THE OPS MANUAL
Anyone who knows me knows I like to put EVERYTHING in writing. In our industry, there are so many details and so many moving parts that documentation is critical to succeeding in this business. Sharing of information with your race committee can sometimes make or break your event. The more people involved in the race who knows what is going on in your event the better. A race director who holds all the information close to their vest is doing a disservice to everyone.
Although it can be a lot of additional work, creating an operations manual is a must to ensure that the many details of putting on the race have not been overlooked and are being communicated to everyone who needs to know them.
Why Create an Ops Manual?
It forces the entire race committee to put in writing the important details of their area. If something were to happen to them, at least you have in writing many of the details about their area, and it is proof to you that they are doing their job.
It keeps everyone on a pre-determined timeline in getting things done so that these documents can be included in the manual.
It proves to all involved that all the necessary work has been completed.
It is an impressive document to provide to city officials, sponsors, and other supporters of the race.
It should have the answers to any and all questions about the race, and users should be able to locate them easily.
It is a great reference and starting point for next year's race.
Some Ops Manual Tips
Everyone on your race committee should participate in providing documents for the manual.
Ideally, all documents should be completed within two weeks of the race, and manuals should be printed and distributed within 10 days of the race. However, everyone should be told that things change and things can be added at the last minute, so they should always check and follow up on details. Create an electronic folder and start saving documents as early in the process as possible. Waiting until the last minute can prove overwhelming.
Designate one person on the committee to be responsible for collecting all the documents, reworking them if needed and eventually assembling the manual.
When completed, consider creating a .pdf version of the manual and emailing it out to the committee, rather than having the manual copied and distributed to everyone many days before the race. This way you can make last-minute changes and additions and then email out this most updated version one or two days before the race. I’ve done both, however, and I have found that this is one item that many committee members prefer to have printed out and handed to them so they can easily reference it, especially on race day.
Frankly, I don’t know how any race can be conducted without an ops manual. Imagine an NFL team—especially the quarterback—not having a playbook? I highly doubt too many Super Bowls have been won without one.