FAQ

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is a project management approach based on Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints (ToC). The focus is not on maximizing the workload of individual employees, but on achieving optimal throughput across the entire organization. While traditional project management often seeks to optimize each project individually, CCPM considers all projects collectively.

High workload does not automatically mean high productivity. On the contrary: When employees work on many projects at the same time, this often leads to multitasking, waiting times, changes in priorities, and rework. This significantly extends lead times, even though everyone is busy.

In many companies, people are working on too many projects at once. As a result, attention is spread across many tasks. A lot of work is started, but little is completed. Project throughput declines, even though capacity utilization is high.

Delivery dates are rarely jeopardized by a single major problem. More often than not, it is the accumulation of many small delays: pending decisions, interruptions, overburdened experts, or incomplete project preparation.

For companies that carry out multiple projects simultaneously while sharing the same resources. Typical examples include mechanical engineering, plant engineering, product development, software development, engineering, and research and development.

When projects play only a very minor role and resources are sufficiently available or are not shared. In such cases, different challenges arise that require a different approach to improvement.

Not necessarily. The key factor for success is not the software itself, but rather the way projects are planned, prioritized, and managed. Simple Excel tools are often sufficient to get started. However, once there are many projects and shared resources that need to be coordinated, specialized CCPM software can be useful. It provides particular support for portfolio sequencing, prioritization, and transparent management through fever charts and buffer management. Whether and when such software is appropriate depends on the size and complexity of the organization and is evaluated jointly.

First, we work together to determine whether there is any relevant potential for improvement. To do this, we analyze typical issues that arise in day-to-day project work and conduct an anonymous employee survey. Based on these results, the company works with us to develop a business case.

Employees see firsthand every day where projects are stalling. Their assessments often provide a much more realistic picture than key metrics alone. Anonymity ensures that issues can be addressed openly.

We don’t come into a company with ready-made solutions. Instead, we work with employees to develop an understanding of the root causes and support them in devising their own solutions. This fosters acceptance, drives sustainable change, and significantly accelerates implementation.

That's exactly why. The goal is to reduce unnecessary work, wait times, and constant reprioritization. The time needed for improvements often becomes available sooner than many companies expect.

This typically occurs within the first 8 weeks after implementation begins. Lasting improvements result from consistent implementation and continuous refinement.