Project Management Basics

Understanding “Critical Chain Method” in practice

Mr. Hari S Krishna, PMP, CSM, LSSGB CEO & Master Trainer

www.AramadilloConsultants.com

Consider a Real Project

A B C Project reserve

In reality, Project Completion with no Project reserve may derail the end market commitments and cause major business reputation loss

Ideal Project Completion

Ideally, 1 Task is assigned to 1 Project Resource at any given point in time. No multitasking by same resources.

G H

X Y

Project Start

Project End

Many a times, in order to suppress the ambiguity on projects and overcome the uncertainty, Project reserves are used. This is simply sometimes an extra timeline after the anticipated Ideal Project Completion.

Critical Path of Project with Project reserve makes the project more realistic towards end result. Start-A-B-C-End is the Critical Path. Start-G-H-B-C-End is alternate path. Start-X-Y-B-C-End is alternate path.

Copyright of Mr. Hari S Krishna, PMP, CSM, LSSGB

Make Project even more realistic Critical Path of Project with Project Buffer makes the project more realistic towards end result. In addition, all alternate paths collision to critical path activities need to be added reserve to stop derailment of critical path activities. This will protect the Project timeline by not cascading on each individual critical path activity.

Each feeding reserve size must account for uncertainty/ambiguity in the duration of the chain of dependent activities leading up to that Feeding Reserve.

A B C Project Reserve

Ideal Project Completion

Ideally, 1 Task is assigned to 1 Project Resource at any given point in time. No multitasking by same resources.

G H

X Y

Project Start

Project End

Feeding Reserve

Feeding Reserve

Real Project Completion

Copyright of Mr. Hari S Krishna, PMP, CSM, LSSGB

Revisit the New Critical Path Also known as Critical Chain Method

Application of resources over multiple activities on the project alters the critical path of the project. This optimized resource constrained critical path is known as Critical Chain. Look at task H & Y to be performed by the same resource Person 1 after task A. This would mean that

automatically the project critical path which was earlier: Start-A-B-C-End this has now altered to become Start-A-H-Y-B-C-End As new Critical Chain path emerges, this is the most practical critical path for Clients & Customers.

A Robert

B Robert

C Maria

Project Buffer

Ideal Project Completion

G Chris

H Robert

X Lisa

Y Robert

Project Start

Project End

Real Project Completion

Feeding Buffer

Feeding Buffer

Copyright of Mr. Hari S Krishna, PMP, CSM, LSSGB

Thank you.

Understanding “Critical Chain Method” in practice

Mr. Hari S Krishna, PMP, CSM, LSSGB CEO & Master Trainer

www.AramadilloConsultants.com