Choosing between two projects that want the same people
When two projects compete for the same team, the trade-off often goes to whoever shouts loudest. A few simple criteria, set next to the figures, make it possible to decide calmly.
In a portfolio, projects share the same people. As long as the workload holds, all is well. When it overflows, you have to choose which project goes first, and that choice is often made in the corridor.
Put the figures side by side
In our example, the workshop extension study and the packaging line installation need the same people from the engineering team. The first is at 35%, with a 56-hour variance. The second at 67%, with a 45-hour variance, and commissioning planned for December 18.
Three questions to decide
- which deadline is firm, and which can move?
- what does a week's delay cost on each project?
- which is closest to a usable result?
A written decision
Here, the packaging line has a firm deadline and is nearing completion: it takes priority until December 18. The extension study, whose deliverable can slip, resumes at full speed afterwards. The decision is written down, dated, and known to both project managers.
What it prevents
A decision based on figures and shared criteria avoids two pitfalls: implicit trade-offs, where everyone pulls in their own direction, and forgotten trade-offs, which get re-argued at every meeting.