What happens when you put 12 friends in two vans for 36 hours? Did I mention these friends will collectively run roughly 200 miles over the 36 hours? In my opinion, you have the time of your life. Others may think differently, but this past May, I ran my second relay and it was so much fun.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, a relay race generally consists of a team of 12 runners, split into two vans of six. Over the course of about 36 hours, each runner takes turns running three legs of varying distances. Each runner heads toward a transition area where they hand off a baton to the next runner and meet their van to continue to the next transition. This continues for 36 legs and roughly 200 miles. The whole team will meet up at the final transition and cross the finish line as a team.
After all miles were run and all the carbs had been eaten, I started reflecting on my time in the van with five of my favorite running buds. I began thinking how much a relay race is similar to project management. When planning the race weekend for your team, you tend to follow the five phases of project management: Initiation, Planning and Design, Execution, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.
Initiation
In my opinion, initiation may be the toughest part of the project, er, relay. In this phase, the project manager, or team leader, reaches out to her running friends, trying to convince them to sign up for the relay. While keeping in mind the requirements of the race (e.g., minimum pace, required number of runners), the team leader also puts together a preliminary schedule as well as estimated costs per runner. This tends to happen months before the next phase.
Planning and Design
The team leader can really put her project management skills to work by developing the weekend schedule, putting together a timeline based on each runner’s estimated running pace, renting the vans, as well as obtaining the final okay from her running friends who have agreed to run months ago, but may have forgotten they committed to run. This process is similar to the Planning and Design phase in that the team leader is securing her resources adequately while estimating the work needed to manage the team.
Executing
Execution of the relay is essentially when the first runner crosses the start line and the race begins for your team. Coordination between the vans starts after ensuring the first runner has started, and the two vans can go ahead toward the next transition area to meet the runner. These actions are similar to the Execution phase as the team leader is managing the project deliverables as well as resources.
Monitoring and Controlling
Throughout the relay, your van is in constant communication with the other van to verify if their paces are still on track. If a runner is ahead or behind schedule, the team leader needs to adjust the schedule accordingly to ensure each runner is met on time at the next transition. The transitions are similar to milestones in that they need to be met at a certain time in order for the relay to continue smoothly. This coordination is similar to the Monitoring and Controlling phase because the team leader continues to provide support to the team, while measuring the ongoing project activities and identifying corrective actions as needed.
Closing
The finish! The relay has been successfully executed when all runners complete their legs and the team crosses the finish line together. All running has been completed and your relay is officially done. Similar to the Closing phase of a project, the team members reflect on their experiences and think about how they can use them toward future projects.
Now that I’ve completed my second relay, I think I am getting the hang of how it works – there’s so much coordination and planning involved, and I may volunteer to be the team leader next time so I can help improve my project management skills. Who knows? I may even be able to convince some of my colleagues who are certified project managers to come and join me!
