The following table illustrates techniques for managing multiple projects, using project categorization, a scaleable methodology, baseline reporting, and exception management.
Priority |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
Area |
4Less than 3 large projects with less than 12 projects overall. |
3Less than 8 large projects, with less than 40 projects overall. |
2Less than 20 large projects, with less than 100 projects overall. |
1Very large, complex multi-project environment; substantial organizational reliance on project success. |
Management Leadership |
Require PM principles be applied to all projects; participate in project selection, approval, milestone reviews, and replan approvals; track baseline data for all projects. |
Require PM disciplines be applied and maintained for all projects; oversee baseline controls, metrics tracking; maintain organization level PM tracking. |
Maintain PM principles and disciplines from top management down; require implementation of PM policy and practices; build PM support infrasturcture. |
Support project management as a core competency; show senior leadership and commitment in words and deeds; build infrastructure of policies, systems, organization and management practices. |
Organization and Staffing |
Include project management in organizational priorities; align organization to support PM objectives; provide for PM in budgets for staff, training, and support systems. |
Define explicit PM functions defined in organization; provide staffing to support metrics, methodologies, and tools. |
Identify managing sponsors for all PMs; maintain dedicated PM support functions; assign senior management POC for oversight of project methodologies, systems, and results. |
Dedicate senior leadership to project management oversight; use strong matrix for PM organization; build project control and support staff; expect PM budget at 6% - 10% of project efforts. |
Policies and Procedures |
Insist on application of project management principles and techniques: documented requirements, realistic plans, periodic reviews, and baseline management for cost, schedule, and technical goals. |
Document PM methodology for flexible application to all projects; establish policies for project selection, approval, definition, baseline control, milestone reviews, and metrics. |
Document PM methodology explicitly for each project; prioritize approval levels, summary metrics and exception reporting. |
Establish a baseline exception management process; classify projects and invoke scaleable PM requirements; provide administrative infrastructure for reviews, tracking, and trend analysis. |
Systems and Tools |
Provide software for integrated scheduling and resource estimating; track project budget, schedule and staff requirements; seek ways to summarize data and share support systems. |
Provide software tools capable of exchanging data and rolling up multi-project summaries and resource leveling; share support tools for administration and controls. |
Provide automated PM tools and methodology templates; maintain repository of systems, methods, and tools; track user requirement requests. |
Establish enterprise-wide cost and resource tracking; provide family of tools for schedule tracking, data management, action item tracking, cost estimating, historical data bases, etc. |
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