About this Presentation
This presentation is a case study of the Boeing 777 airframe projects (777-300ER and 777-200LR) using large scale multi-project critical chain in Engineering Product Development. Planning and execution of the work includes: Create the plan (Apply templates to work statements, no dates); commit the plan (Assign completion dates to projects, adjust resources); and manage to the plan (Use resource histograms and fever charts for daily management; drawing due date system to check weekly commitments; and earned value to show monthly progress). The results of each project (consisting of 10,000 projects each) are presented.
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.
How Boeing applied Critical Chain in one of the toughest possible environments: a fixed, non-negotiable aircraft development schedule, a globally distributed workforce, and a culture deeply driven by intermediate due dates.
Why one of the biggest breakthroughs was not software or scheduling logic, but changing how people worked — from push, due-date-driven behavior to pull, event-driven execution with shared priorities and less harmful multitasking.
What it takes to scale CCPM beyond a single project, including how Boeing treated each drawing as a project, managed a 10,000-project multi-project system, and still integrated with Earned Value and Lean.
Why this case is so compelling for large engineering organizations: it shows that Critical Chain was not just theoretically compatible with complex product development, but helped Boeing deliver major programs on schedule, under budget, and with better release performance.
Instructor(s)
Steve Holt
Steve Holt is a Boeing Technical Fellow with a primary focus on the socio-technical aspects of Systems Engineering, especially for the development of large scale, complex products. He was one of the leaders of the implementation of Critical Chain Project Management on several airplane programs. He is a practitioner and instructor in Theory of Constraints, Cynefin Framework, and Critical Thinking. He was a past member of the TOCICO Board of Directors and received a TOCICO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.