As a project manager one of the most common complaints I hear from clients is that their customers are constantly throwing more work their way, but nothing ever seems to be getting accomplished because priorities are constantly shifting. Does this sound familiar?

It can be extremely difficult to complete anything if what you need to work on is changing every day. How can anyone remain focused when priorities are always shifting?

I would challenge you to consider your process. Do you have a process? Do you or your employees know all of the work that is currently on their plate? Does everyone understand the timeframes associated with the requested work? Where is the money coming from to support the work? Do your customers understand that in order to complete one project, another project may suffer? Do customers fully understand the financial impact of the work they are requesting?

If this sounds familiar to you, don?t worry. You do not have to undertake a huge project management overhaul to be successful. Try starting with the little things and you will be amazed at the impact it can have on your workload and on the financial bottom line.

A simple first step: Know what you have in front of you. Make a list of the work your team currently has in the queue and begin to understand some basic information about this work. For example, a brief description of the work, the requested timeframe, and the requested budget associated with this work. To help you out I have attached a simple spreadsheet to get you on your way, trust me?organizing your work load is worth the effort.