How to Handle Multiple Projects: The Rules I Follow
Rule 1: handle one project well first.
Keep in mind that you may feel unready, yet after some time in a new setting — with fresh perspective and distance from the emotional side — you often start handling the first project better too.
Build credibility and deliver value at a level comparable to the rest of the team.
An important aspect is the number of meetings and a good time zone spread. Two projects in the same time zone can be very stressful, and the value relative to your health is low.
Progress step by step, without rush: at least a few months in one project, then extend. You can also consider switching to another project that suits you better.
The edge of discomfort is the beginning of self.
Rule 4: no escape from the discomfort zone in the first four months.
Your brain will be yelling at you to escape. This project is bad, the people are bad, there is no self-development, go away, you will not manage it. But if you keep rule 4, it very often turns out to be one of the best projects you ever had.
In one case I joined a project in CET, with a high number of meetings and an emotional PM, and most of the team was in India. We were going in circles with no goal; code quality was low, the team faked productivity, nothing was actually getting done.
I was close to leaving. Following rule 4 instead let us persevere until the project went through a series of transformations: the number of meetings was adjusted to actual needs, the PO was replaced and an architect was brought in, which allowed steady progress in one expected direction. It is now one of my best projects — half a year ago it was the worst.