Manning the Vessel: The Captain in Motion

Planning Stage 

“Okay! So what's next?! Are you really going to push through with your project? ” These were my uninterrupted questions to my husband, confirming if he really was serious with his idea of building a motorbanca. Constructing a motorbanca is no joke at all. There are so many considerations such as the time and the budget. Even if we have the time and the budget, how about the manpower which is so difficult to procure especially at this time of pandemic?

The scope of the project was the first topic we discussed. What are the requirements? What ought to be done and what ought not to be done? Will we be able to make modifications along the way? Will there be additional costs if this is the case? What is the estimated duration of this project? Is it a one-month or two-month project? The list goes on and on!

"How long will the motorbanca take to complete?" was the following issue.  According to my husband, if we have all of the necessary people, supplies, and materials, as well as the necessary budget, it should be completed in two weeks. Hmm, isn't this almost too good to be true? When it comes to time management, it's not only about completing the assignment on time; it's also about the number of resources needed and the amount of time it takes.

Pre-Operation

To cut a long story short, the motorbanca was built in exactly two weeks, as he had told me. But, you know, I had my reservations about this idea, but because it was his first major project, so to speak, I gave him my entire support. The motorbanca was even named after a combination of both of our names. We call her Genna and she began operations on May 1st, 2021. 

Behind the Scenes

Yes, Genna was completed in two weeks, although I must admit that there was a budgeting failure. Due to alterations in the framework of how Genna would appear, the costs more than doubled. Even though the original proposal called for a single-engine motorbanca, an additional engine was purchased. My husband, the captain, was meant to be the ship's captain, but needless to say, the crew's suggestions had a large influence on his decision-making, leading to a lack of funds.

Though his first major project was not a complete fiasco, but we learned a lot about project management. Surely, this will serve as our road map in our future endeavors.