How is possible to manage more than 15 projects simultaneously?

Could you please share literature related to this?
Where can i read/learn about PMO strategies and tools?

Is not about project complexity. In fact, it is hard to define what is a complex project because it will depends on the environment and your organization. In my personal opinion and experience it will depend on the amount of time you asigned to project management activities. The other thing is to understand what you do need to put in place regarding project management process. What you stated above (reports, risk and issues, milestones) are the minimal to use. Timeline control has sense if and only if you control at summary level (similar to workpackage) instead of control at detailed activities because things at detailed activities never happend as planned into the schedule.

Well now that you state how open I am defining complexity I guess you are right. What i meant was that the product itself it's complex and manage the details of the product to be launch considering that automotive industry has tough requirements/specifications and the start of production dates cannot be delayed it's what make the projects complex.


That is why i am looking for a way to get indicators, tools, strategies to better manage and control the overall performance of my department/area, each project itself has complexity due to the nature of the product but in addition to that we have 15product launch projects running simultaneously, some are in the initial phases (initiation and planning), some others are in execution, non of them are in closing phase and it will be like this for a 3-5 months, so it's difficult to keep up without having surprises.

It is ALL about project complexity and to determine this, as should be done at the start and throughout the life cycle, is actually very simple. Complexity will determine how must effort you need to spend on different areas to ensure that everything stays on track. Also, the complexity of a project can change during the life cycle and therefore it must be evaluated continually. Depending on the type of project and environment I will have anything from 10 to 15 parameters that I will evaluate and monitor. It is because people don't do this that they go 'what the hell just happened' when the wheels fall off.

Sorry, I fully disagree. What is complex for one organization could be not complex for other. And some organization will pay attention to complexity while other not. It is a matter of strategy. That is all about. Believe me, today I am working managing programs for all Latin America in one of the hugh companies in the world. Complexity is not a meassure for us.

Interesting, then how you control projects success/performance.
Recalling what i say in a previous post, when i refer complexity, I meant product complexity which make difficult to keep up with timings. But you are right, complexity is a subjective term qualification depending on the organization you work with, basically if I get your point right you say complexity depends on the strenghts and weaknesses of your organization, and how you work to overcome that combination will make complex the project or not.

If this is correct, then what is a trued measure/indicator to control projects in volume, I mean when they are too many. What are the tools, techniques, actions should be taken to at minimum be able to detect risks and keep them under control?

You are joking right! I mean really, complexity has no bearing on a project? Let me correct you quickly:

a) Nowhere did I state that the parameters used to evaluate project complexity should or is the same for all projects.
b) Nowhere did I state that project complexity is fixed and can be compared across projects and organizations.

To name just a few common metrics - working with unknown tech increases the complexity of as a project, working with a large disconnect group of stakeholders increases the complexity of a project, doing this in one region of the world will have a different complexity that in another region etc, etc.

Based on the level of complexity you will adjust your strategy for execution, not the other way around. How do you define a strategy if you do not have insight regarding the complexity of a project? If I work with unknown/new tech I will define a strategy that places focus on this area to ensure it is managed properly by means of upskilling, resourcing etc. The next time I evaluate my project complexity this particular parameter will be down if I have executed the strategy correctly i.e. the new tech is not a threat anymore. If it increased or stayed stagnant then something is wrong e.g. I've lost SME skills and I can then adjust my strategy based on this information.

I won't bore you with my project palmarès.