{"id":17909,"date":"2018-11-12T12:07:40","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T11:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/?p=17909"},"modified":"2023-07-17T11:24:43","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T09:24:43","slug":"5-tips-for-managing-multiple-projects-at-once","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/en\/blog\/5-tips-for-managing-multiple-projects-at-once\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Managing Multiple Projects at Once"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"5<\/p>\n

Managing multiple projects at once is an everyday reality for many project managers<\/a>. From an organization’s attempt at improving efficiency levels or due to resource limitations, there are many reasons why companies feel it’s necessary.<\/p>\n

In this article, I’ll discuss the common obstacles that are faced with working in a multi-project environment as well as how to overcome them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"focus<\/p>\n

The Challenges Faced in a Multi-Project Environment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Managing an individual project<\/a> alone already comes with a plethora of challenges, so imagine what it’s like when your workload is increased! While different project managers will experience varying issues, there are two common obstacles most are likely to face. They are:<\/p>\n

Resource Management<\/b><\/h3>\n

<\/b>When working in a multi-project environment, the risk of resource conflict is all too real. Although there may be a bit of squabble over fancy new equipment, the resource most at risk is the employees, the very people who get the work done<\/a>. In many cases,\u00a0<\/span>quality resources\u2014including team members\u2014are already scarce and the need to share them amongst a number of projects only adds to the equation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Correct resource allocation then becomes imperative. Your job as the project manager is to ensure that the appropriate project resource management process is applied. That means taking into consideration that you are operating in a multi-project environment and a process fit for a single project<\/a> simply won’t cut it. I<\/span>ncorrect process implementation is a <\/span>leading cause of multi-project management failures<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multi-Tasking<\/b><\/h3>\n

<\/b>At first glance, the concept of multi-tasking gives the impression that you can accomplish more when doing several things at once. But as research shows, the opposite is true as it can actually reduce your productivity by <\/span>40 <\/span><\/a>per cent. The reason for this is that j<\/span>uggling more than one task at a time requires you to constantly stop, start, and switch between tasks. Not only can this impede focus and concentration, but it can also add delays to the project you are working on.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, managing multiple projects means you may find yourself multi-tasking at some point. If so, there are things you can do to lower the chances of interrupting focus such as limiting the number of tasks you do at once and allocating time blocks<\/a> for each task. University of Michigan researcher <\/span>David Meyer<\/a>\u00a0suggests<\/span>\u00a0designating about 20 minutes to each task and being fully devoted to that particular task during this time period before switching to another.<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n