Boardroom ➡️ Book Restoration 📖
I used to think my years in Process Engineering (35 years ago!!!), Market Research and Strategy/Project Management were only for hitting KPIs and optimizing corporate workflows. I was wrong.🙅
When I took on the mission to manage the 3000+ Bibles and hymnals in my church pews, the first thing I felt wasn’t 'artistic inspiration'.... it was a need for data collection and a "Production Line".
As this is the first time in more than 50 years that my church is conducting such activity, nobody is aware 🤷 of how many books needs replacement, or change of covers or restore. What we do know is there are about 8 different types of bibles/hymnals totally about 3000
books.
Hence, putting on my leadership hat, I drafted out the steps needed to complete this big project.
1️⃣Work out the plan to conduct a
Full Inventory Audit of over 3,000 units. 📊
2️⃣ Identified the Triage:
Determining what to Restore, what to Protect, and what to Replace.
3️⃣ Set up SOP for protect (my 18s
book covers), restore (my $7DIY tool) and replace (upwards delegation to Pastor to purchase new Bibles & hymnals 😜)
Where are we now?
☑️Inventory audit completed
⚒️Currently cutting the book
covers with my 18s templates
⚒️180 books restored....still counting....may have another 250 or more to go 🤔
When I look back at where God has lead me to this today, I thank God for His great plans. Though I'm retrenched and not able to get a job for 2 years now, in His own way, God reassured my skills I gained are not wasted... my process engineering background, my analysis expertise and my project management skills come into action in this long but satisfying journey. Thank God! 🙏
To all who are going through challenging times: God can use your professional excellence for a higher purpose. Have faith that God has a plan for you 🇸🇬🕊️
#lemon8scrapbook #restorationproject #retrenchment #Lemon8SG #AdultingWoes
Taking on the challenge of restoring more than 3000 Bibles and hymnals in a church setting truly showed me how versatile professional skills can be beyond conventional offices or industries. When I first started, I realized that this massive project wasn't just about caring for old books; it required a systematic approach similar to a production line in manufacturing. In my experience, breaking down the restoration task into clear phases was critical. The first step was conducting a comprehensive inventory audit to understand exactly what we had—so many different types and conditions of books, requiring detailed tracking. Then, the triage phase allowed me to apply analytical skills to categorize each book into what needed restoration, protection, or outright replacement. Using inexpensive DIY tools and templates made the restoration process manageable and efficient. This project also became a heartfelt reminder that skills honed over decades can find new meaning and purpose, even during challenging personal times like retrenchment. It reinforced my faith that professional excellence and careful planning aren't wasted but can be channeled to serve meaningful causes. For anyone facing uncertainty or change, this experience is a testament to how your expertise can be redirected to create lasting impact. Combining thoughtful data collection, strategic planning, and hands-on restoration demonstrated that even tasks rooted in tradition could benefit enormously from modern project management principles. Ultimately, it’s about patience, perseverance, and finding hope through diligent work and trust in a higher plan.
