Figuring out how much capacity a project manager needs for a project is difficult. Leadership tasks are hard to measure, making it hard to predict their workload accurately.
Of course, every estimate involves some guessing. But it should be based on clear factors tied to the nature of the project.
In this article, I’ll share different ways for estimating a project manager’s workload, and we’ll discuss the factors you should consider in your estimation.
Why Project Manager Capacity Is So Hard to Predict
Project managers don’t perform technical tasks like engineers or programmers, whose workload is easier to predict. Instead, they handle a wide range of tasks to steer and oversee the project.
This includes checking in with team members, leading meetings, coordinating with stakeholders, and creating project reports.
Some tasks can be planned, but many pop up without warning because projects are always changing. For example, if a problem suddenly happens, the project manager has to step in and manage the situation to keep things on track.
Still, we need to plan their workload. It’s important to make sure the project manager has enough time for the project while also staying fully utilized—possibly managing multiple projects at once.
Before we talk about capacity estimation, we should first get an overview of the different tasks a project manager has to handle.
Typical Tasks of a Project Manager
Common Project Manager Tasks (Across All Project Types):
Planning and Scheduling:
- Create project timelines and milestones
- Define project deliverables
- Assign tasks to team members
- Adjust schedules when needed
Team Leadership & Task Management
- Motivate and guide the team
- Ensure all tasks are completed
- Get formal project approval/sign-off
Communication & Stakeholder Management
- Lead team meetings and check-ins
- Update stakeholders on progress and changes
- Manage emails, reports, and project updates
- Understand stakeholder needs and expectations
- Manage feedback and keep everyone aligned
Problem-Solving
- Address unexpected issues quickly
- Find solutions to keep the project moving forward
- Make decisions when the team needs guidance
Risk Management
- Identify potential risks early
- Develop plans to handle risks
Budget and Cost Control
- Monitor project spending
- Keep the project within budget
With an overview of tasks like this, you can start to roughly estimate the workload.
You simply list the individual tasks and assign an estimated number of hours per week to each one.
What Really Drives a Project Manager’s Workload?
Every project is different. That’s why it’s important to look at what makes each project special and adjust the workload estimate to fit. Below, we’ll go over the main things that impact a project manager’s workload.
Project Complexity:
Projects can be simple or complex, and this greatly affects how much time a project manager needs to stay in control.
For simple projects, 5 hours a week might be enough. The project manager mainly updates the task list and holds brief team meetings.
Complex projects are a different story. The project manager must spend a lot more time communicating—mediating between teams, managing constantly changing schedules and requirements, answering countless emails, calming clients, and much more.
In these cases, a project manager can be occupied 60–80% of their time, which equals 0.6–0.8 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent).
What Determines Project Complexity?
There’s no simple answer to what makes a project complex.
In my company, we always looked at how many departments were involved to assess project complexity. It makes sense—a project affecting just one department is much simpler than one involving several areas like accounting, procurement, IT, and more.
However, in your organization, other factors might be more important when it comes to defining a project’s complexity.
Project Budget:
Besides complexity, the project budget is a useful factor for estimating how much capacity a project manager will need. Generally, the more expensive a project is, the more coordination it requires.
Many companies with similar types of projects use the percentage method to calculate the project manager’s workload. This method takes the total number of labor hours for the entire project and multiplies it by a set factor to estimate the project manager’s effort. This total is then divided by the number of project weeks to find the weekly workload.
Example:
For a project, the estimated workloads are:
| Area | Estimated Effort (h) |
|---|---|
| Finance | 80 |
| Operations | 150 |
| IT | 500 |
| Procurement | 120 |
| Total | 850 hours |
Example Calculation:
The total workload across all teams is 850 hours.
If we assume the project manager’s effort is about 20% of the total hours, the calculation is:
850 hours × 20% = 170 hours
So, we need to plan for 170 hours of project management work.
If the project lasts 6 months (around 25 weeks), this breaks down to about 7 hours per week—roughly one full workday per week dedicated to the project.
Of course, this is just an average. The actual workload will vary depending on the project phase. The first month will likely be intense, with the project manager working around 16 hours a week. Once the discovery phase is complete, their workload will ease up. Later in the project, the workload will likely increase again.
Quick Note:
In this example, we used a 20% rate. However, this rate can be adjusted to reflect the project manager’s experience level or the project’s complexity.
It might look like this:
| Experience Level | Rate |
|---|---|
| Low | 20% |
| Medium | 21% |
| Advanced | 22% |
This approach allows you to systematically calculate how much project management capacity is needed for a new project.
At the same time, it stays flexible by accounting for key factors that impact the project manager’s workload.
After the project ends, it’s important to compare the planned vs. actual hours to check if the estimate was accurate—or if the project manager had to work much more or less than expected.
Experience Level:
A project manager’s experience plays a big role in how much time they need for their work. Less experienced PMs often take longer to complete tasks than seasoned professionals.
They may struggle with prioritizing tasks and might not have efficient systems in place to manage their workload. Writing an email could take them 20 minutes, and they might step in to handle tasks that should be done by their team.Because of this, it’s smart to plan for a higher workload with newer project managers, while experienced PMs can be expected to work more efficiently and handle more with less effort.
Project Phase:
A project manager’s workload changes depending on the project phase.
The first weeks—especially the discovery phase—are usually very busy. During the technical execution, the project manager often has less to do because the technical teams are focused on their tasks. Plans are in place, roles are clear, and the project manager mainly checks progress and steps in when problems come up.
Still, even in this phase, things can get busy. This happens when big deadlines are near, important milestones need approval, or sudden changes force the team to adjust plans. Testing and integration phases also need more attention to keep things running smoothly.
The closing phase is usually stressful again. The project manager must make sure all tasks are finished and the client accepts the project.If a project manager is running multiple projects, it’s smart to stagger the timelines. This way, the busiest phases don’t overlap, and the project manager doesn’t have to handle several crises at once.
Number of Events:
A good starting point for estimating a project manager’s workload is the number of recurring events in the project. These include regular meetings with clients and team members or Steering Board meetings.
In agile projects, Daily Standups are some of the most important regular meetings. The team discusses upcoming tasks, usually with the project manager present.
Even though standups only last about 15 minutes, that adds up to 75 minutes per week—time the project manager can’t spend on other tasks.
Don’t Forget: Non-Project Tasks Cut Into Available Capacity
It’s easy to overlook how much time employees lose on non-productive and administrative tasks. Weekly team meetings, logging work hours, attending company events or workshops, or dealing with tech issues—all of these can take up several hours a week. This time needs to be subtracted from the total available capacity.
Realistically, a project manager is only available for 80–90% of their contracted working hours. The rest is spent on necessary but non-project tasks that can’t be ignored.
