What are competing priorities?
In project management, you have competing priorities when you have conflicting goals or overlapping deadlines. 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 dropping the ball on other assignments.
Everyone has to juggle multiple tasks, but what makes competing priorities different is their similar level of importance. If one task seems just as important as the other, it’s difficult to determine which one to work on first. In contrast, if you have one task due tomorrow and one due next week, it’s clear that the first task takes precedence.
Related: Prioritizing Tasks: A How-To Guide for Business Operators
10 tips for managing competing priorities
Now that you know what competing priorities are, you need to know how to manage them. Follow 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. 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 wiggle room. You may not be able to push things back by several days, but maybe you can buy yourself a few extra hours.
Next, look to see if there are 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 off your plate immediately.
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. Put critical items 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.
3. Determine what resources you need to complete each task.
When you have competing priorities, you can’t afford to waste time. 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. 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. 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.
Related: Leading Projects: How Project Management Works in Business
4. Adjust your work schedule as needed.
If you’re managing competing priorities, scheduling heavy work sessions during your most productive time of the day is helpful. For many 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. If you have some easy tasks on your lists, save them for when your energy starts to wane.
Related: 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. 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.
For example, if you typically run system reports on Fridays, you may be able to train one of your subordinates to pull the report for you. This frees up time that you can use to complete more important tasks.
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.
8. Break larger projects into individual tasks.
When learning to manage competing priorities, breaking large projects into individual tasks is essential. 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 viewing 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.
9. Negotiate new deadlines.
At some point in your career, you may encounter a situation that makes it impossible to complete your assigned tasks by their original deadlines. When this happens, it’s important to alert team members immediately rather than missing a deadline and having to explain what happened. You may be able to negotiate a new deadline, giving yourself a little more breathing room.
10. Use software and other tools to track your progress.
It’s tough to keep track of multiple tasks using a pencil and paper. To make things easier on yourself, use a digital calendar or an online project management tool to monitor deadlines, coordinate resources and communicate with stakeholders about your progress.
How to help team members manage their priorities
As a manager, you may have to advise employees on how to juggle multiple tasks without letting any of them fall through the cracks. Start by sharing these tips and encouraging team members to come to you any time they’re concerned about upcoming deadlines.
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.
