This Focused Performance Weblog is a "business management blog" containing links and commentary related primarily to organizational effectiveness with a "Theory of Constraints" perspective. TOC is noted for its applications in Project Management and Multi-Project Management (Critical Chain) and Operations Management (Drum-Buffer-Rope), as well as in Marketing, Strategic Planning and Change Management (TOC Thinking Processes). If you are on an archive page, current postings are found here.
Monday, December 20, 2004
How Many Projects? -- In addition to the good comments offered when I last considered this question, here's a quantitative way of looking at PM workload. (Hey, once a left-brained Industrial Engineer, always a left-brained Industrial Engineer.) I'm talking here about short-term projects, about 4-8 weeks or so, involving at least some creative aspects, a bit of relatively simple tech implementations, and sometimes a bit of web development.
Let's assume a weekly review with clients (who do play the role of resource in the approval of creatives and concepts, as well as in some software installations on their systems.) -- 30 minutes a week. Then an internal status and update review so we can put an organized, in-control face on for the client -- another 30 minutes. Some prep and post wandering around and an analysis for each of these -- another hour or so. 2 hours per week per active project. (Keep in mind these are relatively simple projects with only 2 or 3 parallel chains of tasks and about 6-8 resources involved, including clients.)
For new projects, kickoffs (internal and client) -- 45-60 minutes each, with a half hour prep for the client kickoff, and an hour for detailed planning once the scope is refined beyond what the salesperson told us in the internal (assumes projects similar to things we've done before.) Let's say 3 hours per. At 2-3 per week, that's about a day.
Assuming 2-3 projects closing out per week (hopefully balancing out the new ones), about couple hours of lessons learned processing.
On top of project work, let's include about 15% of time for administrivia, collegial discussion, process improvement, and general chaos and necessary goofing off...6 hours per week.
So... 40 hours minus 6 leave 34 for project stuff. 34 minus minus 2 for closeouts leaves 32. 8 hours for new projects leave 24 for active projects. At 2 hours per, we're left with 12 projects per PM, more or less. (Sounds familiar.)
Your mileage will vary.
[Whoops -- Forgot those projects for which the PM takes on occasional task responsibility. Oh well...close enough for jazz.]
posted by Frank - Permanent Link -
|
View Frank Patrick's profile
