What are the important thing challenges when engaged on a number of initiatives concurrently? How do you prioritize work when every thing is necessary?
I requested 570 undertaking managers these questions (and extra) to seek out out what life is like in 2024 for undertaking managers main a number of initiatives, to comply with on from my analysis on the identical matter in 2022.
On this article, we’ll dive into my 2024 analysis outcomes and also you’ll study:
- The three challenges that undertaking managers battle with
- The important thing expertise required for managing a number of initiatives
- What number of undertaking managers are overwhelmed with work
- The size of AI instruments in use by undertaking managers.
View the uncooked information
Scroll right down to interrogate the info set which is embedded on the finish of this text.
This wasn’t a survey about undertaking portfolio administration on the PMO stage. As an alternative, I needed to know what it’s like as somebody who has a workload made up of a number of initiatives – as a result of that’s the world I dwell in too.
Concerned with how these managing a number of initiatives statistics differ from different analysis I’ve carried out? Try these:
Most undertaking managers work on associated initiatives
Most undertaking managers reported managing 2 to five initiatives, which is in line with my different analysis and previous surveys. So no change there.
This time I requested about how these initiatives are managed, and 73% of the time it’s with a person plan.
What’s unusual is that fifty% of respondents stated that their initiatives are associated ultimately, for instance by consumer, so that they completely may consolidate plans. Solely 14% consolidate plans by sponsor or consumer/buyer.
Leaders do not make use of the chance to consolidate plans – though we also needs to acknowledge that typically the portfolio of labor you get means you’ll be able to’t simply consolidate anyway.
19% of undertaking managers are overwhelmed
Practically 1 in 5 undertaking managers is overwhelmed. And an additional 55% say they handle, however they aren’t loving the job. In actual fact, solely 26% stated they thrive on the problem of managing a number of initiatives.
I’m unsure what we are able to take from this as a result of everyone seems to be completely different, and if I had carried out the survey, I might have answered otherwise relying on what day it was. The place do you fall on the spectrum?
65% of undertaking managers say they battle with perfectionism
Mission managers are busy individuals, however one persona trait is widespread in my mentees and likewise in undertaking managers I meet: perfectionism. I needed to ask about this, as it could actually maintain you again from managing your time successfully if you juggle a number of initiatives.
65% of undertaking managers report fighting being a perfectionist.
Practically 50% stated that being indecisive was an issue. That may result in not having the ability to transfer ahead with out extra information or extra session – and whereas that could possibly be a great factor in sure conditions, typically you simply want to maneuver on.
35% of survey respondents stated that placing further time into getting ready was a battle for his or her time administration.
Sure, now we have to do a great job, however if you’ve acquired a number of initiatives on the go, it’s unimaginable to offer each job the gold-plated normal. Some duties need to be carried out nicely and a few duties merely should be carried out.
A undertaking supervisor says…
I’ve discovered that attending to know my weaknesses has helped, for instance, if I procrastinate why?
If I over put together or am a perfectionist why is that this and the way can I handle these fears?
If I battle to undertake new methods of working and to vary then how can I assist myself successfully?
Additionally, to acknowledge my group’s tradition and what can and can’t be modified has helped me to let some issues go as past my management to vary.
Most undertaking managers prioritize their very own workload
Half of undertaking managers prioritize their very own workload as a result of there isn’t any one else to do it for them.
- 16% have workloads prioritized by the PMO
- 17% have workloads prioritized by their supervisor
And should you don’t have these in place, or one other means, then the one choice is to attempt to work out what’s crucial work your self. That’s not straightforward, and it’s an additional burden for undertaking professionals.
A undertaking supervisor says…
It’s chaos, however the cat-herding may be extremely rewarding when it’s profitable. I attempt to focus much less on what number of initiatives I’ve and extra on clearing the trail for the implementers. They don’t want me to do their job, they want me to allow their job. Getting the purple tape out of their means builds an unimaginable sense of shared focus and camaraderie.
Communication is crucial ability for managing a number of initiatives
Unsurprisingly, and in step with final time’s survey outcomes, communication was ranked crucial ability for managing initiatives by 90% of undertaking managers.
Communication was carefully adopted by:
- Planning/scheduling (84%)
- Stakeholder engagement (62%)
- Staff administration (53%)
- Useful resource administration (50%) and extra on that under
- Management (49%)
- Danger administration (39%)
Governance got here in final at solely 31%. My very own expertise bears this out – if you’re busy, you lose a variety of the governance and a focus to element since you simply don’t have time to fill in one more doc that nobody will learn. Give attention to doing the governance paperwork and processes that make a distinction.
A undertaking supervisor says…
I don’t take pleasure in managing a number of initiatives, particularly as the vast majority of my initiatives don’t interlink, they’re separate work areas with separate groups. Day after day, issues are at all times a rush, and I don’t have the time to actually perceive the matters of labor, the initiatives themselves and get to know the groups nicely sufficient. It at all times seems like you might be on the floor stage. There isn’t any time to plan correctly with a purpose to get forward of conditions, and feels prefer it’s a relentless battle of points arising.
Most undertaking managers curate their very own templates
I assumed that almost all undertaking managers would have entry to a normal doc repository in all however the smallest of organizations. Nonetheless, this doesn’t appear to be the case. 63% of undertaking leaders say they’ve their very own library of previous paperwork that they use to construct out their undertaking documentation.
Solely 35% have entry to a PMO library of ordinary templates.
Folks had been capable of choose a couple of reply right here, so it’s attainable that some survey respondents have their very own template library and a PMO normal doc repository.
A undertaking supervisor says…
I believe the largest factor I wish to know is how I can create my own checklists. We did have a PMO, but it surely’s been dissolved and I’ve been largely left alone.
Managing assets on a number of initiatives
90% of initiatives use shared assets. In different phrases, the subject material consultants working in your undertaking are additionally engaged on different initiatives. Having a devoted, full-time group is uncommon.
The most typical solution to get individuals to work on initiatives is to speak to group leaders. That’s been a part of the PMI useful resource administration processes for so long as I can bear in mind, however in actuality, undertaking managers usually don’t have the seniority or authority to easily safe assets simply by asking.
Practically 40% of undertaking managers have already got recognized assets by the point the undertaking will get to them which I believe is sweet.
A undertaking supervisor says…
It’s extremely difficult. Via this function, I’ve discovered greater than ever that widespread sense just isn’t widespread, assets can’t at all times be relied upon to do the work they’re assigned to do and/or by the deadline they’ve agreed to do it. Vendor administration has additionally gotten considerably more durable over time – requiring SOWs and enterprise necessities to be extra specific and detailed than they’ve ever been within the occasion it’s recognized that there are points with deliverables (high quality, gaps in necessities, timeliness) – I’ve personally skilled all 3 this 12 months with at the least 2 initiatives. Conferences are as a rule recorded (us and vendor). RfPs and POCs are additionally rising as a result of there’s a lack of belief that distributors can ship what they’re promoting. It’s a facet of undertaking administration that I don’t notably love.
A undertaking supervisor says…
Throughout the initiatives I work on I usually encounter accountability points when main initiatives. Though the initiatives are given the inexperienced mild to progress and are carefully aligned to methods and there are outlined stakeholders the organizational tradition tends to function on the facet of over session. This ends in lack of resolution making as nobody individual takes possession even when this possibly their duty. This results in circling round completely different stakeholders to attempt to safe a choice. This in flip creates delays in progressing the work or in some circumstances the undertaking change into shelved and not seen as a precedence.
Do AI instruments assist handle initiatives?
In a phrase, no. AI instruments don’t (but) assist the vast majority of undertaking managers do their day by day work. Solely 19% of respondents reported getting access to and utilizing AI instruments. Everybody else both doesn’t have entry to the instruments or doesn’t use them.
The obstacles to entry flagged within the verbatim feedback had been principally round safety issues and AI instruments not being ‘inside coverage’ to make use of. I believe insurance policies have to catch up, in any other case increasingly more staff will begin utilizing AI instruments outdoors of the officially-sanctioned merchandise. Shadow IT has at all times been an issue however it could be extra of a priority as people attempt to faucet into the instruments which can be on the market however that aren’t formally in use.
Monitoring time (or not)
Most undertaking managers (54%) don’t monitor time on their initiatives, but it surely’s very shut. The survey didn’t ask individuals to say what trade they labored in, so I might assume that individuals who do monitor time work in skilled providers, businesses or different client-facing roles.
They might additionally work in in-house roles on initiatives the place exercise may be capitalized for accounting causes if they’re creating an asset (like we are able to do right here within the UK) and that will require them to trace time at the least at a excessive stage.
A undertaking supervisor says…
I really like the quick tempo and no two days are not often the identical. You must be tremendous organized and it helps when you have the identical sponsor or stakeholders for some initiatives. Engaged on a number of initiatives is an effective way to get to know an enormous vary of stakeholders throughout your group throughout, each enterprise and know-how, in addition to exterior distributors. It actually helps me to leverage governance supplies and paperwork from earlier initiatives so I’m not ranging from scratch every time.
My initiatives would usually in at numerous phases of the lifecycle so I needed to prioritize my time based mostly on which was at a most important level or which had probably the most crucial points – however steadiness it in order that I used to be nonetheless on high of all milestones and stored up good communications with stakeholders / sponsors.
I usually discovered I needed to work late or at weekends as I had little time through the work day as can be in again to again conferences because of the quantity of initiatives I used to be managing in parallel – this was the one time I had an opportunity to compensate for actions from conferences, emails, write documentation. I attempted to maintain my Fridays as assembly free as attainable or block out time in my calendar if I wanted to arrange a doc and was struggling to seek out the time.
What can we study from these outcomes
So what does this survey inform us? Listed below are my key takeaways.
- With almost 20% of undertaking managers reporting overwhelm, we run a severe danger of dropping expertise.
- Most undertaking managers are perfectionists! We need to do a tremendous job and don’t prefer it when organizational tradition or workload means we are able to’t.
- Managers have to play a a lot higher function in setting priorities.
- Organizations have to up their recreation by creating standardized paperwork and processes for undertaking administration to alleviate the burden of getting to create new supplies on each undertaking.
- Consolidate your undertaking plans to avoid wasting your self time! Learn the way in my guide, Managing Multiple Projects.
View the info
Survey notes
This survey ran from finish of June to early August 2024. It was promoted to my neighborhood on electronic mail and social media, so respondents self-selected to participate. There have been 732 members, leading to 570 accomplished surveys. Round 6% of 680 respondents to the screening query answered by saying they had been solely managing one undertaking, and so they had been excluded from persevering with with the survey.
