Page 96 - A Life - my Live - my path
P. 96
Computerization of the cyclotron
As for the project itself, the problems were becoming
increasingly critical, the delays were accumulating
alarmingly. Since I was the official project manager anyway,
if he failed, historically, I would be held responsible. So
I couldn't sit idly by.
After 4 months, without reaction, I decided to send a
detailed note to the managing director, obviously copying
the people involved: my head of department and the right-
hand man of the managing director, in charge of monitoring
the project. As soon as the secretary of our department had
finished typing the note, she brought it to me to sign and
asked me if I was sure I wanted to send it. My answer was
unambiguous. She therefore placed it on my boss's desk and
took it to the various recipients in the other buildings.
Reactions were almost immediate. My boss came directly to
me and asked me: "Why did you send the note to the big
boss?" I simply replied: "Because for 3 months I have been
sending you notes and you have had no reaction".
In this note, I went through the history of the decision,
the warnings that I had given and the existing problems
I have highlighted, while setting out my course of action:
I was defending the interests of the IRE and the project was
headed for disaster. I directly questioned his right-hand
man whom - of course - covered all the decisions that the
managing director had remotely guided. I had also attached
the copies of the 3 notes that I had sent the previous months
to my boss.
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