What are competing priorities?

In project management, you have competing priorities or conflicting priorities when you have conflicting goals or overlapping deadlines, often due to the needs of different team members. Some people also use this term to describe multiple tasks that all seem to be equally important.

For example, if the head of your HR department asks you to write two job descriptions and post them online within 24 hours, you have to find a way to fit both tasks into your schedule without failing to complete other assignments.

It can be common for employees to juggle multiple tasks, but what makes competing priorities different is their similar level of importance. If two tasks seem equally important, it can be hard to decide which one to do first.

To make the right choice, consider identifying which task has the most immediate impact or urgency. In contrast, if you have one task due tomorrow and one due next week, the first task takes precedence.

Related: Prioritizing Tasks: A How-To Guide for Business Operators

Now that you know what competing priorities are, it’s time to learn how to manage them. Consider following these tips to stay productive without getting overwhelmed.

1. Assess each task

Before you start working, assess each task to make sure it’s truly as important as you think it is. Assessing each task carefully helps you evaluate its urgency and impact before taking action. When you’re busy, it’s easy to start treating every task like an emergency instead of stopping to assess the situation.

If you have two more tasks with the same deadlines, check for any flexibility. You may not be able to push things back by several days, but you may be able to extend the deadline by a few extra hours.

Using a systematic approach helps you evaluate and prioritize tasks.

Next, check for any quick tasks that you can complete right away instead of putting them off until you’re busy with other things. If a task will only take you 5 or 10 minutes, it makes sense to get it off your plate immediately.

This process is essential for effective prioritization and helps you manage your workload efficiently.

2. Arrange your list of tasks according to their importance

Now that you know what’s critical and what can wait for a few days, organize your task list in order of importance to prioritize tasks effectively. Put your top priorities and most critical tasks at the top and non-critical items at the bottom.

When you’re ready to get to work, you’ll know exactly which task you need to focus on, making prioritization decisions easier and focusing your efforts where they matter most.

3. Determine what resources you need to complete each task

When you have competing priorities, you can’t afford to waste time. Resource constraints can make it even more challenging to manage tasks effectively, as you must carefully allocate what you have. That’s why it’s so important to gather needed resources before you start working. In project management, a resource is a person, tool or amount of money needed to accomplish a goal.

For example, if you’re writing an annual report to distribute to employees and investors, you may have to wait for your accounting department to finish preparing financial statements due to limited resources. You can do some writing, but you can’t finish the report until you have that data.

If you’re missing a critical resource, address the problem immediately. Missing resources can delay your project schedule, so you may have to order supplies, submit a budget request or ask a department head if they can spare one of their team members to help you.

4. Adjust your work schedule as needed

If you’re managing competing priorities, consider scheduling heavy work sessions during your most productive time of the day. It may also be helpful to set clear time frames for each task.

For some people, the middle of the day works best for tasks requiring excellent problem-solving skills. Other people prefer to start working before everyone else or stay a little late so they can take advantage of a quiet office.

When you find a time that works for you, use it for tasks requiring intense concentration. Scheduling tasks according to your energy levels helps you manage your workload more effectively. If you have some easy tasks on your lists, save them for when your energy starts to wane.

Related: How to Create an Employee Work Schedule (With Template)How to Set a Daily Schedule as a Manager

5. Let other team members know about your plan

Now that you have a plan for tackling your competing priorities, let other people know about it. This ensures everyone has the same understanding and helps align your team. Communicating your plan clearly ensures everyone is on the same page and aware of any updates.

By keeping relevant people in the loop, you build trust and transparency. Sharing your plan also helps manage expectations, so team members and management understand your workload and deadlines. If you communicate effectively, team members won’t have to wonder what you’re working on or worry about the possibility of a missed deadline.

Related: 10 Effective Business Communication Strategies

6. Delegate as many tasks as possible

Occasionally, you’ll have so many important tasks on your plate that you can’t possibly do them all without missing a deadline or letting the quality of your work suffer. This is the perfect opportunity to delegate smaller tasks to trusted employees. When you delegate tasks, you assign specific responsibilities to others, allowing you to focus on higher-priority work.

For example, if you typically run system reports on Fridays, you may be able to train a team member to pull the report for you. This frees up time that you can use to complete more important tasks.

By delegating to an employee, you can effectively manage your workload. While doing this, clearly explain the task’s responsibilities to your employee so they know how to complete the work.

7. Provide regular status updates

Letting people know about your plan is just the first step in maintaining effective communication. Once your work is underway, you need to provide regular status updates to key employees. For example, if an executive is waiting on you to finish a report before an important board meeting, let them know it’s in progress and on track for on-time completion.

After providing updates to employees, make sure to follow up by answering their questions and giving feedback on their work. You can also use these opportunities to check that they are making clear progress.

8. Break larger projects into individual tasks

When learning to manage competing priorities, breaking large projects into individual tasks is essential. Identifying a project’s key components and dependencies helps you avoid overlooking anything. This makes it easier to create milestones, making complex projects more manageable.

If you’re writing a report, break it down into chapters instead of handling it as one large project. Then, you can set a deadline for each chapter instead of scrambling to write multiple chapters in a short amount of time. Be aware that potential roadblocks may arise as you break down projects, so plan accordingly to address any obstacles.

9. Negotiate new deadlines

At some point in your career, you might find it more challenging than usual to complete your assigned tasks by their original deadlines. In these cases, assessing the urgency of each task can help determine which deadlines may need to be renegotiated first.

When this happens, consider discussing a new deadline with the relevant team member as soon as possible. You may be able to negotiate a new deadline, which can provide you with an extension. A structured decision-making process helps you set new deadlines that are logical and transparent.

10. Use software and other tools to track your progress

To make things easier on yourself, use a digital calendar or an online project management tool to monitor deadlines, coordinate resources and communicate with others about your progress. Tools like to-do lists can help you organize urgent projects, set deadlines and align team responsibilities. Project management software is also useful for tracking progress and managing conflicting priorities.

Using these tools can significantly boost your productivity by helping you stay organized and focused on your goals.

How to help team members manage their priorities

As a manager, you may have to advise employees on how to juggle multiple tasks. Start by sharing these tips and encouraging team members to come to you any time they’re concerned about upcoming deadlines.

Prioritize business objectives

Aligning priorities with business value and business objectives is essential to ensure that your team’s efforts contribute directly to the company’s overall goals. When making decisions, always consider how each task supports these objectives.

Consider work-life balance

Balancing work with personal life is crucial for preventing burnout and supporting long-term productivity. Encourage your team to develop strong time management skills, as these are vital for effective prioritization and meeting deadlines.

Encourage flexibility

Be prepared to adjust priorities as new tasks arise, and always prioritize the most critical items to meet changing demands.

Think about customer needs

Effective prioritization often leads to positive feedback from both customers and other key parties, reinforcing the value of these skills.

Check for prioritization management skills in candidates

When preparing for an interview question or behavioral question about prioritization, it’s helpful to have a specific example ready that demonstrates your ability to manage multiple tasks successfully.

Foster open communication

If employees trust you, they’re more likely to come to you when they’re struggling, so do whatever you can to put team members at ease and let them know you’re willing to help. You may even want to enroll your team members in a project management course to help them get used to managing competing priorities without allowing the quality of their work to suffer.

Align priorities with business objectives and business value, consider customer needs, maintain a healthy work-life balance, develop time management skills, be flexible and ready to adjust priorities and use specific examples to demonstrate your ability to manage conflicting priorities. By working to manage competing priorities more effectively in this way, you can help ensure success in today’s dynamic work environment.