This fast-paced business novel does for project management what The Goal and It's Not Luck have done for production and marketing. Goldratts novels have traditionally slain sacred cows and delivered new ways of looking at processes which seem like common sense once you read them. Critical Chain is no exception. In perhaps Elis most readable book yet, two of the established principles of project management, the engineering estimate and project milestones, are found wanting and dismissed, and other established principles are up for scrutiny - as Goldratt once more applies his Theory of Constraints. The approach is radical, yet clear, understandable and logical. New techniques are introduced, and Project Buffers, Feeding Buffers, Limit Multitasking, Improved Communications and Correct Measurements make them work. Goldratt even handles the complicated statistics of dispersed variability versus accumulated variability so deftly you wont even be aware of learning about them - theyll just seem like more common sense! Critical Chain is critical reading for anyone who deals with projects. If you use block diagrams, drawings or charts to keep track of your activities, you are managing a project - and this book is for you.
Critical Chain Project Management has been widely practiced as a breakthrough improvement for project planning and execution since the publication of Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt's seminal book "Critical Chain" in 1997. Although several excellent books have been published in the interim dealing with Critical Chain theory, practical instruction in "how to" implement Critical Chain with the highest probability of success and sustainability has been conspicuously lacking. The opportunity to bridge this knowledge gap has now been provided by the advent of Goldratt's Strategy and Tactics trees. The Critical Chain Implementation Handbook is the definitive guide for implementing CCPM the way Eli Goldratt intended - the S&T way. The Projects S&T tree and the concepts in this book have been developed, tested and proven in the field, much of which with Dr. Goldratt's direct involvement. The S&T logic brings us not only the "what" of Critical Chain implementation success, but also the "how" and the "why." Now at last, every kind of organization can learn how to create a robust, mistake-free, and long lasting Critical Chain projects organization.
Mike Knight, an executive in a semiconductor firm, learns that his eight-year-old son Tim has a rare form of brain cancer. Tim's best hope for long-term survival is a drug called Supragrel. Unfortunately, Supragrel is still in early clinical trials and may reach the market too late. Mike makes the agonizing decision to quit his job and go to work for Altus Labs, the developer of Supragrel, in hopes of helping them bring the drug to market more quickly. Mike is in for the challenge of his life as he struggles to keep his family together while racing against time to implement world-class project management in Altus Labs. Critical Chain Project Management is a superior project management process that has been quietly implemented in some of the world's best-known companies for over a decade. This book tells you the story of a Critical Chain Project Management implementation. The venue is a major pharmaceutical company, but it could happen anywhere in corporate America.
Everyone who has managed a project (or been involved in one) knows how difficult it is to finish on time. If you've managed many projects, your frustration is even greater; you not only have to finish on time, but in less time. Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) has been hailed as the biggest innovation in project management in 40 years. Projects in Less Time; A Synopsis of Critical Chain by Mark J. Woeppel explains the main ideas behind this breakthrough concept. Woeppel builds on a short, easy to understand synopsis of Eliyahu M. Goldratt's pioneering book, Critical Chain, by deftly augmenting it with commentary, case studies and implementation advice. Readers not only gain a meaningful appreciation for the ideas behind CCPM, they clearly see significant implications for real projects.
This cutting edge, "how to" manual details proven methods for turning around chronically late, overbudget, and underperforming projects. Project Management in the Fast Lane explains how Theory of Constraints tools can be applied to achieve effective, breakthrough solutions in virtually any environment. It includes a complete discussion of the Criti
Even in a well-managed multi-project environment, it is not unusual to see half of all projects completed either late, over budget or with cuts to original scope. However, the proven approach presented in Advanced Multi-Project Management has enabled large, medium, and even small organizations to consistently complete their projects faster, within original scope and budget, and increase the number of projects executed with the same resources by as much as 70%. The list of companies that have used this methodology for stunning results includes some of the biggest, well-known names in the world—Boeing, Rio Tinto, ABB, and Chrysler. This guide details the six gears that must work in unison to drive speed and predictability within an organization.
Fresh, field-tested insights on how to plan, lead, and complete projects with unprecedented efficiency provide project managers with expanded coverage of critical chain planning and project management. This resource spells out CCPM techniques, tools, and theory plus key project skills not covered in other critical chain books, such as scope control and risk management.
Advances in IT have transformed the way organizations interact with each other. To enable organizations to respond to this change, new management paradigms have evolved. This text looks at the value of knowledge management in supply chain management and how supply chain partners can use IT to improve organizational performance.
Businessmen and managers, consultancy clients, readers of the Goldratt novels, and workshop attendees often ask: What is this Theory of Constraints? How can it benefit me? How is it different from other management theories? Is there something I can read to quickly understand its fundamentals? This book is an answer to these questions. Using engaging language and offering many real-life examples, it provides an overview of the methods and tools of the Theory of Constraints: Drum-Buffer-Rope, Buffer Management, Throughput Accounting, Pull Distribution, Irresistible Offer, Corporate Strategy, and Viable Vision. You will learn how to recognize and use constraints, how to complete projects quickly and reliably, and how to gain a competitive lead and to turn it into profit.
Millions of readers remember The Goal, the landmark business novel that sets forth by way of story the essential principles of Eliyahu Goldratt's innovative methods of production. Now, from the AGI-Goldratt Institute and Jeff Cox, the same creative writer who co-authored The Goal, comes VELOCITY, the book that reveals how to achieve outstanding bottom-line results by integrating the world's three most powerful continuous improvement disciplines: Lean, Six Sigma, and Goldratt's Theory of Constraints. Used by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps to dramatically improve some of the most complex, logistically vast supply chains in the world, the VELOCITY APPROACH draws on the strengths of all three disciplines to deliver breakthrough performance gains. In physics, speed with direction is velocity; in business, the application of VELOCITY means your organization can achieve operational speed with strategic direction to outmaneuver competitors, gain loyalty with customers, and rapidly build sustainable earnings growth -- in as little as one or two business quarters. Dee Jacob and Suzan Bergland, two princi-pals of AGI, have been teaching the concepts, techniques, and tools of VELOCITY to major corporations, including Procter & Gamble, ITT, and Northrop Grumman, for years. Now they unlock the door for you to see how to apply their insights and methods to your organization -- be it business, not-for-profit, manufacturing, or service based -- in order to shorten lead times, slash inventories, reduce production variability, and increase sales. Writer Jeff Cox returns with the vivid, realistic style that made The Goal so readable yet so edifying. Thrust into the presidency of the subsidiary company where she has managed sales and marketing, Amy Cieolara is mandated by her corporate superiors to implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in order to appease a key customer. Assigned to help her is LSS Master Black Belt Wayne Reese, installed as her operations manager. But as time goes on and corporate pressure mounts, Amy finds she has to start thinking for herself -- and learning from everyone around her -- and she arrives at the series of steps that form the core of the VELOCITY APPROACH. VELOCITY offers keen insight into the human and organizational factors that so often derail growth while teaching you proven, practical techniques for restarting and revving up the internal engines of your company to reach new levels of success. Colorful characters, believable situations, and everything from dice games to AGI's "reality tree" techniques make this business novel a vital resource for everyone seeking to deliver business improvement in these challenging economic times -- and far into the future.
