Atlympic Feature: Patricia Francezi aka the "IT girl" of the Rio Games
Hello Atlympians!
Take a break from your challenges to read this incredible interview with @Patricia Francezi - a Community member who played a key role (The "IT Girl") in the Operational Planning of the 2016 Olympics in Rio!
Tell us a bit about yourself - where are you from, what is your role, what do you do for fun?
Im From Sao Paulo, Brazil. I am responsible for a bunch of roles, but my main one is supporting Atlassian products for our customers.
I love to listen to music, watch shows, and annoy my kids! LOL đ The last one is my favorite for sure!
How did you get involved in the Rio Olympics? What was the job of an Operational Planner?
I have been involved with games since I was a kid. One of the first memories I have, from when I was very small, is our mascot, Micha, crying. Later I found out that I didn't see the Olympics in Moscow, it was before I was born. But the Olympics was always a party at home, a lot of waiting and eyes glued to the TV.
Being part of planning and delivering the games in Rio was a nice surprise. I signed up for jobs for Telecom, without much hope, but I got it.
The organizing committee starts planning based on operational processes - a bit the opposite of most projects. The operating model already exists and you need to achieve that result in all areas.
During the implementation of what was planned, you change roles and start executing what was planned, until the disassembly phase. It's like seeing the dream born, grow and die...
What were some highlights + lowlights of the job?
The highlight for me was really being able to contribute to the delivery of the games using my professional knowledge combined with my past experience. During the delivery phase I started working at the volleyball stadium as Venue Technology Manager. The top moment for me was being able to watch the men's volleyball final, Italy vs Brazil, with a gold medal win for Brazil! It was like getting that medal myself. I lived the dream of that final and it wasn't through TV!
The lowlight for me personally was the fact that my family decided not to move during the time I worked on organizing the games.
It was especially painful, every Sunday when I returned to Rio to leave the boys and spend another week away from them. My husband would say every week - I'm here to support you in any decision, but go this week and think, because I think you'll regret not completing your dream. And it's been many weeks like that! And he was right, I would regret it if I had given up.
Did you use any Atlassian Products in helping to plan the Rio Olympics? If so, how were they used?
We used Trello to plan and monitor the technology team's deliveries at the Maracanazinho venue (volei). It was amazing to use agile in a project that usually takes place as a waterfall. It was very simple to follow up and reprioritize the tasks when there was some change in the environment, for example, if a space was delayed, we had a clear vision of what could be done in another delivery in another space.
Once the Games began, what was the most fun event/moment to watch?
Besides the volleyball final, the opening ceremony, I saw it on TV. It was amazing, beautiful, and emotional. The next day, I felt people looking at me in uniform on the street with a smile on their faces, waving and even stopping us to comment. Brazilians were very proud of the opening ceremony!
The closing ceremony was also amazing, but a little sad. It basically tells us that the dream is over: "ok, wake up now, sweetie."
Thanks for sharing your experience, PatrĂcia!
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Bridget
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Content Manager
Atlassian
Truckee, CA
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