Managing Multiple Projects
How to build a project inventory.

A project inventory is a list of active projects with information that can include planned start and finish dates, the name of the project leader, project priorities, budget totals, project ID numbers and other key project characteristics.  Follow these steps to build a project inventory.

1. The first step would have been to separate projects from non-projects.
    
2. The second step would have been to assure that the projects have clear project titles. 
   
   The list of clear, active project titles forms the basis for a project inventory. 
   
   This project inventory example, which has been edited to six of a water district's 43 projects, points the way for building any project inventory.  A list of project titles in the second column starts the inventory.  Optionally, each project can have a unique project identification number, as shown in the column on the left.
   
   

   Project #	Project Title
   W3-174	Depot Road Water Main Replacement
   W3-244	Central Street Water Main Replacement
   W1-168	Pumping Station #4 Refurbishment
   H2-191-2	Computer System Hardware Upgrade
   W4-183	Westborough Water Storage Capacity Increase
   H0-165	Processes Analysis Project

   
   The choice of project numbers is up to the user.  This water district wanted its project numbers to be more than randomly chosen numbers, so those that start with "W" are "water" projects and those that start with "H" are internal "house" projects.  Some projects cross two or more fiscal years.  The last "2" in the fourth project number, H2-191-2, indicates that the Computer System Hardware Upgrade is in its second year.
    
3. Any information that the planner sees as relevant can be added in new columns.
   
   Projects need a sense of time, so information like project start, project finish, project duration and status (not started, finished, in progress, or waiting) can provide timelines.  The project's leader, its fiscal year budget and a subtitle under the project title have also been added to the example. 
   
   

   Project #	Project Title	Duration (months)	Status	FY Budget	Project Leader
   W3-174	Depot Road Water Main Replacement    Replace 2.5 km of existing pipe	145d	40%	$150k	J. Watson
   W3-244	Central Street Water Main Replacement    Replace and upgrade 1.0 km of existing pipe	3m	100%	$75k	V. Patel
   W1-168	Pumping Station #4 Refurbishment    Replace pump 4A, rebuild 4b, new electrical	4.5m	70%	$140k	R. Swenson
   H2-191-2	Computer System Hardware Upgrade    Terminals, network, servers	15m	TBD	$95k	P. Rinali
   W4-183	Westborough Water Storage Capacity Increase    40,000 to 60,000 units. Now waiting on legal.	5m	On hold	$67k	A. Lopez
   H0-165	Processes Analysis Project    Establishing project definition and scope	6m	0%	TBD	TBD

    
    
4. How to use a project inventory. 
   
   Making a project inventory isn't particularly difficult and it does provide considerable information for decision making and determining project status.  It becomes relatively easy to determine tradeoffs between projects such as which projects to keep, which to cut, which need to be redefined, and which need more (or fewer) resources.
   
   Analysis takes the multiple project manager deep into the inventory, even on an abbreviated project inventory like this sample.  The first project, W3-174, is a 145-day, $150,000 project that's 40% complete.  It's replacing existing pipe which would be fairly routine for a water district so nothing seems out of place.  The second project is done, so there is little need for concern about it, unless the project manager knows otherwise.  There's nothing unusual about the third project at the pumping station either.  H2-191-2, doesn't have a status other than "to be determined" (TBD).  Computer hardware upgrades are not the daily work at a water district.  This is sufficient reason to begin asking some questions about whether this project, which is now in its second year, is really on-track or not.  The next project is on hold for legal reasons.  Has it paused or has it stopped?  This will be something to look into.  The last project hasn't been started, yet the note tells us that the project is "establishing project definition and scope," but if that's true, shouldn't the project be at least 1-2% underway?  It's probably something simple like getting a new status update which can be dealt with later, though if the definition and scope document does not appear soon, that would provide cause for concern.

Project inventories find uses in project reports, management presentations, and in fending off, or at least placing new projects from over-delegators in perspective.  Most importantly they elevate managing multiple projects to the level of controlling fires rather than running around stamping them out.

Create a project inventory and more with Turnkey Managing Multiple Projects.
Learn more about developing project inventories and managing multiple projects in the Multiple Projects Skill Building Workshop.

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