We often celebrate the launch ceremonies and the awards, but we rarely talk about the chaos right before the ribbon-cutting.
Back in 2001, my team was preparing to launch Hong Kong’s first comprehensive e-government platform. But at 2:00 AM on launch day, we discovered a show-stopping issue: a missing SSL Certificate on a key server.
There was no “download from the cloud” back then. I had to physically go get it.
I took a taxi to the Certification Authority in Kwun Tong, told the driver to keep the meter running, and rushed into the data center. An hour later, I emerged with a floppy disk in a brown paper bag-the missing piece of the puzzle.
As I jumped back into the cab and told the driver to floor it, he looked in the rearview mirror and asked, “Mission accomplished?”
“Accomplished,” I said.
He smiled and drove us to the finish line. He probably thought we were spies, but the reality was just as high-stakes for us. The system went live, and the project went on to win the Stockholm Challenge Award.
Reflecting on this 25 years later, the technology has changed, but the lesson hasn’t: Delivery isn’t just about code; it’s about doing whatever it takes to get the job done.
M.Y. Lessons Learnt 