Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Picking the Right Projects

There’s never a shortage of projects, but there’s not enough time, money, and staff in the world to complete them all. Before you begin managing a project, make sure it earns its place in your organization’s project portfolio. Throwing darts or pulling petals off daisies isn’t the answer; you’re better off knowing what’s important to your organization and picking projects that support those objectives.

Project-selection criteria are just as helpful once projects are under way, because projects don’t always deliver what they promise. If a project isn’t meeting expectations, the management team can decide whether to give it time to recover or cut it loose. Similarly, if a juicy new project appears, you can compare its potential results to those of projects already in progress to see if it makes sense to swap it for a project that’s partially complete.

Note

Selection criteria can save time and effort before the selection process even starts. People thinking about proposing a project can evaluate potential results before facing the selection committee. If the results don’t pass the test, there’s little point in presenting the project to management.

To make good decisions, you need some kind of consistent selection process, whether you’re a small-business owner allocating limited resources or a committee setting up a multiproject portfolio. (The box below provides an example of how a committee might evaluate and select projects.) You can then evaluate the candidates ...