At 68 projects, I think you're probably doing portfolio management rather than actively leading the projects, or some of them require little to none of your time.
I've been an actual PM on up to about 15 before, but one or two require significant time commitment, 4 might need my attention once in a while, and the rest I am just assigned to keep an eye on in case something unexpected happens and it won't fix itself.
Beyond that, fundamental laws of physics start to limit your involvement. If you assume only 80% of your time is directly applicable to projects, at 68 projects, you have less than 30 minutes each week for each. Saving Changes...
LORI WILSONRETIRED - Technical Project Manager| RETIRED - LifePoint HealthClarkston, Wa, United States
68 projects seems excessive to me - how is that doable or even sustainable? I have 3 projects in 18 hospitals. This means I am helping to implement 3 different software systems in 18 hospitals. 2 of these platforms have already been implemented, but there are still issues or items to resolve post go live and they have not been officially closed yet until those things have been resolved. I work with anywhere from 5-12 people from each hospital which means some days I can receive over 100 emails. I feel like I am tap dancing on a moving floor, so cannot imagine what 68 projects... or even the 15 projects Keith mentioned...would feel like! What you are doing is impressive for sure! Saving Changes...
David MillerTechnical Project Manager| nVisionScottsdale, Az, United States
I’m putting in 60+ hours a week and I feel it’s impossible to maintain I’m trying to get management to hire more PMs Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
My recommendation, think about moving on to other opportunities. Why would anyone be okay with that excessiveness? I'm sure the organization is happy, saving tons of salary dollars. If you're happy, great. I'd be concerned at your well being and just how sustainable this really is. Saving Changes...
If the goal of the leadership team is maximizing utilization, congratulations - that goal is met. If instead, they are interested in maximizing value delivered, then anything approaching double digit number of projects is marginalizing the role of the PM to being purely a firefighter.
