A good plan would be for project managers. It takes an overwhelming project and plans them in such a way that they may now be methodically executed. All is within control. It may sound quite boring, but stakeholders don't buy tickets for the amusement park thrill ride; they are just getting the job done right.
Systems like waterfall, agile, kanban, critical path method (CPM), and critical chain project management (CCPM) have been defined by time to enable teams in managing their work: These forms are those which could be used for generic application and specification methods for specific areas of the project, such as scheduling and monitoring. All project phases carry weight, but dimming lights perhaps the most critical for success is planning and management of resources.
Resources are more than just equipment or the site of project execution. Resources include your team. Most people, places, and things are juggling a lot in the ballpark, and it's better if you think of it as a critical chain. And in fact, there's a methodology that can control the project resources. This is Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM).
What Exactly Is Critical Chain Project Management?
The main thing the critical chain method is intended for is actual project task execution and resource allocation for the project. Performing tasks that make up a project requires resources: people, equipment materials, locations and so forth.
Critical chain may remind one of other most favored methodologies such as critical path or Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), but they are unalike. The hallmark of traditional structure is task order and inflexible scheduling.
Critical chain project management was founded by Israeli business management guru Eliyahu M. Goldratt, who also created the theory of constraints, which works to keep project resources level. This involves greater flexibility in the launch timing of the selective project tasks.
The British Academy for Training and Development introduces this course to provide a thorough understanding of Critical Chain Project Management, a methodological approach that focuses on resource optimisation and strategic scheduling to enhance project performance.
The evolution of critical chain project management.
CCPM was developed in 1997 by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt. CCPM is very closely tied to one of Dr. Goldratt's other theories, which is the theory of constraints. The theory of constraints helps you identify key bottlenecks or limiting factors that proved an impediment to completing your project efforts. The premise is that every project will have one primary limiting constraint and that constraint will have the potential to disrupt the whole project by breaking the weakest link.
Critical Path Method (CPM) and Critical Chain Project Management Method (CCPM)
Often, these two concepts are confused and even used interchangeably by some project managers and non-project management professionals. However, this is far from the truth; in fact, they are two different project scheduling methods.
Two basic aspects can be said to differentiate the two. First, as just discussed, the critical path of a project does not equate the critical chain. The critical chain of a project comprises the critical path, project buffer, and feeding chains. The critical chain scheduling method uses the project buffer and feeding chain buffers as a workaround to ensure that critical path activities are completed on time.
The second key difference in these methods is the application of buffers, which is of the essences of the critical chain project management method. This concept does not exist in the critical path method. Though these two differences might seem subtle to the eye, they do not affect the working of these two almost similar project scheduling methods.
4 basics to using the project management process with critical chain
If you have not yet used the critical chain methodology for project management, here are four steps that will get you started. Create critical path method template
1. First identify the critical path
Identify the elements that affect your project plan. Use the critical chain method to highlight the importance of understanding what individual tasks are required to complete the whole project because this would be the backbone of your entire project planning.
2. Define the specific resources your project demands
Of particular interest would be resources in terms of either the amount of time your team members need, products, and equipment your team uses in creating the end products, or even the actual people, employees needed to undertake the activities.
If you can, estimate how many resources you'll need to complete this project. Count how many people will be needed for running a specific task on the critical chain, and about how long it will take them. Do this for each task laid out on the critical chain. Do you have enough resources to realize this project based on these calculations?
If there are any other known available resource constraints like team members leaving due to vacation, you can plan around those constraints. This is one of the greatest benefits of using the critical chain methodology; most of the project planning actually occurs before the start of the project.
3. Place your buffers
Once you establish the required resources for the critical path and feeding chains, it is much easier to find the location to place buffers and how much time or resources those buffers will require. It will even give you an opportunity to calculate the buffers you will need based on those requirements you've already figured out in creating the critical path. When a project manager is handling buffer management, they are limiting risk bottlenecks while helping maintain resource availability for projects.
4. Keep your team members focused
Multitasking is usually the worst enemy of your team. When your team members have to switch different projects or different tasks, their focus can become so distracted that it is harder for them to produce work at their typical quality and speed.
To ensure your team members are on the right path per the project schedule, ensure that no single person gets overstretched with all too many kinds of task responsibilities. They are more likely to stay focused on a particular project or task. Keeping team members from being overloaded with projects can also reduce the relative switching that can lead to stress and burnout.
Benefits of the critical chain project managment
The role of what it has to give is very helpful, especially when talked of Critical Chain Project Management Approach. Among its benefits, these include:
Buffer for the project helps the teams managing projects to take off the pressure for the completion of activities in the critical path to a specific due date; that hanging time may be used to complete any remaining activities.Typically in most cases, productivity becomes increased with critical chain scheduling as it tends to make tasks quicker to execute. However, it needs constant monitoring of the task distribution to team members so that the workloads stay somewhat balanced.The project buffer provides time for teams to check their deliverables to ensure complete project work is done on time and of the quality and acceptance standards set.Buffers would enable projects to use time even if a few activities took longer than originally estimated or when a time estimate did not inspire much confidence.