The document outlines strategies for reducing project lead times and improving project performance by addressing common issues such as late deliveries, budget overruns, and resource contention. It highlights three key secrets: building effective plans, limiting work in process, and fostering teamwork around project completion. Additionally, the text emphasizes the importance of planning, resource management, and tracking project status through metrics like buffer burn ratio to ensure timely project delivery.

1. Projects in Less Time
3 Secrets to Reducing Lead Time, On Time
Pinnacle Strategies
http://pinnacle-strategies.com
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2. The Standish Group PDI Survey
 75% of completed  91% finish “a little late”
projects are late  51% come in over
 Average cost overruns budget
are 189%  63% overload resources
 Average time overruns  38% do not meet
are 222% expectations
 30% are cancelled before
they finished
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3. Even though there are many types of projects,
the complaints are essentially the same.
• Deliveries are usually late UDE
• Too many changes UDE
UDE
• Over budget
• Excessive rework UDE
• Frequent priority battles
• Require resources with
limited availability
• Compromise scope for cost
or schedule
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4. How to:
Make the
project an
Reduce enriching
project experience?
costs?
Improve
resource
productivity?
Reduce
project
lead times?
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5. Why does project performance suffer?
Resources
Multitasking
PMs Focus
Planning
on the Past

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6. The cost?
Many
Surprises
Many
Meetings
Resources
Multitasking
PMs Focus
Chronic
Planning
on the past Resource
Shortages

Unhappy
People
Poor
Results
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7. 1st Secret to Projects in Less Time
 Build good plans
◦ Focus on
deliverables
◦ Treat task
durations are
forecasts, not
commitments
◦ Recognize the
constraint
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8. 2nd Secret to Projects in Less Time
 Limit the amount of work in process
to maximize flow
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9. 3rd Secret to Projects in Less Time
 Team work around project completion
◦ Make the plan THE plan
◦ Stop blaming and get moving
◦ Focus on the future
◦ Use buffers as
risk management
tool for completion
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10. “In preparing for
battle I have
always found
that plans are
useless, but
planning is
indispensable.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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11. We believe more time =
Greater reliability
 Projects are longer than necessary
 Projects have an oversupply of safety time
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12. All task durations in the plan are a
forecast of how long it will take.
Safety Factor
Mean
0% 50% 95%
42.7% of all statistics are
made up on the spot.
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13. Long task durations =
Long project duration
C1: 2d
A: 6d C2: 6d
D: 3d Finish
B: 7d C3: 4d
0 5 10 15
Does anyone actually believe the planned
durations will even be close to actual?
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14. A second problem;
resource contention.
C1: 2d
A: 6d C2: 6d
D: 3d Finish
B: 7d C3: 4d
0 5 10 15
The plan is not feasible!
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15. Steps to Build the Plan
1. Tasks with aggressive estimates
2. Identify the critical chain
3. Buffer the project completion
4. Add feeding buffers
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16. Start with Aggressive Estimates
 Create a network you can commit to
 Estimate tasks at p50, or half the safe estimate
 Start as late as possible
C1: 1d
A: 4d C2: 4d
D: 2d Finish
B: 5d C3: 2d
0 5 10 15 20
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17. Create the Critical Chain
C1: 1d
A: 4d C2: 4d
D: 2d Finish
B: 5d C3: 2d
0 5 10 15 20
 The longest sequence of dependent tasks
after resolving resource contention
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18. Buffer Project Completion
C1: 1d
A: 4d C2: 4d
D: 2d Buffer: 6 d Finish
B: 5d C3: 2d
0 5 10 15 20
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19. Add Feeding Buffers
Feeding Buffer
Buffer: .5d
C1: 1d
A: 4d C2: 4d
D: 2d Buffer: 6 d Finish
Buffer:
B: 5d 2.5 d
C3: 2d
0 5 10 15 20
Feeding Buffer
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20. CCPM Planning Principles
 The plan is necessary, but, like a forecast,
will always be “wrong”.
 Tasks are aggressive, but possible
 Relationships are guided by technical
requirements, not preference
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21. Time spent in planning
reduces overall project duration.
 Builds consensus & teamwork
 Identify early action needs
 Resource needs identified early
 Tests and validates the assumptions
 Creates the baseline for action
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22. The prevailing notion is that to finish
early, one should start early.
Task 3 FB
Task 1 Task 2
Task 5 Task 7 Project Buffer
Task 4 Feed. Buffer
Task 6 FB
Task 3 FB
Task 1 Task 2
Task 5 Task 7 Project Buffer
Task 4 Feed. Buffer
Task 6 FB
Task 3 FB
Task 1 Task 2
Task 5 Task 7 Project Buffer
Task 4 Feed. Buffer
Task 6 FB
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23. Too much
work creates
confusion
about
priorities.
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24. Loading up on projects creates
resource overloads
30
25
Available
Capacity Project 4
Number of Resources
20
Project 3
15 Project 2
Project 1
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Weeks
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25. Limit the work in the system
 Control work flow by the rate of
constraint resource(s)
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26. Staggering the release of projects
reduces work in process.
Task 3 FB
Task 1 Task 2
Task 5 Task 7 Project Buffer
Task 4 Feed. Buffer
Task 6 FB
Task 3 FB
Task 1 Task 2
Task 5 Task 7 Project Buffer
Task 4 Feed. Buffer
Task 6 FB
Task 3 FB
Task 1 Task 2
Task 5 Task 7 Project Buffer
Task 4 Feed. Buffer
Task 6 FB
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27. Staggering release evens out the
resource load.
12 Project 4
Project 3
10
Project 2
Project 1
Number of Resources
8
6
4
2
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Weeks
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28. Staggering release reduces project
duration and reduces resource
contention.
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFER Project A
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFER Project B
Staggering Projects Accelerate Completion and
Reduce Resource Contention
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFER
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFER
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29. Project teams are often devoted to
their individual agendas.
 Protecting
reputations
 Defending original
task duration
estimates
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30. Human behavior causes the safety
built into tasks to be wasted.
 Multi-tasking
 Student Syndrome
 Parkinson’s law
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31. Multitasking Adds Significant Time
My Assignments
Task 1 Task 2 Task 3
10 days 10 days 10 days
Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 1 Task 2 Task 3
5 days 5 days 5 days 5 days 5 days 5 days
20 days
25 days
30 days
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32. Multitasking Causes
 Poor planning /
priority shifting
 Drive to show
progress on all
projects
 Earned value focus
on all activities
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33. The way people work on a project
has a profound impact on its
duration.
 Relay runner work ethic
 Eliminate any penalty for missing task
estimates
 One day response
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34. The only meaningful measurement
of project status is the answer to
this question:
 When will the
project be
complete?
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35. What is the Status of This Project?
C1: 2d
A: 6d C2: 6d
D: 3d Finish
B: 7d C3: 4d
0 5 10 15
Task A is 20% complete • 25% Complete?
Task B is 70% complete • 8% Complete?
Task C1 is 50% complete
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36. Project Status Calculation
Task Estimate % Complete Remaining % Complete
A 6 20% 4.8
C1 2 50% 1
C2 6 6
B 7 70% 2.1
C3 4 4
D 3 3
Total 28 20.9 25%
Critical 15 13.8 8%
Path
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37. It’s hard to know where to focus
the team’s efforts.
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38. The most successful projects
have the best negotiators leading
the project.
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39. Buffer Burn Ratio is the guiding
measurement to project status.
 Relationship
of buffer
consumption
to
 Work
completed
 Indication of Today
risk to
achieving
project due
date
 Identifies the
work that is
important
NOW
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40. Burn Ratio Directs the Action
 When the % buffer
consumed is less than
Action
% of work Threshold
◦ Project is “green” Today
◦ Risk of being late is low
Planning
 When the % buffer Threshold
consumed is greater
than % of work
◦ Project is “red”
◦ Project is at risk
◦ It’s time to do something
different
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41. Burn Ratio shows snapshot of the
health of all the projects
The System Buffer Consumption Report
100%
Project Bengal Action
% PB Consumed
 Jaguar
Threshold

Panther
Leopard lynx Planning

  Cheetah Threshold

Cougar

0%
0% 100%
% CC Completed
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42. Focus on Project Completion
 Eliminate multi-tasking
◦ Don’t start a task unless it can be finished
◦ Project meetings focus when the next task
will be completed
 Adopt the relay racer mentality
◦ Teamwork
◦ Full effort on tasks until completion
◦ 24 hour response time
 During the project, measure quality, not
productivity
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43. CCPM Execution Benefits
 FOCUS
 Significant reduction in behavioral delays
◦ Multi-tasking
◦ Student syndrome
 Future-based management
 Improved teamwork
 Shorter execution times
 Improved productivity
 A good experience
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44. CCPM Concerns
 What to do with the extra capacity?
 It’s hard to do?
 Culture is a big obstacle?
 Is software necessary?
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45. Eight Steps to Implementation
1. Management consensus on the business
need
2. Buy-in on improvement potential
3. Buy-in on the rules and set ambitious
targets
4. Design the solution
5. Create the pipeline plan
6. Task management processes
7. Supporting processes implementation
8. Continue to improve
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46. What can I do now?
Reduce the number of projects in
process
Allocate the available resources to
remaining open projects
Full-kit implementation
Reintroduce projects as other
projects are completed
Release new projects using CCPM
planning
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47. CCPM In Projects
An
enriching
Reduced experience
costs
Improved
resource
productivity
Completed
in less time
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48. Horace Wilcox

50. Projects in Less Time
Critical Chain Project Management
Pinnacle Strategies
http://pinnacle-strategies.com
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