Multi-Task Your Way to Un-Profitability
March 29th, 2004 by HalI so am enjoying Frank Patrick's series on Projects and Promises. Part 4 - Multi-Project & Mixed-Function Multi-Tasking is a gem.
(P)rojects are usually delivered as one of a portfolio of efforts and often share resources with others in the pipeline. It is not unusual for scarce, highly skilled contributors to support multiple projects. The usual response to having a lot of work in one's inbox is to use the squeaky wheel method of prioritization. Whichever project is squeaking the loudest in the morning gets attention for the day, whether the previous day's task is completed or not.
Professional service firms have adopted multi-tasking as a strategy for profitability. Keep engineers very busy and profit will be optimized. Turns out, there's a limit to that.
(B)ouncing back and forth between unfinished tasks in an effort to show progress merely delays all the handoffs involved and wastes valuable capacity in unnecessary set-down, set-up, and "Where was I?" questions at every restart.
Not only do those starts and stops add to the time it takes to do the project tasks, they take away from the quality of the work performed. "Where was I?" is every engineer's lament. Not convinced? Have a look at Franks' simple graphic of multi-tasking. You'll be motivated to eliminate the practice.
For more on multi-tasking read Head-Banging in the A/E Industry.
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