October 2005, my “Performance at the Limit” co-author, and I, were in China to deliver a 3-day program for a major Chinese company including a workshop for their executives together with CEO’s from key clients; qualification day visit to the Shanghai Grand Prix with guided visits to F1 team garages; and race day commentary for the guests in a VIP viewing box.
Key to the workshop was the Pitstop Challenge for which we flew an F1 car painted in the company’s livery to China; lucky to get it included with the F1 teams’ cars being airfreighted.
We had made a recce trip a few months earlier, visiting the company’s headquarters, workshop location, and the Shanghai race circuit. From that, we created a detailed project resource and logistics plan.
The car arrived the day before the workshop, but while setting it up for the Pitstop exercise we did not have the all-important locally sourced compressed air cannisters, needed for the guns used to remove tire wheel nuts.
That set off an all-hands-on-deck search for compressed air. After driving many hours, it was found and secured.
The workshop and the whole weekend program came off as planned.
In any complex project, even after you think you have covered all possibilities, expect the unexpected and be ready to deal with it.
Comments