Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
By taking some time on the front end to envision different "disaster" scenarios, we can prevent the pain of regret that comes from not having a solid backup plan.
Any football fan will be able to tell you that their quarterback is probably the most important player on the team. And while only diehard fans can probably name their team’s backup quarterback, those same people know how important that relatively unknown person is.
Why? Because sometimes your Plan A is only as good as your Plan B.
Let me explain.
Like a football team, we all spend hours coming up with a plan for a service or event. We have meetings to get all the teams on board, we spell it all out in Planning Center or Shoflo, and we rehearse endlessly to make sure that the final product is as good as possible.
From the perspective of a pastor or other senior leader, sometimes not knowing what’s going on is worse than actually having an issue.
But what happens when something goes sideways? A key volunteer is sick, or a critical piece of equipment locks up, or some other technology gremlin appears? In essence, the starting quarterback is hurt and can’t play.
In those moments, the success of the service, or the quality of the final product, all hinges on how well we’re able to implement any backup plans we have in place.
In essence, were we able to plan ahead of time what we would do “if"?
By taking some time on the front end to envision different "disaster" scenarios, or even just to check our gear thoroughly, we can prevent the pain of regret that comes from not having that solid backup plan ready to go.
First off, all systems should be thoroughly checked and tested ahead of time before any service or event. This may happen during the week by taking a couple of hours to clean and organize so we (and our volunteers) know where spare cables and supplies are located. Or it could come from taking the time to top off haze fluid after a midweek rehearsal, so we don’t accidentally run low on the day of the service or event.
Consider over-staffing big events so that you have some built-in redundancy to protect against someone being unable to come.
This testing/checking can also happen the day of a service by just following a simple checklist. Have we replaced batteries in wireless equipment? Have we loaded and tested new graphics or video content? Have we sent a test signal to the online encoder to ensure that it’s working properly? Also, have we disabled the computer’s “auto update” process to ensure that it doesn’t reboot itself during the service?
Furthermore, as we’re testing things, are we and our teams clear on what we should do if there’s a last-minute failure or issue? Yes, we want to replace batteries in the pastor’s beltpack before or between services. But what if an issue still presents itself and his pack dies? What’s the backup plan?
Do we have a spare mic on a small stand next to the pulpit, or maybe on the side stage area? If it’s not something he can grab quickly himself, who’s the designated person to deliver it so there’s minimal disruption and distraction during that moment?
Or, if we try playing content, whether audio or video, and there’s an issue with it firing for some reason, do we have that same content loaded onto another source in the system that can play it as a backup? Yes, it may take a couple seconds to get that backup source cued and rolling, but a brief delay is much better than the awkwardness that comes from not having anything going at all.
I know from experience how difficult it can be to communicate updates to senior leadership while I’m up to my elbows in a technical issue I’m trying to fix.
Also, if there’s a critical failure of some sort, sometimes pre-planning the communication process can be helpful as well.
I know from experience how difficult it can be to communicate updates to senior leadership while I’m up to my elbows in a technical issue I’m trying to fix. Is there another trusted person available that I can deputize to provide updates to those who need it?
From the perspective of a pastor or other senior leader, sometimes not knowing what’s going on is worse than actually having an issue. So we can try to help mitigate this ahead of time by simply asking that person what sort of information they need (and how they need it delivered) if something does go wrong. Would they prefer a text message or someone to physically speak to them? Do they want all of the details or do they just need to hear that it’s being taken care of?
By walking through these things on the front end, and even having a communication succession plan in place, that can immediately take some of the pain and pressure out of the moment when things go awry, simply because everyone can fall back on a strategy that’s already been locked into place.
Some issues, like forgetting to unshutter a projector or change a microphone’s batteries, are completely preventable and can be avoided with the proper planning and communication. However, there are some things, like a volunteer getting sick or a thunderstorm causing a power outage, that are out of our hands.
In those moments, having a solid Plan B is critical.
No, we can’t prevent the power from going out. But we can regularly test the UPS batteries to ensure that they’re capable of carrying whatever load is necessary. We could have a battery-powered speaker and wired mic sitting offstage that can be brought out if the sound system shuts down. We could even ensure we have a spare acoustic guitar on-hand in case there’s a power outage on a Sunday where the only guitar players scheduled are on electrics.
On the personnel front, consider over-staffing big events so that you have some built-in redundancy to protect against someone being unable to come. Also, one thing I’ve done in the past is ask our team if anyone is available just to be a last-minute fill-in if it’s ever needed. Some people are early risers by nature and are already awake during a morning rehearsal. So instead of worrying about waking up someone when I call to see if they can fill a slot, I can just call that person who’s already told me in the past that they can be that emergency helper.
It can be so easy in our line of work to just get consumed by the daily grind of work and service prep. There’s rarely a shortage of tasks to do or gear to fix, and we can take it for granted that things will always run smoothly.
By taking some time to plan ahead, think through obstacles and scenarios, and developing (and communicating) good backup plans, we can ensure that we’re doing our best to keep things running at a high level on “game day.”
