Mr Chen's Cycle Rickshaw Ride and PRINCE2 - PRINCE2 Blog

Mr Chen is a remarkable man.

In 2008 he saw London win the Olympics for 2012 and his imagination was captured. He decided to pedal his rickshaw 60,000 km and across 16 countries from China to London in order to spread the Olympic spirit. Now, having reached his goal, he has caught the imagination of the world. Mr Chen braved +30˚ and -30˚ temperatures, embassy staff who denied him visas, floods, war zones and, even though he does not have a pass to the opening ceremony or tickets to any events (at the time of writing), still thinks it was all worth it.

So what, you may be asking, does this have to do with PRINCE2? Well, Mr Chen is now planning to rickshaw to Brazil for Rio 2016 and, totally for fun, we were playing with the idea of how this awesome man could use and tailor PRINCE2 methodology to have an even more successful trip next time.

Mr Chen could begin by learning from his own extraordinary experience. He could prepare his visas before leaving China. He could also manage the journey by stages through devising an overall plan for the trip and individual plans for each country so that he was prepared for things like temperature changes. Building on the fame, contacts and goodwill he has made on this trip, he could get a support team of individuals and organisations to smooth his path to Rio. By instituting a risk management procedure he could save himself future problems by identifying, assessing and planning for risks like floods.

Moreover, Mr Chen could also ensure that he is clear-sighted with regard to any changes he may have to deal with on the journey. If he takes into account costs, resources and timings, he could trump London so that essentials like accommodation and tickets to the events are taken care of to enable him to truly enjoy the Rio experience.

When one comes down to it, however, whilst PRINCE2 would make the journey more safe and efficient, it might make it less surprising. Mr Chen may feel that he would not see the perhaps unexpected good in humanity that he has evidently witnessed so far. Anyway, all we can really say is: a sincere hats and pedals off to you Mr Chen!

- See more at: https://www.prince2.com/blog/mr-chens-cycle-rickshaw-ride-and-prince2#sthash.BI3ltvhx.dpuf