The AQS has an organizer that you can download monthly - here's a link:
http://www.aqsblog.com/creative-organizer-ufo-pages
I organize my projects in a three-ring binder. Information I keep is:
- name or description and date started
- pattern (often just a sketch with a few dimensions, if I designed it myself). Pattern name and author, if I'm using a commercial pattern.
- notes on when I worked on it, what I did, and if I encountered any problems.
- a little "progress bar" at the top, that I colour in as I go, so that I can see that it is coming along. Sometimes I have it divided up (planning, cutting, piecing, assembling, quilting, binding), but not always.
I do this just to keep track of where I'm at, not to help me meet deadlines. For your purpose, I would break each quilt down into steps, and estimate a "due date" for each step. I would use this as a checklist to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything, and would finish on time.
I think spending the time to organize will definitely pay off for you. Good luck, and please share what system you come up with and how it works!