What do you do if you're a team manager juggling multiple projects in Operations Research?

You may benefit from the synergic interrelations across the projects' resources. Thus, you optimize a multidiscipline approach to serve your different but interrelated problems.

If you have multiple projects to handle: 1. Rank each project according to multiple criteria. Identify the constraints. For example, the durations of the project, the cost involves, the number of man power according to their expertise, the tools/softwares needed, the priority of each project, the scheduling. 2. Come up with a model such as multiple objectives, multiple criteria, project management. 3. Run a simulation of project management for each project. 4. Apply decision makings. Do not forget to exercise delegations fairly.

Use the first S of 5S"Sort": - What projects we have ? - Major tasks? - Is there a common task in. different projects? - Best team member for each task ? - any urgency to start specific project ? Answers to all these questions will be the base to set priorities, not only for the projects but also for tasks as we might start task which can serve not only one but maybe several projects.

1. Justipreciar la criticidad de los proyectos, creando lista de prioridades. 2. Distribuir Project Leaders (PL) en orden de prioridad si es que cuento con los recursos humanos suficientes. En caso negativo, concentrarse en los/el proyecto(s) prioritario(s) posponiendo el resto para su enfoque secuencial y no en paralelo con los enfocados. 3. Supervisar GANTT/PERT/CPM el avance de las planificaciones de cada PL e intervenir activamente en su cumplimiento- 3. Informar detalladamente lo definido al nivel jerarquico superior y reportar periodicamente la situación.

Beside the decision-making analysis, is important to come back and review again if the prioritization still valid after some time, as the market change very quickly and is needed to re-organize the resources and allow you to be adaptable.

Adding to the smart collaboration in the statement above, building hero’s by challenging them to grow and trusting their efforts will be a huge advantage for an inspirational manager. If you can build Trust in the team by example, you will find your team members confidence and productivity growing in each member and throughout the team. The team pride will blossom and they will excel. Delegation will become a powerful tool for success and a huge sign of a transformational leader.

Remember you can delegate tasks, but you cannot delegate responsibility. This means that if anything goes wrong don't blame the subordinates.

Every member on a team has unique abilities and skills, and as a team lead it's critical to know all your members. Assigning tasks to the members with the rights skills and expertise not all makes work outputs great but all also improves on the functioning of a team as a whole.

Delegation is a vital tool in effective management. During a particularly busy period, I recognized the necessity of delegation. Assigning tasks according to team members' strengths and capabilities not only lightened my workload but also empowered them to take ownership of their responsibilities. By delegating tasks effectively, I fostered a sense of trust and accountability within the team, ultimately enhancing overall productivity and achieving our objectives efficiently.

I liked very much " Trust your team", this is the magic concept. You will never delegate major tasks if you don't trust your team. And don't trust means either they didn’t have a chance to prove themselves, or they didn’t got the training to handle these tasks. Both is the lead fault.

The only thing that pure chaos requires, is that your communication foundation is flawed. There is nothing more frustrating than getting to a milestone, only to hear the customer state "I didn't know this is what is was going to be." Sometimes you have to tell your customer what they want/need. Clear communication in the beginning, and throughout is pramount!

Don't expect your team will be a mind reader, they need and have to know. Make a clear agenda for how to communicate, emails, smart sheet, or regular meeting. Make meetings with clear goal not confusing or time waste. Meetings for discussions, emails are for information only.

Clear communication is fundamental in successful project management within Operations Research. In one instance, while overseeing a complex project, I emphasized the importance of transparent communication. By establishing regular team meetings and utilizing clear and concise language, I ensured that everyone understood their roles, responsibilities, and project goals. Additionally, maintaining an open-door policy encouraged team members to raise any concerns or questions, fostering a collaborative environment. Through clear communication, we were able to mitigate misunderstandings, resolve issues promptly, and achieve our project milestones effectively.

Short team meetings with everyone present can be a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page. It ensures members feel included and engaged. When presenting tasks and projects, open the floor for questions and contribution. Ask for ideas and ask open ended questions of the team to ensure they are all included, listened to, and their opinions are valued. An interested and engaged team member will hear the communication well, and understand the common goals.

Once you set out to achieve a goal, for the team to function well, each and every step and intended outcome needs to be clearly spelt out to the minutest of details to allow great team work. Each team member knowing their roles ensures operational smoothness.

After clear communication, monitoring is the most crucial part to make sure everything is going in line. This not only helps in achieving macro KPIs but individual micro KPIs. So manager is not only worried about macro KPIs which would dominate his expertise but he will be help his team achieving best KPIs at their end.

Using the “T” in S.M.A.R.T. Goals, on a regular schedule of check in’s will help to ensure milestones stay visible and give plenty of oversight to adjust for obstacles and interruptions. Understanding that changes and interruptions are normal and expected, dealing with them and keeping the tasks on schedule will become second nature.

KPIs is a major factor not only in projects, but in operations success. It's very important when start project planning to set a gage to measure project tasks projects and resources progress. It can tell you you need to adjust a task or switch resources, we all make mistakes, so finding out in early stages of project, can be easily adjusted. Make you monitor periods specially at project start up, as close as possible, might be daily monitoring for some critical projects.

Project management software is useful for monitoring progress. Utilize project management tools to track resource allocation, identify potential bottlenecks, and adjust plans as needed.

Besides the standard KPIs based on project management and six sigma, I strongly recommend state of the art KPIs such as the deep analysis of the mathematical model approach, plus once the coding is done then evaluate the algorithm performance. These are out of the box indicators that directly impact the final results.

One thing i have found helpful, it's crucial to be adaptable in handling multiple projects by strategically approaching organizational flexibility. This involves developing dynamic models to understand how key variables affect the organization. Utilizing quantitative methods for project selection and team composition is essential to leverage the diverse skill sets of a multi-skilled workforce. Effective communication, resource allocation, and conflict resolution are key strategies to ensure all projects stay on track and maintain a balance between change and organizational stability. By implementing these strategies, managing multiple projects efficiently becomes more manageable.

Having utilized some of the steps I suggest above will help you reallocate as needed and boost the confidence of an inspired resource by bringing them in to a challenge that will help them grow their visibility and acumen. There is nothing so fulfilling as being brought in to save the day. Moving a resource off the task doesn’t need to be a negative, either. They can be reallocated to a task that fits their personal best. Recognizing this to a resource can show them you, as a manager can make mistakes, and reallocation is about you learning and adjusting. They see you as human, and able to take responsibility as well as credit. You lead by example.

I doughty think anyone didn't face a sudden change in priorities, due to many external or internal needs. You must have contingency plan for any project. Keep asking yourself during project planning what if ? And try to set answers for all what if you asked. You will be ready, no panic and very flexible to change.

Flexibility is vital in managing multiple projects within Operations Research. I recall a time when unforeseen changes arose in project requirements. By remaining flexible and adaptable, I was able to quickly pivot the team's focus and resources to address the new priorities. This flexibility allowed us to navigate unexpected challenges without compromising project timelines or quality. Embracing flexibility also enabled us to capitalize on emerging opportunities and adjust our strategies accordingly, ultimately enhancing project outcomes and maintaining overall project success despite the dynamic nature of the field.

Recognizing your team will push them to do more. It's so wrong way of thinking that you make your team feel they didn’t do what they have to do yet, this will depress them not motivating them. Your recognition means you see and appreciate, which most of the time the best reward your team members looking for.

Team Skills and Availability: Match project needs with team member strengths and current workload. Cross-Training: Consider cross-training team members to increase flexibility and mitigate risks associated with individual absences.

I very much believe in the 80/20 concept: 80% planning. 20% execution. Good planning will make the execution so smooth, no surprises, no unexpected obstacles. Your team members have a clear path to achieve the goals. So it's planning, planning then execution.