TOCICO

This is a discussion moderated by John Thompson with panelists Dee Jacob and Roy Stratton on buffer strategy. The general rule of thumb for critical chain project management (CCPM) of cutting the task time in half applies to many environments. The first issue is to check your assumptions. Second, organizations can have 100% due date performance (DDP) by having good project networks, buffers and schedules. In a multiproject environment, it is critical to address the multitasking across projects. People don't follow the right signals; don't follow the global priorities on assigning resources (don't spread the peanut butter, such as three resources working on six tasks all at the same time, thus resulting in all tasks being completed late.) Relay runner and task assignment are paramount. To achieve 100% DDP, you must focus on 1. Setting buffer sizes. 2. Synchronizing by gating projects by staggering resource capacity. 3. Using the relay runner. Why are three-zone (of equal size) buffers used for signal planning and expediting actions? Get better signals for not taking actions when you should; taking actions when you shouldn't and taking the wrong actions. You must understand the context where you apply the action rules. What are the direct effects of the injections? What of the sizes of task times versus safety? Don't get more granular then the system requires. The time you have on paper versus the time you have in reality is the conflict. Different environments cause different actions: production, projects, healthcare, etc. In healthcare, you can't predefine the route of the patient much less the task and path variation.