PROJECT PLANNING AND

SCHEDULING TECHNIQUES

CRITICAL CHAIN PROJECT

MANAGEEMNT

Prof. Sanjay Bhoyar

Reasons of success in project management:

User involvement
Executive management support
A clear statement of requirements
Proper planning

Lack of proper planning is main source of

failure

NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Theory of constraints:
(Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt)
Identify the systems constraints

1.

Identify CC

Exploit the systems constraints

2.

Condense task durations

Subordinate everything else to the systems constraints

3.

Insert buffers

Elevate the systems constraint

4.

Change participants behavior

Go back to step 1

5.

Monitor performance
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Task performance is affected by:

Duration estimation
Student syndrome
Parkinsons law
Murphys law
Bad Multi-tasking

NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Task duration:

NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Methodology of CCPM:

Reduced durations

Project buffer

Removing safety time from individual tasks

Making hidden safety explicit and aggregate

Combined buffer can be less than safety margin of the

individual tasks
Feeding buffer
Scheduling Non-critical tasks ALAP
Resource buffer
Monitoring buffers
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Task duration estimation:

Removing safety time from individual tasks

Making hidden safety explicit and aggregate
Embracing uncertainty rather than defeating it
with estimating
Get a task duration that has 50% chance of
being met, assuming

All inputs are available readily

No interruptions
No extra time
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Buffers in CCS:

Project buffer

Feeding buffer

Placed after the last CC task

50% of the length of CC tasks
Protects project end date against overruns in CC tasks
Placed where feeding chain (non-critical) intersects with
CC
50% of the length of feeding chain tasks
Protects CC from overruns of non- CC tasks that link to the
CC

Resource buffer
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Resource buffer:

A virtual task that is inserted prior to CC tasks

that require critical resources
It issues a signal to the critical resources that a CC
task is due to start shortly
Wake-up call

NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Methodology of CCPM
(Planning Mode):

Task estimating
Scheduling backwards

To meet target end date

Reveals the latest start date to meet the target end
date

ALAP Scheduling
Resolving resource conflicts
Identifying the Critical Chain
Calculating & inserting buffers
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Critical Path vs Critical Chain:

CP is the series of activities that determines the

duration of the project as per precedence logic

Activity durations are fixed

Resources are unlimited

CC is a critical sequence longest chain of tasks

considering both, task dependencies and resource
dependencies

Realistic project duration

Leveled resources
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Sample problem:
Task
No

Task
ID

Task Name

Precedi
ng task

CPM
Resource
Duration rate
(weeks)

Setting up Fab
unit

--

--

Excavation

--

--

Foundation

--

Fab of columns

Erection of
columns

B,C

Fab of trusses

Roofing

D,E

Side walls

--

Fittings

F,G

--

NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Sample problem:
Task
No

Task
ID

Task Name

Precedi
ng task

CPM
Resource
Duration rate
(weeks)

Setting up Fab
unit

--

--

Excavation

--

--

Foundation

--

Fab of columns

Erection of
columns

B,C

Fab of trusses

Roofing

D,E

Side walls

--

Fittings

F,G

--

NICMAR, PUNE

Reduced
Duration
(weeks)

SANJAY BHOYAR

C/1

D/1

E/1

F/1

ESS

Critical Path: X-C-D-F-H

Project Duration= 15 weeks
A
X

B
C/1

D/1

RC-LSS

F/1

E/1
Critical Chain: X-C-D-E-F-H

Weeks

NICMAR, PUNE

10

Project Duration= 18 weeks

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 19 --

SANJAY BHOYAR

A
X

B
C/1

D/1

RC-LSS

F/1

E/1

Critical Chain: X-C-D-E-F-H

B

A
X

FB-1 = 2 wks
FB-2 = 1 wks
PB = 9 wks

FB-1
C/1

D/1

CCS

FB-2

F/1

E/1

PB

Project Duration= 27 weeks

Weeks

NICMAR, PUNE

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 19 --

-- 27

SANJAY BHOYAR

C/1

D/1

E/1

ESS

F/1

A
X

B
C/1

D/1

RC-LSS

F/1

E/1
B

A
X

C/1

D/1

NICMAR, PUNE

10

11

12

FB-2

F/1

E/1
1

FB-1

CCS
Weeks

13

14

15

H
16

PB

17 18 19 -- -- 27
SANJAY BHOYAR

Principles for execution:

Resources of CC tasks are expected to work

continuously on a single task at a time
Resources shall complete a task ASAP
If a task is completed ahead of schedule, the
successor shall begin immediately
If a task is completed late, there is no reason to
panic (buffers will absorb the delay)

NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Methodology of CCPM
(Tracking Mode):

Relay race approach

Schedule updating
Buffer management
Resource allocation decisions

Resource buffer

Allocate to the tasks with the objective of

minimizing buffer penetration

Finish early
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Schedule updating:

As progress is updated, the schedule is

recalculated

Keeping the target end date constant

By adjusting the buffer sizes

Project end date will not change until project

buffer is completely absorbed by task overruns
Project control focuses on consumption of buffer
If buffer consumption is out of proportion,

Reassignment of resources to the tasks on the chains

leading to the buffer in question
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Buffer management:

Fever chart
Buffer is devided in 3 equal zones

Green
No

action required

Yellow
Assess

the problem & plan the actions

Red
Act

immediately
Finish uncompleted tasks earlier
Accelerate future work
Bring buffer penetration out of red zone
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR

Simple fewer chart:

Total Buffer

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SANJAY BHOYAR

Fewer chart for Buffer penetration:

100

% Buffer

100
% Duration of a Chain
NICMAR, PUNE

SANJAY BHOYAR