How do you divide time between different projects?

Question

I am sure we have all been in this boat. You have two or more projects that are both critical and need to get done. How do you split your time to handle each project?

Ideally you could go to the stakeholders and get them to decide the order. Well, that's what I would do. But let's say they both need their projects progressed for some reason. Would you spend the morning on one project and the afternoon on the other? Work on one today and the other tomorrow? Swap every hour?!

What works best for you? How do you deal with the overhead of changing gears?

Answer 1

I'd do it in day chunks if I had the choice.

I don't deal well with changing gears, I just deal with it.

Answer 2

If the projects are from one person, I make them prioritize it for me.

If they are for two or three folks, I let them duke it out.

If it's in the context of customer support, I find the 'hottest' problem, and work on it until it's in a waiting-for-customer state, then move to the next hot issue.

Answer 3

I would spend a couple of days on each before alternating. It is extremely difficult to switch contexts and 'load' the entire problem back into your head in order to get productive work done.

Answer 4

In a perfect world, I'd split it up by days or weeks. In the real world, I respond to whatever fire is burning the brightest!

Answer 5

There is a discussion of this here.

Answer 6

I work until I have to get a result from someone else or something (ie meeting) interrupts me. Then I switch contexts.

Answer 7

Important: never complete all projects or you will divide by 0, which will throw a life-threatening exception.

Answer 8

I'd probably set it up much like the time-slices of an operating system.

Define a max-size chunk, say 4 hours. This is the MOST time you'll work on one project without trying to get something done on the other.

• Work on the current project.
• If a blockage comes up on that project, and that blockage will be longer than, say 10 minutes, switch tasks.
• If your 4 hour time limit is up, switch tasks.
• Repeat.

Answer 9

Evaluate first! Split the remaining tasks of both projects in very little subtasks. As detailed as possible. Spend one day for that if you need that much time. Use MS Project or other project management tool, comfortable for you.

Now you have the detailed picture and you can see for yourself how much estimated time do you have for each subtask and tasks dependency. Then you can pick one task from the first project and finish it. No matter the task needs an hour, a day or a week. Just finish it. Then pick next task from the second project and finish it. If you split well - you can do at least two tasks per day for the different projects. This way you see the progress of both projects and you can report anytime to each customer what is the current progress.

Also you can negotiate which features are really important and which can wait after the current deadline.

Answer 10

Well what I try to do is:

Do a complete a feature list and analysis on the projects that I need to do, as much times as it takes.

Them divide the task and features in small pieces as possible, and see what is common or what can be reused for all or most project

Them start on what can be reused, as much as possible, and start task switch, as already answered but with this common Feature/task in mind, so in a very short time and as little time as possible you have some good work done in all projects.

The rest you have to prioritize.

What project is the most critical to:

You

The client

To project that will get you the most market share, the most revenue, etc