Category Archives: Information

The higher the altitude, the less opportunity to breath and the more focus should be given to conserving valuable energy. If you are not careful you might not reach your goal to conquer Mount Everest. Have you seen this tendency before with high profile projects? There is always somebody breathing down your neck for information, the “are we there yet’s”, and those just waiting for the project to show signs of failure so that they can utter the dreaded “I told you so’s”. These projects have the potential to damage your career and puts you in a position where you are condemned if you do or don’t. So how do Project Managers’ manage these Mount Everest projects?

Let’s look at how a team, planning to conquer Mount Everest, does it.  Visiting the website of Alphine Ascent (www.alpineascents.com), a tour guide company that makes this dream possible for many, it was clear that there are some serious preparations needed before you can even think of taking up the journey.  They are:

• Having the climbing skills and being properly trained. The same applies to managing high profile projects. Wing-it skills will not take you to the top!  You need to understand the principles of project management with previous experience in these altitude types of projects.
• You need to be in good physical and mental condition. Managing a project while having to cope with interpersonal problems can be detrimental to yourself, your position in the organisation and to the project as a whole.
• Be environmentally responsible. In a project management arena especially with high altitude projects, you need to be in tune with the organisation, its strategy and its important partners. Understanding the environment, the political playing field and the ability to be sensitive for environmental influences is key.

It is important to choose a well skilled guide to assist and give you direction. One can easily get lost between political pressure, deadline dates, stakeholder expectations and team frustrations causing a loss of focus on what it is we are really trying to achieve. Project managers cannot always go into it alone, especially with these types of projects. Engage a mentor, somebody that you can bounce ideas off, or even somebody that can just listen when you want to vent some of your frustrations without affecting the team dynamics.

Alpine Ascents plans for an extra day of rest at High Camp for the reason of getting used to the breathing of supplemental oxygen and ensuring that your strength is slightly recovered before tackling the last stretch towards the summit. In project management it is not so different.  We need to build in these rest days especially prior to setting out to complete difficult milestones to ensure that the expectations of the stakeholders are well understood and that the team are well prepared and fit to deliver. It is like halftime breaks during team sports. It is not only there to allow the players the opportunity to catch their breath, but also there to give the coach opportunity to analyse the actions taken by the team in the first half of the game, reconfirm the strategy to be followed, praise the team for their achievements so far and motivate them to go for gold in the second half.

Oxygen is important for climbers at a high altitude and it is important that it’s supply is not limited. Oxygen for project managers of high altitude projects relates to time to think, flexibility to adjust the implementation strategy and the support of people routing for you. Never underestimate the importance of support at all levels of the organisation.

It is important to plan, not only for delivering the project outcomes, but also for support of those key resources at crucial and stressful stretches.  Having an extra hand on summit day to carry vital supplies will greatly assist the team to focus on what cannot be handed over.

Mount Everest for some is deadly, but for others, the pinnacle of their personal growth.  Planning and more planning will ensure that the risks associated with the climb are greatly reduced and the safety of every team member and success for the Project Manager guaranteed.  Junko Tabei stated in 1975 after becoming first woman to climb Everest: “Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is the most important. This willpower you cannot buy with money or be given by others…it rises from your heart”.