Oh no, what have I done? During my last governance meeting, I agreed to take on another project. The VP made it sound urgent plus it wasn’t very big. So, what’s the big deal? When I arrived to the morning meeting, I realized I was already loaded and have been working hard these past few weeks to stay even. Now, I’ve added more to my plate. It doesn’t look like anything is going to finish anytime soon. This would take some of the pressure off, but that’s wishful thinking.
So, let me think about it––it’s interesting that during times where getting things done relies on finishing tasks. I should be focusing on finishing tasks instead of what I usually do––reporting on how many tasks have started or how many projects have started.
But, I can’t think about that right now. I realize I have a much bigger problem––If I’m in this overloaded situation, so are my team mates. If they’ve started more than one thing, I can count on one hand how many they have finished. What’s worse is that I was the one who assigned these tasks to my team. Not good.
Digging Into the Details
As I sit and dig into a project’s details, I’m looking for tasks to finish. I see some promising places in the network where a few predecessor tasks are done, other predecessor tasks are not even started. Of course, the single successor task these tasks are feeding can’t start until all predecessor tasks are done.
For two of these predecessor tasks, I dedicated one resource each. For the other two tasks, I only have one person, Marvin, who can do the work (even though we planned on having two people with similar skills doing the work). It seems like there is always a shortage of available resources. I can think of only a few times where I had everyone I needed at the time I needed them.
I also remember assigning both tasks to Marvin and left it up to him to decide on which task to start with. What I found out in my status meeting this morning, he made progress on both tasks. For a second I was excited to see both tasks had been worked––progress! But, wait a minute! I need tasks to finish, not start.
When I assign tasks, I’m expecting the resources to start them. I need to force myself to limit the number of tasks I assign to my team. Or, not give them the option to choose the one they want to start with. This is counter to what everyone else is doing. No wonder everyone seems busy all the time.
What’s a project manager to do? Which task does the resource get assigned to? Sometimes, it feels like the only thing to do is to flip a coin? Once the resource is assigned, could they switch to the other task and work on it without finishing the one they started on? Sure! And, what if Marvin goes back to the original task? Both tasks will take longer than planned. How much longer? Who knows.
But, what worries me ever more is I can’t predict how long both tasks will take to complete under these conditions. You see, both tasks are estimated to take two days. But, if Marvin switches back and forth between them, how long will they take? I do know that the sooner two tasks start, the later both would finish because of the switching between both tasks. Later means longer. Longer means delays. Delays mean this project is, or will be, in trouble soon. Not good. Not good for me.
Focus On Finishing Projects, Not Starting Them
I’m looking at this all wrong. Instead of focusing on each task, I should be focused on the effect each task has on the project’s due date. It’s finishing a project that counts, not this funny business of trying to finish tasks on time. As long as the tasks take, on average, more or less than the estimate, it will be easier to predict the project’s due date.
But, somebody show me in the project management software where I can see the effect of all the task variability on the project’s due date? It’s not in the software I’m using. I don’t have time right now to do the research. I’ve got to do a better job of focusing and getting things done rather than showing off how busy I am.
In the Meantime
I’ll be a bit more forgiving when my team mates miss their task due dates. I’ll get them some help to catch up, if necessary. That seems like a temporary fix since I still don’t know how these delays effect the project’s due date. There’s got to be better way.
Until I find it, here’s what I’m going to do:
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Trim the number of places in the project networks where two or more tasks need to be completed before the successor task can start. (I’ll call these places “integration points).
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If integration points remain, I’ll try to assign enough unique resources to do the work for all the tasks.
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When it comes to assigning the work, I’ll check with the resources before the assignment to limit the number of tasks I assign them.
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These steps should help, but I’ll be looking for some help. Is it’s a feature in a different project management software? There has to be a better way. I can’t be the first project manager to encounter these problems.
Never the less, I’m going to focus more on finishing tasks rather than starting them. I’m going to focus on finishing more projects before I agree to take on more. I may be less popular with my managers. But not finishing projects on time, breaking the budget and not delivering all the expected features will make them like me even less.