Obstacles are anything that impedes the success of a planned activity. An obstacle is usually defined as something, an entity, location or thing that hinders the achievement of an activity. In its strictest sense, the obstacle can be defined as any hindrance to achieve a goal or objective. Different kinds of obstacles are economic, technical, social, cultural, political, military and biophysical.
Obstacles can occur in the external world. They can be external events such as floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, storms, landslides and fires. They can also occur within a person's internal environment, for example, internal constraints on personal development, fear of certain events and the like. Internal events, however, seldom involve threats to one's life or health.
In most cases, external events are deemed as obstacles if they are the result of a preexisting plan that was not properly carried out or if it is being carried out in an inappropriate manner. Planning is normally carried out by managing potential obstacles. Obstacles must be assessed thoroughly and their significance evaluated. They may need to be removed, changed or adjusted. The level of threat that an obstacle poses is assessed relative to the type of planning that is being carried out.
There are different methods of managing obstacles and these include assessment, modification, elimination and prevention. Removal is achieved by carefully removing the obstacle and its impact on the planned activity. It is important to take into consideration the magnitude and effect of the obstacle while carrying out the planning. Reducing or eliminating an obstacle should be the final step. It is also necessary to consider contingency plans so as to avert negative consequences that may follow the removal of an obstacle.
The removal of an obstacle involves carefully determining its position, size and shape and the best way to eliminate it. Analysis of the situation is required. If planning requires a temporary positioning of the obstacle, careful consideration should be taken as to whether the purpose of such a move would be served by altering the location of the obstacle permanently. Sometimes the only option available is to remove the obstacle temporarily and then retry the planning operation without altering anything else.
Modification involves altering the design of the obstacle to make it more compatible with the planned activity. Sometimes the purpose of changing the design is to improve safety. Sometimes an obstacle may not serve the purpose that has been identified and because of this it will need to be changed. An example of this would be where changing the obstacle would make it difficult for participants to carry out specific tasks. In such a situation it will usually have to be moved or re-routed so that it meets the needs of the participants without posing any extra difficulty. This is known as retuning.
When planning an obstacle course it is important to remember that it may be possible for participants to get from one point to another at different times. For this reason it is necessary to allow some wiggle room. It is often possible to incorporate multiple entry points into an obstacle course and this allows the possibility of taking part in various activities at different times.
Obstacles can provide the basis for a series of related tasks. Therefore it is essential to ensure that the planning process includes provisions for moving, positioning and tuning. Doing so will help guarantee that the obstacle course is a fun and exciting activity that are easy to plan and undertake.
There are a number of considerations that should be made when planning an obstacle course. First of all, the design should consider the safety of participants. It should take into account the likelihood of an obstacle participant falling over. The design should also take into account whether participants will have to negotiate over uneven surfaces. There should also be adequate signs to warn of obstacles ahead.
The obstacles should be designed in a way that they are not easily circumvented. Therefore, careful consideration needs to go into the planning of the course. It is often possible to purchase suitable obstacles ready to assemble. These can often reduce a lot of the risk of the obstacle being easily bypassed.
Once the obstacle is ready to set up then there should be a method for the obstacle participants to get through it. This might involve special gates or ramps. The use of ladders can also be useful. Once the obstacle is set up it should be possible for all its participants to move through it easily.
