“If you’re very, very interested in project management, it’s actually a formal discipline you can pursue. But short of formal training in complex project management, I want you to take a few simple points away from this column.
Projects naturally have a lifecycle, from beginning to end. Sometimes they stall, and sometimes they fail. Don’t beat yourself up. The more experimental a project, the more likely it is to run into a snag. That’s normal.
Schedule your projects and distinguish between mission-critical projects (those with a promised deadline) and projects you’re just working on. But schedule both so you know when you’re working on what.
Have multiple projects running at once, but don’t overwhelm yourself. You can’t work on them all at once. If you’re good with your scheduling, you can work on one project while waiting for stages on other projects to run their course.
When you commit to a due date and a schedule, make sure you clearly understand the elements. After all, if you promise to get something done by a specific date, it’s not only your word and credibility on the line, but folks are counting on you.
Returning to the tarot example I used earlier, remember that you’re not just launching ships and hoping they come back successfully. For most projects, you’re either a member of the ship’s crew or the captain. Pilot them all with care, meet your commitments, and use a good map.
Managing and juggling multiple projects isn’t magic. You can sometimes make it look that way if you’ve done your planning, know your dependencies and possible snag points, schedule your work, and work your schedule.” – David Gewirtz for DIY-IT & ZD Net, excerpted from the article, “How to take the mystery out of managing multiple projects successfully”, click here to read the article in its entirety.
