new roots at diselva .
I have identified strongly with the product over the years and take away valuable learnings: in-depth DevOps practices and newly acquired technical skills that will further advance me in my professional career. During my time at the Weisse Arena, I had points of contact with practically all departments – not only with marketing, gastronomy, cashier staff and the hotel industry, but also with the ski school, finance, HR and the event department. The cooperation was always characterized by mutual respect and together we looked for optimal solutions for our guests. Not only successful projects have been created, but also many friendships.
The guest has always been the focus of our efforts, and I believe that we have lived up to this claim excellently within the scope of our possibilities.
Share your experiences!
What are your biggest challenges in software development? Have you had similar experiences with evolving team structures? What did your digital transformation look like? I look forward to your exchange and your perspectives on this topic.