Arguably, managing multiple projects is very challenging in many organizations. As a matter of fact, there are numerous potential problems that are associated with requiring project team members to be part of multiple projects at the same time. There are current practices, which ignores basic project categories, project priorities, multiple tool application, as well as project standards. Lack of adherence to these basics of projects complicates the initiation and start-up of various projects especially when the project team is required to be part of multiple projects at the same time. It is crucial to assert that every project has its goals and objectives that the project team must always focus on this complicate the entire process of participating in multiple projects.
Obviously, the greater the project team operational responsibility and the more the number of projects, the challenges will be more. The output in most cases is indirectly proportional to the number of challenges; this implies that when the challenges are more the level of output is low (Pinto, 2010). Another potential problem that the project team faces is poor of lack of communication. Perhaps, when the communication among project team is affected it leads to misunderstanding, which is reflected in the participation in the project development process (Williams & Champion, 2011). Lack of communication is a potential problem in attaining equal project visions, objects and goals.
Poor coordination among project team can be a potential problem. When the project team is expected to be part of multiple projects, there is a possibility of poor coordination among its members. Every team in an organization depends mostly on the coordination, and if there is no coordination then it means the entire projects will fail (Meredith & Mantel, 2012). The multiple projects will be disconnected; hence, the organization is put in an adverse position. In such a case, team projects must create a proper master plan that will keep the multiple projects connected.
In addition, conflicts between project methodologies and operational activities is a potential problem to team projects who are expected to be involved in many projects. In fact, there is a possibility of unbalanced workload, whereby, one or two projects is taking over the other multiple projects. When a team is working on multiple projects of equal importance, team members in most cases tend to allocate effort and attention unevenly, which will lead to workplace strain and stress (Pinto, 2010). The dynamics of projects keep on changing, and when the project team is expected to be involved in multiple projects, then they are forced to adjust. The adjustment period is a potential problem since it may slow down the entire project.
Despite the potential problems of a team involved in multiple projects, multitasking on projects also comes with various advantages. It is not easy for a team to be involved in multiple projects, but when the challenges are tackled it can be very effective and efficient (Mittal, 2009). Working in multiple projects eliminates work boredom that comes with working on the same projects every day. The more the projects, the more interesting it becomes (Pinto, 2010). Moreover, working on multiple jobs increases the experience of the team and presents more opportunities to learn more things. In fact, this is one of the distinct advantages of working in multiple projects because it helps in enhancing the overall experience in various fields.
Leadership is essential is the development of projects; multitasking is an avenue to prove leadership qualities. It shows the skills and ability to prioritize and plan for multiple projects at the same time. Certainly, working on multiple projects is also advantageous because it increases team confidence, and when it is well utilized it leads to maximum utilization of resources. In general perspective, working on multiple projects has potential problems and advantages.
Reference
Meredith, J. R., & Mantel, S. J. (2012). Project management: A managerial approach. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Mittal, Prashant. (2009). Programme Management: Managing Multiple Projects Successfully. Global India Pubns.
Pinto, J. (2010). Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage and MS Project. New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Williams, C., Hall, I., & Champion, T. (2011). MGMT. Toronto: Nelson Education.
