TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter first presents the overall process to create the single-project critical- chain plan and then takes you through examples and exercises to practice the ideas. You should understand the ideas before you begin to use computer schedule aids to develop your critical-chain project plans.
Keep in mind that your schedule is just a model of reality. As with all models, it is not reality. It just needs to be good enough to help you execute the project in a way that produces the project result as soon as possible.
The basic steps of the process to create a single critical-chain project schedule follow. I have written this procedure assuming that you are not using a critical-chain computer-scheduling tool. Project managers have used it to successfully plan and run single CCPM projects of up to $5 million. Larger projects or projects in a multi- project environment require critical-chain-capable scheduling software.
Working some networks by hand helps you to understand the problem that the computer is solving. This will aid greatly when you are diagnosing unexpected results.
Identify the critical chain.
1.1. Lay out the late-finish network of tasks. The tasks must identify the mean time-duration estimate (50 50 time) and primary resource requirements. (For tasks with multiple resources, identify the primary resource you believe will be a constraint. If there are several constraint resources, break the task up for each primary resource.)
1.2. If you do not have resource contention in your project, go to step 1.6.
1.3. Identify...
