Project Management Lessons from the All Blacks
So the Rugby World Cup 2011 was won by the All Blacks from New Zealand who defeated France 8 points to 7 points in a dramatic, enthralling and very tense game at Eden Park in Auckland.
Recently we have posted about the project management lessons to be learned from the English team failure and the project management lessons that we have learned from the success of the French team in reaching the final.
So let us look at some of the project management success stories from the New Zealand camp to understand how they have managed to achieve their project goal of winning the rugby world cup.
Meticulous Project Planning
Like all successful projects, this project has been very carefully planned by Graham Henry and his project team. After 24 years of false dawns and some major upsets (two at the hands of the French), the All Blacks had planned every aspect of this project to ensure they managed a nerve shredding 8-7 victory over the French.
Project Leadership
The project has been well managed by Graham Henry and all his backroom staff. However, the main leader on the field throughout the four years building up to this tournament has been the New Zealand captain Richie McCaw. He is a project leader who leads by example and is involved in every minute detail of the action on the pitch and communicates well with his project manager Graham Henry.
Consistency of Process
The All Blacks have played consistently well for the last four years leading up to the Rugby World Cup and have established a style of play to which the whole project team is comfortable with and where every member of the team knows their role and place within the team. Great teamwork and consistency of process has been a hallmark of their success.
Contingency Planning
During this tournament the team from New Zealand has had to cope with a surprising number of injuries to one key role in their team. If we have to point to one project discipline that has contributed the most to the All Black success then it is Contingency Planning. New Zealand won the rugby world cup with their fourth choice fly half. During this tournament New Zealand lost the nations darling Dan Carter, swiftly followed by Colin Slade and then in the final itself the inexperienced Aaron Cruden. The value of good contingency planning was demonstrated when up stepped Steven Donald who won the game with a winning kick, countless tackles and some very important line breaks.
All Projects need a Little bit of luck
To complete a project successfully, you always need a little bit of luck. And whilst on the day, the French outplayed the All Blacks, Lady Luck shined down on the team from New Zealand and they managed to stagger over the finishing line and win the Webb Ellis trophy. In our previous post we had highlighted the influence of project luck for the French but it deserted them in this final.
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