Operations Department After-Action Report

Operations Department After-Action Report Department: OPERATIONS Director: Jo Mc Daid 1. Introduction 1.1 Initial Set-up Dates & Structure In November 1999 the Chief Executive Officer was appointed by the Board of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games and subsequent to this appointment many committees were set-up to start the initial planning. An Operations Committee was established in the same month (November 1999) under the chairmanship of a member of the Board. The strategy was that a member of the Board would preside over and monitor closely the workings of a particular Games Department. In the case of the Operations Department this strategy worked brilliantly from the inception of the department to its conclusion in September 2003. The Operations Committee began formal meetings with its assigned Board Member in November 1999 and continued these on a quarterly basis up until end of 2001, at which point they were held at two-month intervals through 2002 and eventually, held monthly throughout 2003. These meetings were chaired by the Board member assigned to Operations and were formal meetings where updates were given, issues raised for discussion and specific areas were outlined where it was considered the Board Member could provide assistance. The Operations Committee that was established consisted solely of volunteers from November 1999 until September 2000 many of whom had been identified for their particular skills and/or previous background in Special Olympics Ireland National Games events. Many of those involved at this stage had already agreed to oversee a particular Functional Area for the Games and had indicated that they would be prepared to work full-time on the Games mainly through secondments (released to the Games Organising Committer (GOC) and paid for by their current employer) or by continuing in a full-time voluntary capacity. Jo Mc Daid Page 1 of 111 2/12/2004 The following organisation chart gives an indication of the areas that were initially identified as part of Operations and the various positions occupied by volunteers in these early stages: Operations Committee - November 1999 Chairperson Greg Sparks (Board Member) Director of Operations Jo Mc Daid Signage & Look Transportation Catering Accommodation Logistics Medcical Security Ronnie Petrie (Vacant) Tracy Mc Daid Marie O' Brien Peter Murphy Annette Codd (Vacant) These committee members began their planning within their respective areas throughout the year 2000. An official liaison was also established with the Irish Police Force (An Garda Síochaná) and this individual attended the Operations Committee meetings. The first employee was brought on board in September 2000 with the appointment of the Director of Operations and other positions were filled in 2001 as indicated below in the table. Director of Operations Jo Mc Daid September 2000 Administrative Assistant Claire Heffernan February 2001 Public Safety Jessie Walsh May 2001 (Safety/Security & Risk Mgt) Transport Vincent Fitzgerald May 2001 Accommodation Manager Marie O Brien July 2001 Venue Development Denis Doolan August 2001 Medical Manager Annette Codd September 2001 Catering Tracy Mc Daid Continued as volunteer until October 2002 Responsibility for Signage & Look was transferred to the Marketing & Communications Department in September 2001. Jo Mc Daid Page 2 of 111 2/12/2004 1.2 Preliminary Information 1.2.1 Past Games Information As Head of Delegation (HOD) for the Irish team that had travelled to the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in North Carolina, the Director of Operations gained an invaluable insight to the end product that was expected to be delivered, albeit with a desire to reach even higher standards of qualitative and efficient operating systems. Experiencing the 1999 World Games as a particular constituent group member, with particular responsibility for the participating athletes and coaches, gave a tremendous understanding of the needs of these particular individuals and helped identify the deliverables. The fact that other members of the 2003 GOC also had first-hand experience of several past World Games also assisted greatly in identifying the needs of other constituent groups and recognising where improvements could be made. The CEO and five directors of the 2003 GOC had all experienced at least one previous World Games in different capacities Heads of Delegation, Guests, Observer, Assistant HOD -Sports Specific, Sports Rules Committee, Evaluation Committee, Media Reporter and Family Member. The collective experiences allowed for much sharing of information and meant that as a GOC in its initial stages there was a very strong and clear understanding of what was needed. 1.2.2 Past Games Plans & After Action Reports The 2003 GOC received the After-Action reports from both the 1999 World Summer Games and from the 2001 World Winter Games. The 1999 After-Action reports were very useful in order to give an overview of the each of the functional areas. They served very well to give any newcomer to the GOC an insight into a particular area. However, the reports tended to be very repetitive and the recommendations stemming from their post-games evaluation were not clearly outlined nor stressed in any clear manner. The 2001 After-Action reports from Alaska were much more informative in terms of recommendations and suggestions as how to improve on certain aspects. Despite the Winter Games being much smaller in nature and less sports offered than at a World Summer Games, they were generally felt to be more informative. After-Action reports on areas such as Logistics, Construction and transportation were not received from the 1999 World Games which was disappointing. This appeared to be because these areas had been overseen by consultants to the Games. There were no overall departmental reports from either World Games, which would have been helpful, especially in the early stages of planning when there much debate as to which functional area sat best in which department. Neither set of After-Action Reports gave an indication of significant timelines that were useful in planning from three years prior to the Games. An outline of the recommended staff numbers required would have been extremely useful information had it been forthcoming from past GOCs. Jo Mc Daid Page 3 of 111 2/12/2004 1.2.3 Site Visits/Workshops February 2000: Representatives of Special Olympics International visited Dublin for an information-exchange session with existing members of the Games Organising Committee most of which were still volunteers at this time. This proved a useful exercise to help clarify responsibilities and to allow important issues to be highlighted. It would, however, have been most beneficial if Special Olympics International had been in a position to offer more guidance and outline major timelines at this point in the planning. Much of the exchange was focused on establishing how far the GOC was in its planning rather than providing assistance to them. June/July 2000: An Operations Workshop was held in Dublin to which three key members of the Operations Team from the 1999 World Games attended and shared their experiences and offer guidance and advice. The workshop covered all areas included in the Operations Department s brief and was extremely beneficial. October 2000: The Director of Operations and the Director of Sports & Competition visited Alaska to attend an Integration Meeting that had been arranged between the 2001 World Winter Games GOC and Special Olympics International. The format of the session saw the GOC person responsible for each functional area report on their plans and progress to date. For most of the functional areas covered, Special Olympics International also had a staff member who worked closely with the GOC person. The net result was that there were a lot of issues discussed and ideas and suggestions shared. This week-long event was extremely beneficial and certainly served 2003 representatives as a key learning tool, especially with it happening so early in the 2003 GOC s planning stages. November 2000: A transport workshop was held to which all the representative bodies that were involved in transportation within the city were invited. This included members of the Gardaí (police force), local authority representatives, the Automobile Association, National Bus Service Providers, Private Bus Operators and a transports planning company. The workshop served to inform all of the key agencies of the needs of the Games in terms of the transports services, as well as highlight the impact the event would have on the city itself and finally, outline where each of the agencies could provide support. The workshop was very successful but possibly a little too early in the planning phase since there no individual had been appointed to oversee the transport area from within the GOC. It is recommended that a workshop of this nature is not held until the GOC- appointed person is in position. May 2001: Members of the Operations team, along with other GOC members, visited Manchester to meet with the GOC responsible for organising the Common Wealth Games to be held in August 2002. The 2003 GOC were reassured in their own planning progress after the visit as it was discovered that some of the issues arising had already been identified by 2003 GOC. The visit help immensely to form relationship with some key personnel, some of which later joined the 2003 Jo Mc Daid Page 4 of 111 2/12/2004 GOC to take up key roles of responsibility in the following areas:- Procurement, Logistics, Construction, Motor Pool Operations, Event Services and Venue Operations. From a recruitment prospective, this was a most-beneficial visit. May 2001: A second workshop was held for transportation, to which the same group of individuals were invited. The GOC had a person working in Transport at this stage but the individual was also working in Logistics as it turned out this individual later transferred fully to the Logistics area.

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