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CCPM (Critical Chain Project Management) is a new methodology for doing
projects that allows you to complete projects with high quality
deliverables in 10% to 50% less elapsed time, and/or 10% to 50% less
resources (ie. man-hrs, $, etc.).
Burned Up or
Burned Out by Projects?
Do you have one or more of the following symptoms?
- You work long hours and still don't get everything done.
- You must get your projects done faster.
- You must co-ordinate and effectively use your precious resources.
- Costs must be reduced, or else!
- Competitors are stealing your best ideas before you pay off the R&D
bill.
If you have some or all of the the above needs, you are probably
Burned Up or Burned Out by
Projects.
Diagnose your Project Management Problems
The above 5 factors are a simple analysis of the typical problems
faced by people and projects. If you are going to improve your project
management system, you must focus your efforts. PQA finds that
approximately 90% to 95% of the systems and tasks performed within a PM
systems are good to excellent; it's the remaining 5% to 10% which creates
the majority of the problems.
Therefore, you need a tool to better understand where your problems and
opportunities are located so you can better focus. To assist you in this
task, PQA has developed a questionnaire tool for ourselves and our
clients to assess the PM system.
You can do the questionnaire yourself and use it as a basis of
discussion among your Project Team members, Project Managers, and Sr.
Management. We recommend answering the questionnaire in private, then
discussing the answers as a group. In this way, you will find huge
differences of opinion about your current system throughout your PM system. Don't force consensus too soon.
Listen to why the people feel
the way they do. Only then will you truly understand the issues and
what needs to be changed for the better.
Will Critical Chain (CCPM) help some of your current problems?
For a more detailed assessment of your current situation, download
PQA's Project Management Questionnaire, take 30 minutes to fill it
in, & send it back to PQA. PQA is doing some basic
research on project management results in the real world, and plans to
write a series of articles on the research results, so we'd like to add
you as a data point. Your individual data will be kept confidential.
If interested, or you have questions about this research project,
contact PQA
What's New & Different About
Critical Chain (CCPM)?
Critical Chain Project Management (Critical Chain (CCPM)) is the first
major advance in Project Management principles since the 1950's.
Critical Chain (CCPM) was invented in 1997. PQA has been doing
CCPM since 1998.
If you're familiar with Gantt charts, PERT, critical path methods, and
scheduling, you'll love the improvements that Critical Chain (CCPM)
brings. The following table compares and contrasts Critical Chain (CCPM)
vs. traditional project management techniques:
| Critical Chain
(CCPM) is based on: |
Critical Chain
(CCPM) Does Not: |
| Common sense and reality |
Require ideal scenarios, nor perfect data |
| How people work most effectively |
Make people work like robots to impossible
standards of perfection |
| Using information effectively |
Create Information Overload, nor Information
Vacuum, nor out of date reports |
| Minimum schedule complexity that gets the job done with acceptable
risk |
Create Analysis Paralysis, nor a huge
bureaucracy overhead |
| Proven Theory of Constraints philosophy put to another
practical use |
Depend on impractical nor untested ideas |
| Simple, proven methods |
Require project management specialists, nor
"Rocket Science" |
| Software that makes Critical Chain (CCPM) accessible by everyone |
Have proprietary technology nor algorithms,
everything is "open source" |
| One project alone, or multiple projects sharing resources |
Limit your flexibility nor responsiveness, it enhances them |
See the links at the top & bottom of the page for more detailed
information.
What are the "Bottom Line" Results I can Expect from
Critical Chain (CCPM)?
Your benefits from upgrading to Critical Chain (CCPM) will depend on
how well you are doing right now, your industry, and your type of
business.
Most people readily achieve at least a 10% improvement in their
Critical Chain (CCPM) projects. This improvement can be:
- 10% to 50% Cheaper through better, more
efficient use of resources, less re-do, identifying & reacting sooner
to problems, etc.
AND/OR
- 10% to 50% Faster through better scheduling,
conservation of safety time, better reporting, minimizing
multi-tasking, etc.
Some organizations have documented up to a 50%
improvement through Critical Chain (CCPM), even though they considered
themselves to have an "excellent" project management system before
embarking on CCPM.
Your results may vary. PQA can help you estimate the
potential savings that are available for you.
Has Anybody Already Used Critical Chain (Critical Chain
(CCPM)) in my Industry?
After 20 years of frustration with traditional project management
problems, I started searching for something different in 1998. I
found Critical Chain (CCPM), and immediately recognized Critical Chain (CCPM)
as a solution to 20 yrs. of frustration. Now, all of PQA's internal
projects that need project management services use Critical Chain (CCPM)
methodology.
We highly recommend Critical Chain (CCPM) to our clients for all their
projects that need a better method of management.
Some of the people and industries who have already benefited from
Critical Chain (CCPM) are as follows:
| aerospace |
agriculture |
automotive |
building & construction |
| computers |
consulting |
electronics |
engineering |
| farming |
food |
government |
health care |
| IT |
manufacturing |
medicine |
media & publishing |
| military |
pharmaceuticals |
quality professionals |
research |
| sales & marketing |
service |
software development |
telecommunications |
How do I get started in Critical Chain (CCPM)?
PQA offers a complete suite of
CCPM training courses to
fully support a CCPM implementation.
While there are many different users and approaches to Critical Chain
(CCPM), we usually find that the following methodology works best over
the long term:
- Gain more awareness of traditional Project Management problems, and
what Critical Chain (CCPM) has to offer.
PQA has an
CCPM Executive Overview training course available to help you.
- Train Senior management AND
project managers on the best methods for projects.
PQA has a
CCPM training course for
project managers.
- Choose a significant demonstration project. Apply Critical
Chain (CCPM) methods to your special case, needs, risks, and
constraints. Monitor the project closely & spread the word.
Keep doing Critical Chain (CCPM) demonstration projects until you're
convinced that Critical Chain (CCPM) really works, and it's
substantially better than previous methods (may take from 1 to 4
demonstration projects). Await one person, group, department, or
division to volunteer to take Critical Chain (CCPM) to the next step.
- Accept one volunteer who will implement Critical Chain (CCPM) for
100% of all their future projects (done by one person, team, group,
department, or division).
- Measure, communicate, train, and promote Critical Chain (CCPM)
until you are ready for Critical Chain (CCPM) on 100% of all projects
throughout your entire organization, and your supply chain.
How can PQA help you improve your Project Outcomes ?
PQA offers full service, comprehensive support for
organizations considering or implementing Critical Chain (CCPM):
- Executive Overview Training
- Feasibility or Implementation cost estimates, ROI estimates
- Critical Chain (CCPM) software, installation, training, and support
- Pilot Project Implementation & Support services
- Training for Project Managers, management, sales, engineering,
Project Team Members, & support personnel
- Measurement & feedback systems & analysis to assess the
improvements achieved through Critical Chain (CCPM).
To find out more about Critical Chain (CCPM), get the answers you
need, or start your own Critical Chain (CCPM) improvement process:
- call PQA at (800)-837-7046
-
e-mail PQA at dwhitred@pqa.net
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Traditional Project Management Methods |
