A Critique of the Critical Chain Approach to Project Management

Critical path analysis identifies the most efficient and cost effective way of completing a complex project. The various activities which together will make up the project are identified, and the order of these activities are identified. Then, the duration of each activity is estimated and these factors are then arranged as a network or graph, showing the whole project from start to finish, and showing which tasks can happen at the same time. The sequence of tasks which have to be done one after another with no gaps in between is called the Critical Path.

Hidan, L. (2011). Project management and engineering issues. Annals of the University Dunarea De Jos of Galati: Fascicle XIV, Mechanical Engineering. (1), pgs. 57-60

Three factors define the success of any project; these are time, cost, and quality (Wysocki and RK 2013: 4). This paper identifies three main facets of project management that were inappropriately implemented, namely; Resourcing, Stakeholder Management, and Risk Management and how their improper implementation led to the violation of the three constraints (i.e. time, cost, and quality).

Indeed, the Edinburgh City Council could have done more to provide better communication between its contractors as this would have diverted a lot of the miscommunication which led to the eventual delays in the project. It could also be said that it should have been the City Council’s responsibility to manage the contract more tightly and have constructive discussions with the contractors so as to minimalize the risk of parties becoming unaware of one another’s objectives towards the project plan.

Kloppenborg, T., Nkomo, S.M., Fottler, M.D., McAfee, R.B. (2012). Human Resource Project Management.(2nd ed.). Mason, O

Gray, C. F. & Larson, E. W. (2008). _Project Management: The Managerial Process_. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hills Companies, Inc.

In almost every business, project management is critically important. The critical path method (CPM) will provide a timeline for the project manager for when tasks should be completed. In addition, providing a deadline and the negative effects it will have on the following successors if not completed on time. These many task are interdepended. Therefore, the CPM provides the start and finishes times of the tasks, and identifies the few tasks on the critical path that the project manager should observe to determine which task needs the most attention. Already discovering and incorporating the details the task or assignments may require, CPM calculates all task times, which can be measured in hours, days, weeks, and months. For any unintended manually input errors, a warning message will be provided. Including an automatic successor generator, task numbering comment, and data validation, makes it easier on the project manager.

The key to a successful project is planning the use of resources and time throughout the project. People are the most valuable and costly resource of most organizations. In order to maximize productivity, utilization and realization, it’s critical to assign the right people to the right project teams (LMR Solutions, 2008). Software solutions and Infrastructures are architected, developed, engineered and supported by employees who have the time, energy, skills and interest to make the specific initiative successful. However, Huffman Trucking has limited access to a number of these resources. Furthermore, these types of resources are often in short supply compared to the demand for new software solutions and infrastructures.

1. Use of TQM, phase gate model and project management tools ( WBS, Critical path analysis, 3-point estimation and earned value analysis).

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements (PMBOK Guide, 2008). Using this definition, it is made evident that the parties involved in the Denver International Airport (DIA) Baggage System project in the 1990’s failed at applying basic organizational practices towards managing the triple constraint of scope, time, and cost goals. The combination of inherent risks, uncertainties, and dysfunctional decision making geared the project towards disappointment while simultaneously designating it as a text book example of what not do when taking on a complex project. By looking at the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats we can

One of the main concerns during the meeting was the impact of cost and time constraints on networking techniques and project schedules. Under the ideal situation, the project start and end dates are fixed. Adding resources is not usually feasible as it increases cost. There should be a balance between time and cost constraints as it avoids wasting of resources. Also most people are willing to accept that costs could exceed expectations, and might even take a perverse delight in recounting past examples, the same is not true for time constraints. This is probably due to the fact that cost over runs are resolved in-house, while schedule issues are open and visible to the customer. A company has a lot of useful, desirable work that could be done, but has limited and finite resources available with which to do that work. Choices have to be made about which work to do and how to allocate resources. This leads to constraints especially, the time constraint and the cost constraint. Time, in project management, is analyzed down to its smallest detail. Each and every component of the project is analyzed with respect to the time required for completion. After completion of this analysis these components are broken down even further into the time required to do each task.

A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of MMIS 621: Information Systems Project Management course requirements

While projects can be similar in some instances, no two projects are ever the same. For this reason, management of projects requires the application of tools and techniques to meet the goals of the temporary endeavor. Project managers apply these tools and techniques to determine what is required for project delivery such as the list of activities to completed, the time required to complete the activities, resources needed and the various risks associated with the deliverable and efforts. A multitude of tools and techniques are employed by the project manager based on the need of the effort to organize, identify and communicate the various aspects of the project. While in contrast, the repetitive nature of operations activities

Uncertainty has been identified as the underlying cause of the common mismanagement of projects. In response, many approaches to project management have been developed in order to mitigate the adverse effects of the inevitable ambiguity. However, many of these methods fail to address erroneous assumptions that are often made at the management level. In the novel “Critical Chain”, Eli Goldratt presents effective methods that challenge such assumptions. The novel follows multiple stories in order to demonstrate the benefits of this management philosophy as they apply to several project types.

A key activity in project management is assessing project constraints. A project has three limitations: scope, budget and schedule. These limitations are project constraints because they are sensitive to change and have an impact on project risk. Risk is exposure to uncertain outcomes. Project constraints are mutually exclusive. If one constraint changes it affects the others and adjustments may be required to compensate and manage risks. For example, a delay in the schedule can increase the risk that the project will not finish on time. Time is money and delays have a negative impact on the budget. To