And just like that, another project has come to an end.
Saturday night and the curtain was drawn on my work for Elections. This was another enjoyable project, and like with the Census, I learnt so much. I had two fantastic teams, the people in support roles were there every step of the way and my colleagues were great.
I do enjoy a good project. From large fixed term ones like these through to internal projects as part of a role I was employed in, there is something very satisfying about ‘knocking the bugger off’.
Some quick observations from these two Government projects:
- Everyone has an opinion and so many want to share theirs. I think it’s great when people are invested in these processes, but there is a degree of sanity retention in being unable to join the conversations.
- Both elections and the census are important foundations of our society. It is a privilege to work on things this important.
- These are huge projects, employing so many people – and yet there is a unity from the fact basically everyone is a beginner.
- It’s easy to criticise the bits they get wrong, but the departments involved do a great job getting these projects done. Just think; these are nationwide, under the spotlight, deadline driven and employ thousands of people. Throw in all of the logistics, technology changes and even natural disaster planning and you have to admire the people getting them organised.
- On the flip side, there is also a sense of waste as you think of the well trained and purpose driven teams that simply disappear.
- Many people knock standard processes and tight operating procedures, but in projects such as these, this is what leads to success. There is definitely a place for controls across so many industries and it’s disappointing that many management consultants stick to their script around flexibility and policy removal. Never forget context …
And now onto the next adventure…
