Let's Talk about "Plan B" and "C"

[pack529holycross]

As mentioned in previous posts, our combination of hardware is as follows:

BESTRACK 6 lane 49ft
MicroWizard K3 GrandPrix package with LaserGate
Grand Prix Race Manager and Rade Organizer Software

My important disaster question of the day:

What input can be provided with regards to contingencies you all have in place for loss of computer aided record keeping, for example? I of course want to emulate a good "Plan B" system, and have that prepared in case that should happen. Given our current hardware package, what advice, forms, proceedures, etc can you provide to help us have a good "Plan B" in place?

YIS
Nicholas

[gpraceman]

Once racers do check-in, I do recommend that you print out a scoresheet and manually score each heat, just in case the computer goes out.

Some people bring two computers, in case one goes out. Keep your data file on a USB flash drive, so you can easily move your data from one computer to the other. We've used one computer for registration and the other for racing, so we've had a spare around.

[Stan Pope]

Nicholas, congrats on "doing the whole job"! "Plan B" is a classic Cub Scouting program consideration, but it usually doesn't get the play that the boys deserve.

The more complicated the system and the more demanding the schedule, the more important it is that Plan B be mature. You might easily reschedule a Den or Pack PWD, but rescheduling a District or Council or Regional PWD is usually quite difficult. But, if your pack derby needs to produce a list of "qualifiers" and your schedule is already tight, then your rescheduling options may be limited.

The more technically demanding your race plan, the more difficult it may be to "finish it by hand." And, if the cause of failure is a critical component with no redundancy, then it may not be possible to "finish". For instance, heat times "by hand" should not even be attempted. Heat placement "by eye" for more than 3 lanes of cars probably shouldn't be attempted. You get the idea.

So, Plan B may be, as you intimate in your question, actually two or three fall-back plans, depending on schedule constraints and the nature of failure. If "it has to be finished today", then you need a manual plan that you can run by flashlight and judge by eye at the far end of the fallback plan list!

As always, document the plan(s) and communicate the plan and the conditions for implementing it to all concerned.

[pack529holycross]

I am highly inspired by the monumental depth of experience represented on this forum. Having the "worlds greatest" minds and gurus at my fingertips truly rocks and allows me to feel like those people in the Verizon commercials with the giant group of technical people standing just off camera. Thank you in advance for all the wisdom and knowledge you have yet to impart, as well as everything I have been able to learn thus far.

Nicholas

[Stan Pope]

So, now that the philosophy has been laid out, where do you and your organization fit in the spectrum? Is "wait until next meeting after the failure is resolved" an acceptable ultimate fall-back plan?

You might continue the analysis by listing the system components.
Facility (where the event will be held)
Power (for heat, lights and equipment operation)
Track
Finish line electronics
Record keeping electronics
Communication electronics (projectors for displaying heat info and race status)
...

Then divide the list into some categories:
Essential to Plan A but with no redundancy
Essential to Plan A but with redundancy
Desirable to Plan A but with no redundancy
...

Then as backup plans are selected, expand the categories to show the progression through the plan(s).

Some failures you can allow to persist for a short period without invoking backup. For instance, in my area most power outages are resolved within 30 minutes, and a 30 minute delay in activity would be acceptable. But, when bad weather (ice storms, high winds) cause widespread outages, the times get longer! So, you might ask (now) if some members have an emergency power generator and lights that can be brought to the scene, setup, and power cords run within your acceptable delay period.

Some failures shut down the event, period. Active tornados in the neighborhood come to mind.

You can see from this incomplete list that backup considerations are pretty specific to your location, your schedule constraints, and your exact equipment. So, you can learn from the backup plans of others, but you probably can not implement them without adaptation to your own situation.