About this Presentation
The Challenger 3 team at Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) is delivering the most advanced battle tank in NATO within budget and on schedule. DE&S and the British Army announced that they have approved the Critical Design Review ahead of schedule, marking a great success! Given current threats, the Army needs tanks on, or preferably ahead of, schedule. With support from the BAE Systems Corporate PM Function, RBSL has adopted Critical Chain Project Management to ensure adherence to the schedule. Critical Chain is a systematic approach to developing a logical plan at a high level, with a relentless focus on recovery when tasks on the critical path/chain are forecasting to overrun. Enabled by Critical Chain, the schedule is aggressive but includes a time buffer to accommodate deviations from the plan. The main benefit of Critical Chain is a change in mindset and a set of behaviors aimed at using time more effectively.
What Will You Learn
To help you get the most value from this session, we’ve highlighted a few key points. These takeaways capture the main ideas and practical insights from the presentation, making it easier for you to review, reflect, and apply what you’ve learned.
Learn how Critical Chain Project Management was applied to accelerate the Challenger 3 Tank upgrade program by focusing team effort on the true project constraint rather than individual tasks.
Understand why traditional planning and resource allocation methods were contributing to delays and variability, and how buffer management reduced uncertainty and improved delivery reliability.
See how prioritizing work based on constraint visibility and reducing multitasking helped synchronize cross-functional teams and improve throughput.
Gain insight into practical lessons from executing CCPM in a high-stakes defense project environment, including changes in governance, decision-making, and performance monitoring.
Instructor(s)
Tim Stacey
Tim Stacey is a highly experienced Project Management Professional with extensive experience in the project delivery of military vehicles. His career includes meeting extensive surge requirements for operational requirements (Iraq and Afghanistan) and a leading Project Management role in the Challenger 3 program to deliver the most advanced main battle tank in NATO. Tim has led the use of Critical Chain Project Management / Theory of Constraints within the program.