Critical Chain Project Management - An introduction

Project management is full of good ideas and solid management methodologies that can be used to effectively manage projects from start to end. The project management style and process that works best will typically vary based on the focus of the situation and the skills of the individual running the project. Critical Chain Project Management ( CCPM ) is a mighty project management principle derived from the Theory of Constraints used to focus on getting your projects done in time and speed up the velocity by far.

What is CCPM?
CCPM is a management methodology in the vein of Critical Path Management, and is derived from the algorithms present in the Theory of Constraints. CCPM differs from other management techniques in that it attempts to focus on facilitating the preceding resources and terminal elements that are associated with a project. The belief is that the proactive management of these resources at the front end of the project will aid in minimizing the potential for exceeding both budgetary and financial constraints. Given the guiding principles stated in the Theory of Constraints we know that there are limiting factors associated with tasks and projects. The manager implementing a CCPM style will give consideration to those limiting factors and apply their knowledge of the Theory of Constraints to mitigate the potential impact of those known outer boundaries.

How does CCPM seek to mitigate risk?CCPM uses a multi-stepped process to provide assurance that delivery schedules and project budgets are not blown out of the water while pressing onward toward completion and focus on minimizing the impact of limits described in the Theory of Constraints.

1. By analyzing resource dependencies the manager is able to understand the potential cause and effect relationship of their supply chain. This allows them to anticipate the impact of potential resource delays.
2. Sometimes good enough is ok. The manager implementing this strategy does not spend an inordinate amount of time searching for the perfect solution, 80% is good enough (Pareto principle). This allows for an offset of the limiting factors defined by using the Theory of Constraints.
3. The manager identifies where they can plan the insertion of buffers into the multiple processes to ensure there is plenty of time built into the schedule to absorb any delays.
4. Management evaluates the progress of the project by looking at the rate that the buffers are being consumed; the less buffer time that is used, the healthier the project is.

 

Parkinson's law and the student syndrome

One of the secrets to working effectively on any project, regardless of whether it is a school paper or a multi-million dollar project, is planning. Business managers are in high demand because their certification attests to the fact that they understand project planning and management. This ability to manage tasks represents money to business owners. Sometimes business managers and workers alike are faced with difficult choices. Not all tasks take the allotted amount of time to complete. Project managers are no different in this regard. It is not uncommon to gauge a task initially and determine that it will take x number of hours to focus on it and complete the work surrounding it; only to find that the task was less complicated than expected and it only required two-thirds of the time initially estimated. Our first inclination is to stretch the work out to make our estimate look more legitimate; however this is a highly inefficient response. This is where Parkinson's Law comes in.

Parkinson's Law
According to the Theory of Constraints we always have some limiting factor. In this case, it simply is not time required to accomplish the task. Parkinson's Law states that when a task is accomplished, stop working on it. Don’t stretch it out and attempt to make it last longer. Use that extra time to apply to the next task. If this occurs frequently, maybe it is time to reevaluate the method you are using to gauge time estimates.

The Student Syndrome
Most of us have suffered from Student Syndrome at some point in our life. This syndrome merely represents the propensity for people to not focus on deliverable items until right before they are due. This syndrome derives its name from students because this is very commonly seen in schools across our nation. Most students will wait until the last possible moment to focus on assignments, thereby turning in sub-standard products most of the time. The reality of the situation is that most times, the habits we develop when we are young follow us into our adult lives. From a Theory of Constraints perspective, the inability of large portions of the workforce to effectively manage their assignments will create a bottleneck with a focus on impacting the efficiency of those individuals to accomplish their work. So, if we are following the Project Management Institute’s best practices, we would identify Student Syndrome using the Theory of Constraints to evaluate the potential impact on the organization and identify a solution.

My personal experiences
Once Parkinson's law and the Student Syndrome have been identified in an organization, they needs to be dealt with and can only be overcome by deliberate retraining on the part of the individual and the organization. Empower your team to stop working when things are "good enough"; this will minimize gold plating and the negative influences of Parkinson's law. Start your work always directly after all of your predecessors have finished their jobs to avoid the Student Syndrome.

In one of the upcoming posts I will tell you how Parkinson's law and the Student Syndrome can be avoided in projecty using the so called Critical Chain Project Management.

Sometimes business managers and workers alike are faced with difficult choices. Not all tasks take the allotted amount of time to complete. Project managers are no different in this regard. It is not uncommon to gauge a task initially and determine that it will take x number of hours to focus on it and complete the work surrounding it; only to find that the task was less complicated than expected and it only required two-thirds of the time initially estimated. Our first inclination is to stretch the work out to make our estimate look more legitimate; however this is a highly inefficient response. This is where Parkinson's Law comes in.

Parkinson's law
According to the Theory of Constraints we always have some limiting factor. In this case, it simply is not time required to accomplish the task. Parkinson's Law states that when a task is accomplished, stop working on it. Don’t stretch it out and attempt to make it last longer. Use that extra time to apply to the next task. If this occurs frequently, maybe it is time to reevaluate the method you are using to gauge time estimates, and also the Theory of Constraints may need to be revisited to see how they may be better applied to focus on the task at hand.