Firmenlauf ’09: Part II/II
And we’re off!!! Oh, wait a minute… it takes up five minutes to reach the start line due to the throng. But once we do… we’re REALLY off! Even if the pace is really slow due to all the other activity on the trail, which is exactly why projects in large corporations seem to take ten times longer than in agile companies like Canoo: Everyone is getting in the way of everyone else.
The whole team
So we use our agility to dodge the throng, occasionally struggling to keep track of one another in the mayhem. And the for the first fifteen minutes of what is envisaged to be a thirty minute effort, we remain within sight of each other.
Mike Mannion
Suddenly, however, the terrain changes from asphalt to soil, from cycle-track and side-road to wooded riverside. The track has narrowed allowing just two, maximum three runners to stay abreast of one another. In the presence of this bottleneck, the distance between the ten begins to grow. Surrounded by a dense pack of sweaty strangers, we lose sight of each other. Those ahead are faced with a choice:
- Slow down, potentially impeding other runners
- Retain speed, flow with the masses
- Speed up and overtake whenever possible i.e. when the track widens sufficiently
In any case it is perfectly clear that the rate at which participants complete this course is being determined by this bottleneck, which one might describe as the constraint in the system.
Sibylle Peter and Guenter Losert
Finally, the three up ahead clear the narrow section. We can’t now guess the distance between the team members be we can assume it’s pretty big. Turns out it’s bigger than our assumption because one of the Canooies has been reduced to walking due to some debilitating stomach cramps.
The Canooies in her immediate vicinity take the motto “Leave no Canooy behind” to heart and accompany their colleague until the cramps subside. What a team!
Guenter Losert and Christian Ribeaud
Meanwhile the front runners (three) give it all they’ve got for the final 500m and cross the line more or less simultaneously. It’s a personal best for at least one of them! They waste no time in cheering their colleagues through the final 100m until – in no time at all – every member of the team has crossed the finish line.
Sibylle Peter and Leis Gemperle
Another project completed with all features delivered… Drinks everybody!? More photos on Flickr!
