About this Presentation
This presentation describes the role of resource management in critical chain (CC) environments. The assumption that there is not enough capacity to manage projects in the face of all the uncertainty is exposed as a false assumption in traditional project management. Traditional resource management examines how should portfolio commitments be reconciled when projects are delayed; where should capacity be added; and how should project budgets be reconciled with resource allocation. Critical chain resource management focuses on plugging execution losses by examining the total time taken which includes work content, interruptions (changing priorities, wait times for queues, changing requirements, decisions not made in a timely manner, support of existing products, etc.) and Parkinson’s Law (sense of urgency more towards the milestone, most completions of work items reported on or after estimated time, quality standards encourage polishing, resources work ahead of critical decisions having to rework later, etc.). To plug these losses resource managers need task level priorities across the projects to minimize interruptions and the impact of task delays on buffers to minimize the Parkinson’s Law. Actions have to be done on a day-to-day basis. The constraint in project organizations is capacity needed to manage and support projects. The primary exploitation strategy is to reduce cycle time of projects and to recognize that task level priorities are essential to streamline the support and management processes. In selecting the drum for CC the load and capacity data do not show the real constraints but setting up the pipeline model requires the selection of a virtual drum. Once the pipeline is complete, resource load to capacity data is invaluable to proactively plan for temporary resource overloads and buffer recovery actions and input-output reports are the basis for making decisions about overtime, outsourcing, and movement of resources. Resource management must ensure protective capacity sometimes using project specific knowledge.
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.
Resource managers often struggle with resource shortages and project delays. They need to reconcile the commitments made to the projects with these shortages and delays.
The role of resource managers in critical chain is to increase productivity and manage resources more effectively. They need to focus on managing interruptions and Parkinson's law.
The most limiting capacity in projects is typically management and support, not the resources doing the work. Therefore, cutting cycle times is the primary exploitation strategy in critical chain.
Instructor(s)
