Managing Multiple Projects: How Project Managers Can Balance Priorities, Manage Expectations and Increase Productivity

by Elizabeth Harrin

Project management is changing. Rather than focusing solely on one large project, the majority of project managers are now expected to juggle multiple projects, which brings a different set of challenges.

Between a greater number of project sponsors, resource conflicts and constant pressure from deadlines, it can be difficult to avoid burnout. Managing Multiple Projects blends formal project management techniques with time management and productivity tools in a step-by-step approach to consolidating your workload. From combining schedules to prioritising work and engaging stakeholders, this book clearly explains how to adapt your behaviour and techniques to successfully work on several projects at once.

This practical guide provides answers to commonly asked questions (such as how to reduce the number of meetings and how to manage a To Do list) and includes case studies from real project managers. Checklists for common tasks and adaptable templates of trackers and reports are combined with easily actioned exercises to improve processes. Managing Multiple Projects gives practitioners the tools they need to improve the chances of project success and maintain a work-life balance. Online resources include downloadable templates of productivity checklists and status reports.

Genres: Technology

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2022

About the author

Elizabeth Harrin is a mentor, trainer and speaker and authority on project management. She is the author of several books, most recently Managing Multiple Projects and Engaging Stakeholders on Projects: How to Harness People Power.

She supports small and medium-sized organizations with project management processes and upskilling delivery teams. Elizabeth specializes in helping teams manage multiple projects, engage stakeholders and still leave the office on time. She also provides content design and direction for project-led businesses.

Elizabeth holds degrees from the University of York and Roehampton University and is a Fellow of the Association for Project Management. As a practitioner, Elizabeth has over 20 years of diverse experience in business change and technology projects predominantly in the healthcare and financial services industries.

Reviews

[Mohamed Elnazir · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book cover highlights how project managers can effectively balance priorities, manage expectations, and increase productivity. Written by Elizabeth Harrin, a respected author in the field since the early 2000s, the book falls under the genre of project management and was published on May 1st, 2022.
The book is engaging and enjoyable to read, making it easy to navigate through its pages without feeling bored. It provides a comprehensive approach to managing multiple projects, starting with a helicopter view and drilling down into the details of sorting and organizing them. It covers various aspects such as understanding and categorizing stakeholders, fostering engagement, enhancing productivity, and mitigating factors that may impact it. Additionally, it offers valuable insights on creating conducive environments for optimal project delivery.
While the book offers a robust approach, it could benefit from a deeper focus on addressing challenges and leveraging artificial intelligence to overcome them. Despite this, I highly recommend this book to anyone working in a project environment, as it provides valuable guidance on effectively organizing and managing work of any scale. Personally, it has boosted my confidence in handling multiple projects simultaneously and has proven to be a valuable resource on my desk.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have followed Elizabeth's website for quite some time now and love her work. I was so excited to receive this book in advance, so thank you very much Kogan Page and Elizabeth Harrin! The following review are my own words.

As a project manager I can wholeheartedly say this is a great, modern resource and should be within reach of every PM. Even as a resource to suggest for those starting out in the PM world. The writing is clear and easy to understand. The concepts are wonderfully presented, even the topic and chapter layout are methodical and build upon each other.
As always, Harrin's resources are gold and the appendices in this book are no different. They include checklists and templates with multiple uses for scenarios, for both project and personal development.
This book is a brilliant supporting resource for managing multiple projects, as either a newbie or a seasoned professional just wanting to read up on other methods.
Definitely recommend reading the entire or flipping to a chapter that relates to an issue with project management!

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful guide for project managers or anyone who frequently manage multiple projects. There are concepts and good practices that will help me to improve my project management skills.

ARC was provided by Kogan Page Ltd via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Pub Date: 31 May 2022

[Carter Hemphill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book contains useful strategies and tips for managing multiple projects. While it's geared toward project management in the private sector, the book had some useful strategies and was not a rehash of many other productivity books. The key takeaways and action plans were helpful. The author rightly urges the reader to adopt the practices rather than just be reminded of their usefulness.