Multiple Project Management Challenges

The Role of Multiple Project Management
The adage that, “Whenever you want to do something, you have to do something else first” is especially relevant for project management since even straightforward and simple projects typically involve performing several preliminary steps. This also means that larger, complex project usually involve several smaller subprojects, and these must be carefully managed together with other ongoing organizational projects. In sum, multiple project management represents a challenging enterprise, but there are some steps that project managers can take to help facilitate the process. The purpose of this paper is to provide a definition of the best practices and applicable methodologies for multiple project management together with a summary of the research and important findings concerning these requirements in the conclusion.
Review and Discussion
Best practices and applicable methodologies for multiple projects
It is reasonable to suggest that most – if not all – people have multiple project management experience even if they do not realize it. Indeed, from the toddler stage on, human beings are compelled to manage multiple projects throughout their lives in order to survive and thrive. In this regard, Dobson and Dobson (2011) point out that, “Everybody manages projects, not merely at work but also in coping with everyday life. If you manage more than one project at a time, you’re managing multiple projects” (p. 2). Moreover, it is rare for any practitioner to manage a single project at one time because the exigencies of the business world require juggling numerous projects at any given time. It is important to note, though, that although many people pride themselves on being proficient “multi-taskers,” multiple project management is different because tasks are isolated, single efforts while projects involve coordinating organizational resources to achieve a specific outcome (Dobson & Dobson, 2011).
While every project is unique in various ways and will therefore require an individualized project management strategy, some of the best practices identified in the relevant literature for optimal multiple project management include the following:
1. Communicate with all project stakeholders (i.e., team members, managers, project sponsors, and clients) from the outset of the project;
2. Create a risk response team as the first line of defense to manage projects as they arise;
3. Conduct a project kick-off meeting that includes all stakeholders (if stakeholders are located in different geographic locations, use videoconferencing tools);
4. Develop a detailed work definition document that all stakeholders formally approve;
5. Create a detailed work plan drawing on relevant guidance from handbooks and project management “bibles” as well as lessons learned from previous projects of a similar type;
6. Document everything that occurs during the project’s lifecycle;
7. Explain how changes will affect resource allocation and timeline requirements to avoid scope creep;
8. In the event the scope of the project changes, ensure that all stakeholders agree by signing a new agreement; and,
9. Conduct a project wrap-up meeting to identify strengths and weaknesses and to develop new lessons learned for future projects (Coolman, 2017).
Likewise, although the best practices and methodologies used for managing multiple projects in the everyday life and organizational contexts are focused on achieving the same type of successful outcomes, the latter type of multiple project management usually involves some type of formal approach that uses various tools, methods and techniques.
Definition of the tools, methods and techniques employed for multiple project management
In general, the project management method involves the following steps:
1. Initiating the project;
2. Planning the project;
3. Implementing the project;
4. Evaluating and reviewing the project; and,
5. Disseminating information about the project and its outcomes (Lyons, 2009).
Furthermore, besides various project management software applications, there are several tools, methods and techniques available to help oversee these steps, including work breakdown schedules, spreadsheets, network diagrams, resource utilization plans, budget plans, project milestone plans, work flow graphs and project progress graphs of various types (Richman, 2012). In addition, conventional databases can also be used to help identify opportunity for multiple projects to share organizational resources whenever possible (Richman, 2012).
Typical challenges faced by project manager during multiple project management
The coursework underscored the harsh fact that few projects are completed without undergoing some type of change during its lifecycle, and many are changed a number of times. This reality is understandable given the disparate interests of the numerous stakeholders that are typically involved, especially in larger projects, and it is reasonable to suggest that project sponsors share the same specific interests in achieving an optimal outcome as team members who recognize that their contributions are temporary and may not receive the rewards and recognition they warrant.
Other common challenges that are faced by many project managers during multiple project management include scoop creep that can adversely affect the ability of the organization to allocate adequate resources to other ongoing projects as well as the inevitable competition for shared organizational resources which by definition are already scarce. In other words, all project stakeholders will likely regard their priorities, views and needs as superior to everyone else’s so the multiple project manager walks a fine line in balancing these competing interests. Here again, though, specialized multiple project management software applications can facilitate this process.
Finally, the coursework also emphasized that the challenges that are routinely faced during multiple project management are not necessarily just a mathematical addition of the challenges that are involved in managing a single project, but are rather compounded geometrically. Therefore -- and perhaps most importantly of all -- simply keeping track of all of the competing demands for daily oversight of complex projects represents an especially challenging aspect of multiple project management, making the need for the use of appropriate tools, methods and techniques especially pronounced.
Conclusion
As the term connotes, multiple project management simply means managing more than one project at a time, but the research was consistent in emphasizing that this is where the simplicity ends. Indeed, the effective management of multiple projects simultaneously requires diligent oversight and a keen eye for problems, preferably before they occur but for identifying ways to prevent them from derailing project progress at any rate. The research also showed that multiple project managers have a wide array of tools, methods and techniques available that can help them coordinate the competing requirements of multiple projects.

References
Coolman, A. (2017, May 3). Don’t forget these 10 project management best practices. Project Management. Retrieved from https://www.wrike.com/blog/project-management-best-practices-infographic/.
Dobson, M. S. & Dobson, D. S. (2011). Managing multiple projects. New York: American Management Association.
Lyons, A. G. (2009, April). Project management: Tools and techniques for today's ILS professional. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 93(2), 288-291.
Richman, L. (2012). Improving your project management skills. New York: American Management Association.