Strategies for Managing Multiple Projects at the Same Time

As a project manager, it is a luxury to be able to give your undivided attention to one project at a time. Unfortunately, working on a single project isn’t most project managers’ reality. Instead, they are tasked with managing multiple projects at the same time. 

The last quarter of the year is a hectic time for most businesses. They are focused on finishing lingering projects and successfully navigating the demand of the holiday season. As a result, company leaders require their project managers to be skilled in overseeing multiple projects simultaneously. 

Furthermore, if you are looking to move forward in your project management career, you must demonstrate exceptional time and resource management skills. You are less likely to grow from a project coordinator to a senior project manager without said skills.  

Learning to manage multiple projects at once not only helps propel the company forward but can also land you your next promotion.  

Unfortunately, managing multiple projects can be extremely overwhelming. Luckily, there are a whole host of strategies out there you can implement to ease the workload. Here are eight of them. 

1. Build Diverse and Inclusive Teams  

With multiple projects comes the need for several teams. Although it can be tough to run a team filled with various personalities, backgrounds, and skill levels, it is necessary to manage multiple projects simultaneously. 

Diverse and inclusive teams provide various perspectives and solutions. Because of this, you can solve the many challenges that are sure to come with multiple projects a lot faster. You can also finish those projects much quicker. 

You can build diverse and inclusive teams by: 

• Recruiting worldwide and leveraging a remote workforce. 

• Adding team members with specific skills needed to complete a particular project. 

• Appreciating the power of diverse perspectives.

• Not relying solely on what’s on paper when it comes to candidates. 

• Creating a company culture that welcomes diversity and inclusion.

• Learning specific project management skills that make it easier to work with a diverse team.   

Additionally, you want to have strong bonds with each team member as the project manager. But you also want to encourage your team to have strong relationships with one another.   

2. Encourage Strong Relationships Among Team Members 

It can be challenging to track how well everyone is getting along when you have multiple teams and multiple projects to look after. Still, you want to encourage strong relationships among team members to ensure optimal productivity. 

They’ll also be more likely to go to each other to solve issues first, lessening your load of minor problems, decisions, and tasks that they can take care of themselves. 

Encourage your team members to get to know each other personally on their own time. Then, invite them to work with each other on a rotating basis to ensure everyone has a chance to collaborate and learn from one another. 

You’ll also want to set communication expectations among your teams to ensure everyone receives to support they need to complete their respective projects. 

3. Set Communication Expectations 

There are too many project managers out there trying to manage multiple projects without any rules for how they are going to communicate. As a result, it is killing their ability to complete projects at all. 

For instance, requests for additional resources are often lost because there isn’t a designated channel for these requests, so completing crucial tasks are delayed.   

Share communication expectations with your teams. Ensure they know:

• Which communication channels are available to them (email, phone, chat, video conferencing, in-person meetings).

• What to use each communication channel for (team conflicts, resource requests, water-cooler conversations, team meetings, real-time communication).

• Appropriate times to use these channels. 

• How to deem themselves available or unavailable. 

• Conversation etiquette.

• The communication tools and apps that you use and how to use them. 

In addition, encourage transparent and open communication practices among your teams. Lean into an open door policy. Create those trust-filled individual relationships with your team members. That way, they’ll naturally come to you when they have a concern, need, or other feedback. 

Another strategy for managing multiple projects simultaneously is to create detailed project outlines for your teams to reference. 

4. Create Detailed Project Outlines 

Staying organized is one of the main challenges when managing multiple projects. When you are unorganized, it is usually attributed to poor planning. And poor planning almost always results in project failure. 

So, it is vital you carefully plan out how you’ll complete each project so that your teams can manage their time wisely and use their resources effectively. You can also minimize the many risks that come with managing various projects at once. 

Fortunately, creating and leveraging detailed project outlines keeps all of your teams on the same page and your projects organized. 

Your project outlines should detail:

• The project’s title

• Deadline information

• What team will be working on the project

• Who is on that team 

• What each team member’s responsibilities are 

• The stages of the project

• Which tools you’ll use and how you’ll use them 

• What happens once the project is completed 

• The project’s goals 

• Ongoing maintenance and management projections  

It is also important to prioritize each project and the tasks within each project. 

5. Prioritize Projects and Tasks 

When you have multiple projects on your plate, it is best to prioritize them according to importance. Additionally, you should lay out the tasks in each project in a way that gets the project done efficiently. 

Which projects must be done first? Which have a more significant influence on the company’s bottom line? How should you prioritize the steps in each project? How can you ensure the completion of the most critical projects and tasks first? 

Managing multiple projects is also a lot smoother when you delegate. 

6. Delegate Tasks Effectively 

Trying to do everything yourself is counterproductive. Yet, so many project managers find themselves dipping in every task in every project, unaware of how much they are slowing each team’s progress. 

Instead, delegate tasks to team members who you trust to get the job done. When you see certain team members fly through their workload while still maintaining quality standards, give them more responsibility. 

Keep these team members motivated by varying their tasks and challenging their abilities. Then, pair them with team members who could use some help and ensure you are available whenever they need guidance from a supportive leader.  

Also, when you delegate tasks, refrain from micromanaging. You’ve got enough to do. When you give someone a task, trust them to get the job done. 

Learning to use meetings and check-ins wisely is another strategy for managing multiple projects at the same time. 

7. Use Meetings and Check-ins Wisely

One of the worst things you can do for your teams and projects is schedule unnecessary meetings. Unnecessary meetings and check-ins can interrupt your team’s workflow and decrease the time they have to make valuable contributions.  

So, only schedule meetings when they are absolutely necessary or when your team requests them. Also, when you host a meeting or check-in, only invite teams and team members who need to be there so the others can continue working on project responsibilities. 

Lastly, always take it upon yourself to grow your project management skills. 

8. Continuously Grow Your Project Management Skills 

Managing multiple projects takes some serious skill, but it also takes a real commitment to continuous learning. New techniques, tips, and tools will emerge to help you better manage multiple projects in the future. Keep up with them. 

Continuously grow your project management skills. Learn all that you can about how to manage multiple projects at the same time to:

• Ensure your teams have a highly-skilled, engaged project manager.

• Ensure all your projects are completed and meet quality standards no matter what.

Conclusion: Strategies for Managing Multiple Projects at the Same Time

This is just the beginning of a long list of strategies for managing multiple projects at the same time.

It isn’t easy managing many projects and the teams that come with them. But with a bit of strategy, patience, and organization, you can be successful.