Problem · Too many parallel projects
Ten projects in progress. None gets finished.
Each project was a good idea on its own. Together they share the same people, and everything slows down. Fewer at once usually means done sooner.
Portfolio triage
What keeps running. What is paused.
Enter your current projects and rate them. What lands under “Cut or hand off” is the start of your stop-doing list.
First
- 1New website
- 2Switching to a new CRM
- 3Launch a partner program
After that:
- Write a handbook for onboarding
- Consider a second location
- Rework the pricing model
- Start your own podcast
Order: Contribution to the goal × Capacity available, with a tie, Contribution to the goal counts. Under 3 points: drop it or hand it off.
Assumptions and limits
- Stopping means pausing with a date, not forgetting. Write down when you will reassess.
- Commitments to customers or legal obligations can't be rated away; they run outside the ranking.
- None of it is saved or sent. Copy the result before you close the page.
Your entries stay in this browser. Nothing is saved or sent.
How you'll notice
Everything is started. Little is finished.
- In the status meeting every project has an update, but none has an end date.
- The same three people sit in almost every project.
- New projects start before old ones are finished.
Understand the causes
Why projects pile up.
- 01
Starting is easier than stopping
- How you'll notice
- New ideas get a project right away, and old ones just keep running.
- Why it happens
- There is enthusiasm for starting, but no date for ending.
- What helps
- Once a quarter, a round where every project has to continue, pause, or end.
- Limit
- A stopped project needs a short explanation, or it will resurface.
- 02
No limit on work in parallel
- How you'll notice
- Nobody can say how many projects are running right now.
- Why it happens
- There is no upper limit, so every new project is simply added.
- What helps
- A fixed number of simultaneous projects; a new one starts only when one ends.
- Limit
- The right number depends on team size and project scope; it has to be tried out.
- 03
Projects with no link to the goal
- How you'll notice
- For some projects, nobody remembers why they exist.
- Why it happens
- Projects come from opportunities, not from the goal.
- What helps
- Every project names the goal or milestone it contributes to.
- Limit
- Some projects keep operations running; they stay, even without a link to a goal.
- 04
Workload is invisible
- How you'll notice
- Projects get committed to without asking who has time for them.
- Why it happens
- Project planning and workload live in different places, or nowhere.
- What helps
- Before every start, check who is involved and what they will have to set aside.
- Limit
- A rough estimate is enough; exact hours are rarely needed.
Ways to solve it
Fewer at once. Three ways there.
| Way | Enough if | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Stop-doing round once a quarter | Management decides and the team hears about it directly. | Without a visible list, stopped projects creep back in. |
| Ranked project list in a spreadsheet | There are up to a dozen projects and one person who maintains the list. | Doesn't show who is overloaded, and goes stale between rounds. |
| Software for project portfolios | Many teams, budgets, and dependencies have to be managed. | Laborious to introduce; often too much for small businesses. |
| Peak One | Projects, workload, and sequence should be visible in one place. | You decide what stops. Peak One shows projects and workload, but doesn't evaluate projects for you. |
Peak One in action
From the full portfolio to a clear order.
- TriggerWhich projects do we push through, and which do we pause?
- 01 · ProjectSignalProject Portfolio in Peak Board shows which projects need attention now.
- 02 · PersonUnderstandingTeam Capacity in Peak Plan shows where people are overloaded or underloaded.
- 03 · InitiativeDecisionInitiatives in Peak Command shows which initiatives are running and which are stalling.
- 04 · ProjectActionThe Roadmap in Peak Command records what comes when, and stopped projects get no date.
The apps for it
Available in Peak One.
Project PortfolioAvailablePeak BoardWhich projects need my attention now?
Team CapacityAvailablePeak PlanWhere are people overloaded or underloaded?
InitiativesAvailablePeak CommandWhich initiatives are moving, and which are stalling?
Year ReviewAvailablePeak YearWhat worked, and what do we stop?
RoadmapAvailablePeak CommandWhat comes when?
Three steps
Start fewer things. Finish more.
- 01 / 03
All projects on one list
The small and half-forgotten ones too. Only the complete list shows the scale.
- 02 / 03
Carry three forward
Rate each project as above and keep the top three going at full strength.
- 03 / 03
Announce the stops
Tell the team what is paused and until when. A silent stop is not a stop.
Frequently asked questions
Briefly answered.
How many projects at once is healthy?
There is no one number that's right for everyone. A workable rule: each person works on one or two priority projects at most. More usually means everything waits.
What do we tell the people whose project is paused?
Why it is paused, when it will be reassessed, and what happens to the results until then. A clear pause is easier to bear than a project that slowly fades away.
Is a paused project lost?
No. Write down where you stand in a few sentences, and you can pick it up again later.
Keep exploring
What's included.
- FunctionTasks & projectsProjects as a board, tasks in the daily plan, one chat per project.View
- FunctionRoadmapProjects as a timeline, connected to goals and milestones.View
- Software categoryProject management softwareEvery project task with a person, a due date, and a visible status.View
- Use casePut company goals into actionKeep goals lean enough that they get read in daily work.View
- ProblemProjects out of controlEvery project somehow runs, but nobody can say where it really stands.View
- ProblemUnclear prioritiesWhen everything is important and the urgent wins.View
✦ A Peak principle
Clarity first. Everything else follows.
One thing at a time
More problems
Typical bottlenecks in growing companies, each with a tool you can try right away, the causes, and the path Peak One provides for it.
Solve it once. The rest follows.
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