Critical chain project management

Critical Chain Project Management ( CCPM ), partly Critical Chain Multi-Project Management or rarely Critical Chain Management (CCM ) is a project management method based on the ideas Eliyahu M. Goldratts.

CCPM extends the classic project management to the two elements avoidance of harmful multitasking and proper handling of estimates, their variances and associated buffers. Typically, thereby increasing the reliability of the deadlines to over 95% and the processing times of the projects are reduced by more than 25%.

Project Sharing and graduation

The harmful multitasking is avoided by the amount of the projects will be limited to a reasonable level and in the following, depending on the limiting resource is released ( project approval) and shall be clearly prioritized ( graduation ). In contrast to the Critical Path Method is here with real resources available and strictly scheduled by priority, the longest path, based on the consumption of resources is referred to as Critical Chain. This scale is referred to as strategic prioritization.

This avoids that a resource in several work packages works simultaneously and in between changes ( harmful multitasking). The result is that the available resources can work optimally concentrated in one work package and to reduce throughput times massively.

Buffer management

Correct handling of estimates is based on accepting the inevitable variations and to use the associated buffer within the meaning of the project ( buffer management).

Psychology of buffer

In a classic business environment of the employees typically underestimated the effort and therefore the duration of a work package including a buffer of increasing one's reliability. Because of Parkinson's Law, which states that buffers are always used and not reduced, the student syndrome, which states that is started as late as possible, and combined with the law of Murphy, which states that always goes wrong, early arrivals are not and delays always passed.

Project buffer

In CCPM therefore estimates are chosen for the individual work packages so that they arrive with an absolute probability of approximately 50%. The difference to the classical estimate is provided as a Community project buffer for all work packages at the end of the project. This early arrivals and delays can be compensated for, which in turn is used to reduce this buffer by 50%. The result is a very high adherence to schedules associated with a shortening of the cycle time by 25%.

Operational prioritization

In multi-project environments often leads to the situation that several work packages from different projects are pending through a resource for editing. In this case, the resource must decide which work package is given priority. This scale is referred to as Operational prioritization.

Here, the work package of the project is always preferred, which has the worst ratio of progress to buffer consumption on the critical chain.

The ratios progress on the critical chain and buffer consumption can be considered beyond over the duration of the project or the entire project portfolio, in order to detect project into difficulties and to take measures (traffic control).

Management culture

Along with the CCPM a change in the management culture must be connected normally.

The employees must be undertaken to ensure that they have not also be expected in over-or undershoots of estimates to reprisals. The supervisor must prioritize the necessary projects and stop multitasking for each project team member.

This cultural change is typically accompanied by reduction of overtime, lighter and smoother working, mutual support, higher quality and motivation, followed by higher innovation.