DeltaBahn Racing Team

Racing is a Team Sport

As racing fans, we naturally focus on what we see:  the Driver and the Car.  But there is usually much more behind what we see.  That driver and car didn’t just show up and start doing laps on the track.  Racing teams range in size from one guy campaigning his car, to vast factory sponsored organizations.  The big boys have a lot of people, each playing a specialized role: Owner, Sponsor (like DeltaBahn!), Manager, Crew Chief, Car Chief, Driver, Tire Specialist, Pit Crew, etc.  But even the little guy actually has support: His buddy helping change tires; his wife recording lap times…

First Place is Not the Only Winner

Sometimes in racing you hear someone say “Second place is just another name for first loser.”  The saying has some swagger to it, and it does express the competitive ethos.  But it really isn’t so; and someone who strives always to be first at all costs, spends a lot of time rebuilding blown engines and repairing crash damage.

Sometimes our customers tell us they want to implement “all the best practices” for EPM.  We want more than anything for our customers to have excellent outcomes with their EPM implementations.  That means getting really good results almost all the time, and minimizing the crashing and burning.  So, we like to talk about “really good practices” that achieve business goals without breaking the tools or overloading their people.

Likewise in EPM, success depends on people in different roles working together.  Whether it’s a few PMs and several co-located teams collaborating, or a multi-national matrixed organization with resource managers, cost centers, departments, etc., a well-designed, properly scaled and supported solution helps everyone perform their role – or roles – to drive toward the checkered flag.

Phil Hill is the only American-born driver ever to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship (1961).  That season, he won 2 races.  But he was on the podium in 6 of 8 races.  He had some really good practices (and a really good Ferrari).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Hill