{"id":16980,"date":"2016-02-13T18:53:25","date_gmt":"2016-02-13T16:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/captain-pantoja-and-the-special-service\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T10:04:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:04:29","slug":"pantaleon-y-las-visitadoras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/pantaleon-y-las-visitadoras\/","title":{"rendered":"Captain Pantoja and the Special Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

On February 13, 2016<\/strong>, as part of pm.CinemaHall<\/a>, we conducted a project retrospective analysis of the film \u2018Captain Pantoja and the Special Service<\/a>\u2019<\/strong>, a Peruvian film based on a novel by Mario Vargas Llosa. While on the surface, the film is a dark comedy about a straight-laced army captain charged with creating a mobile brothel service for the army, it also presents a rich case study in project management. The film is perfect for learning about project management as almost every scene includes some type of document, process, or project management tool.<\/p>\n

The assignment given to Captain Pantoja is, in essence, a project – it has a defined goal, specific deliverables, and a start date, and it requires the coordination of various resources. There are also inherent constraints and risks, such as maintaining secrecy and dealing with the moral and ethical implications of the mission.<\/p>\n

Here are the results of our analysis:\"learning<\/p>\n

Project Characteristics<\/h2>\n

Objective<\/h3>\n

Captain Pantale\u00f3n Pantoja, an army captain, was assigned to establish a brothel for the army to deliver prostitutes to fighters serving in the Amazon jungle. This initiative was aimed at reducing the incidence of rape around army bases and outposts. The services offered by this sex service were intended to enhance combat capability and boost the morale of the military. Captain Pantoja was tasked with personally selecting, testing, and training personnel for this crucial mission.<\/p>\n

From the secret dossier of the Military Department (the sponsoring organization):<\/h3>\n

Project manager<\/em>: Pantale\u00f3n Pantoja.
\nArmy rank<\/em>: Captain.
\nCorps<\/em>: Quartermaster.
\nAge<\/em>: 29.
\nProfessional background<\/em>: Hardworking and responsible officer with a perfect track record.
\nPersonal characteristics<\/em>: Married. Exemplary family man. Without bad habits. Doesn’t smoke or drink alcohol.
\nImportant notes<\/em>: Despite the moral stability of Officer Pantoja, additional supervision is recommended due to the special nature of the mission.<\/p>\n

Project Assumptions<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • That the idea and strategy outlined in the project objective will work.<\/li>\n
  • That local food causes sexual arousal.<\/li>\n
  • That the project manager with just such personal characteristics will cope with the mission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Project Constraints<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Work only in civilian uniform.<\/li>\n
    • Do not appear in the commandant’s office, barracks, and official events.<\/li>\n
    • Communication only through Lieutenant Bacacorso.<\/li>\n
    • Top secret.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      High-Level Project Risks<\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Human factor. The attitude of people to the specifics of the project.<\/li>\n
      • Information about the project will reach the general public.<\/li>\n
      • Despite the moral stability of Officer Pantoja, additional control is recommended due to the special nature of the mission.<\/li>\n
      • There is no end date for the project and no way to transfer the result from the project implementation team to the operations and support team.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Project WBS<\/h3>\n
          \n
        • Creation of the Strategic Center (project management office).<\/li>\n
        • Recruitment and formation of the team (team building).<\/li>\n
        • Development of ground rules, regulations, and glossary.<\/li>\n
        • Collection of requirements.<\/li>\n
        • Prototype.<\/li>\n
        • Bringing the system to full capacity.<\/li>\n
        • Project management (reporting, risk management, stakeholders\u2019 engagement).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Consolidated Budget<\/h3>\n

          The budget in absolute units was not announced in the film, but the composition of the budget became clear:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Repair of the premises of the Strategic Center.<\/li>\n
          • Salary of 10 visitors.<\/li>\n
          • Ship.<\/li>\n
          • Salary of 2 soldiers, 3 officers.<\/li>\n
          • Salary of a team lead (HR manager) and an assistant.<\/li>\n
          • Bribes for Sinchi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Project Glossary<\/h3>\n
              \n
            • Visitor – prostitute<\/li>\n
            • Favor – intercourse<\/li>\n
            • Position – bed<\/li>\n
            • User – client<\/li>\n
            • Visitor Services in the Garrisons – mobile brothel<\/li>\n
            • Strategic Center – PMO<\/li>\n
            • Convoy – a trip by ship to the barracks and back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
              Name<\/th>\nRole<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
              General Roger Scavino<\/td>\nProject Initiator<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Father “Padre” Beltran<\/td>\nProject Initiator. Chaplain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              General Manuel Collazos<\/td>\nProject Sponsor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Colonel Sargento L\u00f3pez<\/td>\nProject Sponsor Assistant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Pantale\u00f3n Pantoja<\/td>\nProject Manager<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Enfansina “Pochita” Reanyo<\/td>\nIndirect stakeholder, wife of the project manager<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Lieutenant Teniente Bacacorso<\/td>\nCommunications Manager (communications between the project management team and superiors)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Dona Leonor “Chuchupe” Kurilincha<\/td>\nTeam-Lead. HR manager. SME on the “core technology” of the project<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Chupito<\/td>\nTeam-Lead Assistant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Soldiers Sinforoso Coiguas and Palomino Rioalto<\/td>\nProject Management Team. Project Manager Assistants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Officer Carlos Rodriguez<\/td>\nProject Team. Captain of the ship<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Olga “La Colombiana” Arellano<\/td>\nProject Team. Visitor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Luis “Peghuga” Canepa<\/td>\nProject Team. Visitor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Peludita, Lalita, Sandra, Iris, Vanessa, Coca, Salome, Pichusa<\/td>\nProject Team. Other visitors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Herman Rosales “El Sinch” Laudano<\/td>\nOpposing Stakeholder. Local radio host<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

              Storyboard<\/h2>\n

              The detailed breakdown of the film from a project management perspective would provide valuable understanding for those studying or working in the field of project management. The timeline (storyboard) is particularly effective in illustrating how various project management tools or processes were employed at different stages of the project (film).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
              Time<\/th>\nWhat PM tool or process?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:01:40<\/td>\nKickoff Meeting. The sponsors (Colonel Lopez and General Collazos) appoint a project manager, indicate the project location (Selva), and set a start date for the project (\u201cnext Monday\u201d).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:06:30<\/td>\nProblem statement. The initiator (General Scavino) sets the task and empowers. In the hands of the general is an order for a new assignment for Captain Pantoja (in terms of project management, this is the Project Charter). The first constraints of the project also appear – to work only in civilian uniform; not to appear in the commandant’s office, barracks, and at official events; communication only through Lieutenant Bacacorso.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:09:15<\/td>\nDetermination (with Lieutenant Bacacorso) of the project implementation strategy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:10:10<\/td>\nPsychological doubts of the Project Manager. How often do we have to do what we have never done? Yes, and no one did.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:12:30<\/td>\nMeeting with the future team leader – a subject matter expert who has implemented more than one similar project. It turns out a high-level “positive” risk – because of the soldiers and politicians, this business is very unprofitable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:15:05<\/td>\nThe beginning of the formation of the project glossary – \u201cvisitors\u201d.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:16:30<\/td>\nThe beginning of problems in the family. It is necessary to take into account the influence of indirect stakeholders on the project.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:17:50<\/td>\nFirst report – preparation of the PMO (Strategic Center on the Itaya River) building. The report structure is set, which will be used throughout the film (project).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:22:50<\/td>\nDiscussion of the requirements collection results. The second word in the glossary is “favor”. Collected requirements. Really staggering – 8626 soldiers (“users”) want 12 “favors” per month. In total, the “design capacity” should be 104 thousand “favors” per month.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:26:30<\/td>\nTechnical research on the impact of local aphrodisiacs on the achievement of the project objective. An additional opportunity to achieve the objective of the project is to change the diet of soldiers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:27:30<\/td>\nRecruitment of a team of visitors. Ship arrival.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:29:00<\/td>\nWe learn about the existence of the project execution regulations (\u201cReglamento General\u201d). No smoking (“No Fumar”). The brand colors are red and green. Discipline.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:31:40<\/td>\nPrototyping. \u201cFirst combat\u201d of the team. Team building – speech and cheers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:35:05<\/td>\nSystem performance measurements. Report. Budget savings.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:36:25<\/td>\nProduction. Presentation of design solutions to project initiators. The service is endowed with all the necessary powers, but opposition begins from one of the initiators of the project, Father Bertrand.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:39:30<\/td>\nAdditional command set to bring the system to full capacity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:45:00<\/td>\nThe sudden appearance of unaccounted stakeholders. Negative PR about the project in the local media begins.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:49:00<\/td>\nComplex communication in the team. “Combining work and pleasure is a bad manner.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:53:40<\/td>\nThe first conflict in the team. The Project Manager demonstrates to the visitor the Reglamento General, which she violates.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              0:55:10<\/td>\nQuality test of one of the visitors.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:00:00<\/td>\nProject leadership. A Colombian takes over the project and starts manipulating the Project Manager.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:01:00<\/td>\nAnniversary team building. 20 thousand favors. Always thank the team for their success and achievements!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:07:00<\/td>\nPersonal conflict in the team. The Colombian flirts with the soldiers and teases the Project Manager in order to influence him even more.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:09:20<\/td>\nThe appearence of unaccounted stakeholders. Mayor Paiva with a delegation come to General Scavino.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:11:00<\/td>\nNeglect of risk management. Violation of the main constraint of the project – “secrecy”.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:14:00<\/td>\nRisk is triggered. The opposing stakeholder comes with unacceptable demands. Open conflict with El Sinch.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:20:00<\/td>\nPersonal problems of the Project Manager. How often does the personal influence work and our projects?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:23:30<\/td>\nSupport of the project sponsor at the most difficult moment.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:25:30<\/td>\nIn money we trust. Satisfaction with the requirements of the opposing stakeholder. How often do you have to step over your feelings for the good of the project?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:29:20<\/td>\nThe project team starts to work much better than the mother organization. This is starting to annoy the stakeholder as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:32:00<\/td>\nAgain, the hidden project leader turns the project manager as she wants.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:37:00<\/td>\nLoss of a key team member.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:39:10<\/td>\nHigh-level risk is triggered. Information about the secret project appears at the official level, and not from rumors and the media.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:44:00<\/td>\nThe project is closed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              1:48:00<\/td>\nNo life without project management! New mission. New project. Maintaining relationships with the previous team.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

              Project Management Summary<\/h2>\n
                \n
              • Project Initiation<\/strong>: Captain Pantoja is given a unique assignment by the army, which serves as the project initiation. His superiors outline the objectives, constraints, and the stakeholders involved.<\/li>\n
              • Project Planning<\/strong>: Captain Pantoja needs to plan how he will execute this task. This includes recruiting and training personnel, setting up the service (procuring facilities and transportation), and creating regulations and processes for its operation.<\/li>\n
              • Project Execution<\/strong>: This involves carrying out the plans, managing the team, maintaining quality control, and adapting to unexpected situations.<\/li>\n
              • Monitoring and Control<\/strong>: Pantoja has to monitor the performance of the service, ensure that it is meeting its objectives, and take corrective action if necessary. He also has to manage risks, such as the secrecy of the operation being compromised.<\/li>\n
              • Project Closure<\/strong>: Eventually, all projects come to an end. In this case, the project closure is not well planned, highlighting the importance of proper project closure in real-world project management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                In essence, through the unconventional storyline of “Captain Pantoja and the Special Service”<\/em>, a viewer can gain insights into the principles of project management. The various stages, challenges, and responsibilities of managing a project are presented in an entertaining and engaging manner.<\/p>\n

                Happy viewing! Successful retrospective analysis of the project!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                The project retrospective analysis of the film \u2018Captain Pantoja and the Special Service\u2019, a Peruvian film based on a novel by Mario Vargas Llosa. While on the surface, the film is a dark comedy about a straight-laced army captain charged with creating a mobile brothel service for the army, it also presents a rich case study in project management. The film is perfect for learning about project management as almost every scene includes some type of document, process, or project management tool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[362,361],"tags":[743],"class_list":["post-16980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-notes","category-video","tag-cinemahall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16980"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22256,"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16980\/revisions\/22256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pmdoc.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}