Critical chain project management applies behavioral science and mathematics to manage projects involving multiple people and processes. The constraint thought process theory is used to avoid unwanted behaviors, and multiple buffers are applied to protect production activity. Multitasking is discouraged, and curtailing Parkinson’s Law is a strategic advantage.
Critical chain project management is the application of behavioral science and mathematics to managing a project involving multiple people and processes. Undesirable aspects in human behavior that affect productivity can arise in the efforts of large groups. Manufacturing processes can be structured inefficiently: critical chain project management manages and plans for statistically probable variations that occur as work progresses.
Constraint thought process theory is applied in critical chain project management. Management employs this theory in an attempt to avoid unwanted behaviors, which can cause drift from target production goals. According to the theory, throughout the production process there are not many limits to the achievement of the final goal as managers and workers commonly believe. As a result, there are constant opportunities to take advantage of relaxation within the system.
Multiple buffers are applied in critical chain management. Project managers analyze and attempt to optimize these buffers to protect production activity from efficiency degradation. An example of a project buffer is a deadline for completing the task. This gives managers an accountability tool for completing tasks.
Another buffer is the capacity buffer. If a team is working on many projects simultaneously, managers need to be able to calculate performance measures by isolating each project. A power buffer protects against delays to other downstream workers caused by upstream activity. The upstream activity stream has buffers along the stream to provide a constant predictable flow.
While the ability to multitask may be useful in other settings, in critical chain project management, it is a stumbling block. An individual worker’s continuous attention to the primary task at hand is the goal in critical chain management. Since the work process involves a chain of individuals, where each individual gets the processing done by another individual along the chain, there is an inherent dependency in the activity. Therefore, if a worker juggles multiple tasks at the same time, everyone who depends on a single worker actually completing that task could experience downtime.
Curtailing Parkinson’s Law is another strategic advantage in critical chain project management. Parkinson’s law refers to the tendency of an activity to consume all of the time allotted to the activity, including the leisure time built into the system. If the time allotted is actually longer than necessary, workers may slow down, exceeding the time actually required to complete the task. As a result, opportunities go to the bank to recoup that time and apply it to other aspects of a larger project where a production delay may be unavoidable. This increases the likelihood of delays as work progresses down the chain.
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