The Definitive Guide to Project Management: The fast track to getting the job done on time and on budget, Second Edition

Appendix A. The critical chain method

This appendix describes the critical chain approach to project management. It differs from the approach given in the book thus far in its focus on managing buffer, or reserve. The central idea behind critical chain is that people naturally tend to add too much buffer or contingency reserve when planning and estimating, for good reasons. But the overall effect is that there is too much slack built into projects, unless this human tendency is tightly managed. Critical chain seeks to make a virtue out of this feature of human nature.

Critical chain has been shown to deliver great benefits over conventional project management techniques, but it differs significantly from other project planning and management techniques. ...