How to handle an Everest sized project

How to handle an Everest sized project                                                     160111

            When Brigadier Sir John Hunt, the leader of the 1953 British expedition to Everest was asked to summarise the reasons why they made it as the first team to reach the summit of Mount Everest, he sited seven reasons which I believe can be applied to any project that is considered big and guarantee success.

            It must be made clear that at the time of the climb of Everest there had been eleven expeditions sent to try and get information on Everest and eight of them had the definite mission of getting to the top. They tried and failed all these eight times with some so near yet so far. Just six months before the day of the ascent the Swiss team had reached within three hundred metres of the summit but failed to make it. Here are the seven reasons why Everest was concurred after over thirty years of trying.

            1. All those who climbed on Everest before the 1953 team

In saying this Brigadier Hunt was saying that without all the knowledge that they received from those who climbed the mountain before, it was going to be difficult to know what to expect and, therefore, impossible to make the necessary preparations. Many men had died on the mountain on earlier expeditions among them George Leigh Mallory who failed to return when he and Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the summit and apparently plunged to their death in June 1924. Only an ice axe was found later, marking the site of the accident. It was at their memorial service that a speaker pointed at a picture of Everest in the hall and declared, “Everest, we will climb you one day, because we can grow but you cannot”. It was this spirit that inspired one expedition after another to go back on the mountain, and bit by bit they gathered information that the team of 1953 used to make preparations and eventually reach the top.

            2. Planning

Of all the teams that went up the big mountains, none was as prepared as the 1953 expedition. The plans were drawn in detail well before they left for the Himalayas. They had planned to the letter what was going to be done at every stage. They had heard from the Swiss team about the problems likely to be faced and what to do to increase the chances of success. All the equipment was ordered according to this plan, and what a successful plan it turned out to be.

            3. Preparations

The team prepared thoroughly for the climb. They spent three weeks in the Everest region climbing to almost the highest peaks there so as to acclimatize. By the time they took the work to the real mountain they were already used to being at great heights, something that made them effective in all they did.  

            4. Excellence of equipment

The equipment that they used was designed specifically to suit their needs on the mountain. This made their stay comfortable and, therefore, they could carry out their tasks effectively. Their boots were lighter but warmer and resistant to freezing. The oxygen equipment was tested and redesigned to suit the conditions under which it was to be used. The tents were light but wind resistant. All this helped them reach the top.

            5. The Sherpas who carried their loads up the mountain

These are mountain men who live high in the mountainous Himalaya area and are greatly acclimatized to high altitude. These worked well under difficult conditions. It was them who carried many tones of equipment up the mountain; the equipment that these men used to get to the top. The team of thirteen who were on standby to attempt to reach the top could not carry heavy loads otherwise they would not have enough energy to reach the top. It, therefore, remained on these Sherpas to carry the bulk of the loads.

            6. The teamwork of the whole expedition

The team chosen was carefully selected according to their abilities apart from mountaineering proper. One was in charge of food; another on oxygen equipment used for climbing. Each one had a specific task according to the plan. Every member carried out their tasks without complaining. Others went on to take other responsibilities that they were not obliged to carry. They operated as a team throughout their stay on the mountain. The Sherpas who were carrying their loads also came in to compliment the teamwork and together they did the impossible.

            7. The favor of the weather

In the highest parts of Everest the weather is so severe that anyone found up there when it is at its worst will have no chance of survival. Some earlier teams failed to reach the top because the weather was too severe for anyone to climb. The 1953 team was fortunate enough to have clear weather when they had the right men in the right place. If they had arrived a week earlier or later the weather may have been different and the result may as well have been different too.

            When you have a project that seems to be too big for you, consider finding out from those who have ‘climbed the same mountain’ earlier. Use the given information to draw a plan that gives you details as much as possible about the things you will do. This means you do not waste time planning when the time for execution comes. There must be room, however, for slight changes on the ground. Follow your planning with serious preparations to make sure everything is going to work. Try the equipment to be used under similar conditions.

            To increase your chance of success, use the best equipment available for the task at hand. Make sure this equipment is available in the right quantities and specifications. Choose a team that can work together well under pressure. If there is no teamwork everything will collapse before reaching the top. All people in the team must be selfless enough to do things for the team and not for individual glory.

            When all these are in place you have to wait until you get the right conditions. This is the only thing you are not in control of. You have to pray that the conditions are favorable for the project to go through. If the economic or climatic conditions are not the best, the climax may never be reached, depending on the project at hand. It may take time to get the best conditions and all you have to do is to be ready to pounce when the conditions become favorable. This may take time depending on what you are out to achieve but it is worth the wait. You too can produce Everest type results if you keep doing things the way those who went up the mountain first did.