"With SAP projects and sailing, I love complex tasks."
Hurricane-like storms, battling the tides on the ocean and a firmament full of stars. Project manager and presales consultant Hugo Gschwend is familiar with both: leading teams and projects on the high seas and on land at GIA Informatik AG. In this interview, he draws comparisons and finds parallels.
What does an SAP project have in common with a sailing trip? Sometimes a lot: hurricane-force winds, the stars in the firmament, lonely nights on deck with the occasional rain slide or downright storm. Passionate sailor Hugo Gschwend knows what he's talking about.
(All images: Hugo Gschwend / GIA Informatik AG)
Hugo Gschwend, what is your function at GIA Informatik?
Hugo Gschwend: Which SAP solution would the Customers? Do you want an SAP implementation or do you want to optimize existing processes? I am a project manager and presales consultant, I assist the customer with information on the above and other questions and I prepare an offer together with sales staff. Once the order has been placed, the ISO-certified project management process begins - with the intention of implementing the customer's requirements cost-effectively and efficiently. As overall project manager, I lead projects to the defined goal with the appropriate phases and resources.
What was your greatest adventure on the high seas?
During two weeks we were traveling along the Côte d'Azur in the south of France, from Hyères to Menton on the Italian border and back. Suddenly, a storm came up that built up to a Medicane. As a skipper, I knew it was better to stay in port in such hurricane-like conditions. But two days later, time was pressing to return - this in a swell with four-meter waves and winds of up to six Beaufort. This delicate situation is comparable to an SAP-Project, where suddenly something unforeseen can happen and I have to pass a veritable storm.
What other parallels do you see between your profession and sailing?
Sailing is identical to editing a project at the IT service provider GIA Informatics. It starts with an idea, you have to do many tasks at the same time, and it ends at home. Every sailing trip is unique in its execution - like an SAP project. The complexity is high in both cases, so I always have to be agile and have the goal in mind. If B is the goal, I don't travel from A to C. Increased attention must be paid to resource planning. The crew or team must always be supervised in such a way that everyone feels comfortable and correctly completes the work at hand on the ship or at GIA Informatik. In both disciplines, instructions from the captain or team leader, scheduling, quality control and communication are essential to ensure that no accidents occur.
Have you gained skills from sailing that you apply to your job?
Several at once. In both places, the focus must be on the essentials. The skipper's job is to have an overall view of the ship and the crew. He is the one who bears the blame in the event of an incident or accident. In the same way, I take responsibility for an SAP project and also take the blame if something doesn't go right.
What are the technologies you use when sailing?
It's hard to imagine competitive sailing without the new technologies: evaluating and analyzing data so that you can perform a tack a tenth of a second faster or improve the wind angle at a certain sail position. As a hobby sailor, I rely on the Internet and apps to download weather data or obtain harbor information. The trend toward communicating via cell phone and satellite phone instead of radio has also taken hold in sailing. This allows you to establish an Internet connection to the mainland in a matter of seconds in the middle of the Atlantic. If a mast breaks or a ship collides with a container, a rescue control center can be activated by satellite phone.
Author:
Christian Wild is Head of Digital Communication & Strategy at the communication agency Hirschbühl + Hug in Solothurn. www.hihu.ch
