PMcrunch

Critical Chain Project Management is a great idea, or really a great collection of ideas.  It has similarities to the Critical Path Method in that it focuses on the critical path tasks for managing the project.  But there are several innovative ideas that distinguish critical chain from critical path, and some unique hurdles to implementation.

Here are some of the key ideas behind critical chain project management:

1. Have team members estimate duration for their tasks - then cut the estimate in half.
2. Figure a risk factor, and build in buffer based on a percentage, but add the buffer to the end of the project.
3. Eliminate multi-tasking and simply let workers focus on one task at a time until complete.
4. Establish a culture that accepts early delivery, but and also is not intolerant of late delivery when delays are due to occurrence of risks and use some buffer.
5. Manage the critical chain tasks only, like critical path.  But unlike Earned Value, only recognize completion of critical chain tasks.
6. Monitor closely the buffer taken for each task, and % of total buffer to date for all tasks on the whole project.  Manage based on the flag of excessive overall buffer being taken, and based upon tasks which are eating up the buffer.

The biggest issue here is culture in a number of ways.  Allowing team members to concentrate on one task at a time will take some serious discipline and some changes to work styles.  A great deal of trust will be required in order to develop estimates that are realistic, and for team members to trust the process of cutting the estimates in half!  A shift toward getting one piece of work done well and done early also seems like a great counter-cultural challenge.  Finally, changes such as single tasking, cutting estimate times, and getting team members to deliver tasks early, where possible, are difficult to implement if they co-exist with a culture that does not permit this, so sweeping change must be made, or the project team needs to be quite isolated and insulated from the rest of the organization.

One of the things I like best about the idea of Critical Chain Project Management is that it plays on natural human tendencies such as “Student Syndrome” (see Dealing with “Student Syndrome” ) and “Parkinson’s Law” (see Coping with Parkinson’s Law ).

Critical Chain Project Management is new to me, and I was quite impressed with the idea.  I learned about it orignally by listen to Cornelius Fichtner’s Project Management Podcast interview entitled "Critical Chain Project Management" with Allen Elder, PMP of  www.nolimitsleadership.com.  Also recommended is the book on Eliyahu Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints.
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John Reiling, PMP
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