Critical Path vs Critical Chain
Mastering the Art of Lifelong Learning: A Project Manager’s Epic Journey
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Welcome to The Agie Admiral weekly newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help you build a high-performing Project Management career
Today at a Glance:
🚩 Terms that confuses me: Critical Path vs Critical Chain
🔮 What’s New at PMI
📅 Community
🥇 Mastering the Art of Lifelong Learning: A Project Manager’s Epic Journey
Terms that confuses me:
Critical Path Method (CPM): the most popular scheduling method in the Exam which involves the calculation of early start (ES), early finish (EF), late start (LS) and late finish (LF) through forward and backward passes in the project schedule network diagram. This will facilitate the project manager to estimate the floats (buffers) or the lack of for individual activities on the schedule network path.
The Critical Path Method focuses on the sequence of activities/tasks to allow the project team to visualize the overall flow of the tasks.
Critical Chain Method (CCM): it builds on the Critical Path Method by considering the resource availabilities and their dependencies along all the task chain and adding buffers to the end of the chain, in order to protect the project schedule from slipping. This may result in a new Critical Path to be identified instead of the one found in Critical Path Method.
The Critical Chain Method is derived from the “Theory of Constraints”, it focuses on resource availability and dealing with uncertainties/changes.
It focuses on managing the overall buffer of all the activities on the chain. This will allow the project schedule to be in better control (instead of micro-managing individual schedule activities).
If used correctly, the CCM will achieve higher efficiency by removing implicit buffers of individual tasks and lower schedule risks.
There are 3 types of buffers:
Project Buffer: placed at the end of the project, the project buffer provides contingency for the critical chain activities
Feeding Buffer: placed at the end of non-critical chains in order to match the duration of critical chain
Resource Buffer: placed on the critical chain to allow rooms for the designated resources to work on the critical chain tasks
Example
The following is a simplified diagram to illustrate Critical Path Method vs Critical Chain Method
Conclusion:
The Critical Path Method allows the project team to easily visualize the sequence of tasks and the estimated duration of individual tasks in a straight-forward manner. However, since there are no overall buffers to be added to the critical path, project team members may, while estimating for the duration of individual tasks, try to add “implicit buffers” to each task with a view to protect the overall schedule. This may result in “too much” buffers added to the critical path and make the estimation not efficient. The project manager needs to monitor closely the progress of individual tasks as one task progresses at a slower than expected will affect the whole project schedule.
The Critical Chain Method just put the tasks together in a chain by considering the minimal time needed for individual tasks. An overall “project buffer” is added to the end of the chain which provides some protection against the project schedule. This may result in higher efficiency of the buffer estimation by combining the individual implicit buffer for an explicit buffer. Project team members would be able to provide a more aggressive schedule for each task as there is an overall buffer to protect the project schedule. The project manager will focus on managing the overall buffer during the executing and monitoring processes.
Summary
How to identify whether the Exam question is asking about Critical Path Method or Critical Chain Method? The easiest way is to look carefully for the terms used:
Terms used in Critical Path Method: Forward Pass, Backward Pass, Early Start, Late Start, Early Finish, Late Finish, Slack / Float, Total Slack / Float, Calculate the Duration, Critical Path
Terms used in Critical Chain Method: Project Buffer, Feeding Buffer, Resources Buffer, Critical Chain, Resource constraints
Community
Date: Oct 29, Tue
Topic: PMP Study Group - Communications
Host: Torge
Link to session → LinkedIn event
→
Date: Oct 30, Wed
Topic: CAPM Study Group - How to prepare and pass in 8 weeks?
Host: Gabor
Link to session → LinkedIn event
→
Date: Oct 24
Topic: PMP Study Group - Waterfall Mindset Series
Host: Gabor
Link to session → LinkedIn event
→
Student feedback:
Amazing platform for my PMP exam
“This platform was a big help in my PMP exam preparation. I really liked the free virtual meetings, which gave me the right mindset for the exam. Plus, inviting PMP-certified people to share their experiences made it much easier to understand how to approach the test. Posting mock exams on Udemy was also a great way to practice and get ready. I hope the platform continues to grow and expand.”
What’s New at PMI
Happy Birthday, PMP! This month, we’re celebrating 40 years of the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification, which continues to empower leaders to drive project success across industries worldwide!
Discover the Most Influential Projects of 2024. This year, our honorees represent 20 projects that have achieved significant milestones in alignment with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Become a Trailblazer in Project Management with AI. Discover how project professionals are leveraging Generative AI to drive innovation and transform their workflows.
Link to Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-new-pmi-october-2024-projectmanagementinstitute-rxbme/
Mastering the Art of Lifelong Learning
A Project Manager’s Epic Journey
Lifelong learning is the continuous, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional development. For a project manager, this journey is particularly crucial due to the dynamic nature of the field. Project managers must constantly adapt to new methodologies, technologies, and industry trends to lead their teams effectively and deliver successful projects.
Key Aspects:
✍️ Adaptability: Staying current with industry changes and being able to pivot strategies as needed.
✍️ Skill Enhancement: Continuously improving both hard skills (like project management software) and soft skills (like leadership and communication).
✍️ Networking: Building and maintaining professional relationships to exchange knowledge and experiences.
✍️ Certifications and Education: Pursuing relevant certifications (like PMP, Agile) and advanced education to stay competitive.
✍️ Reflective Practice: Regularly reflecting on experiences to learn from successes and failures.
Learning Plan:
1. Set Clear Goals:
Identify specific areas for improvement (e.g., Agile methodologies, risk management).
Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
2. Formal Education and Certifications:
Enroll in courses related to project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, Agile).
Attend workshops and seminars.
3. Online Learning:
Utilize platforms like Coursera, Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning for courses on project management, leadership, and new technologies.
Follow industry blogs and podcasts.
4. Practical Application:
Apply new knowledge in your current projects.
Volunteer for projects that allow you to use new skills.
5. Networking:
Join professional organizations like PMI (Project Management Institute).
Attend industry conferences and local meetups.
Participate in online forums and discussion groups.
6. Reflective Practice:
Keep a learning journal to document what you’ve learned and how you’ve applied it.
Regularly review and update your learning goals.
7. Mentorship:
Seek out mentors who can provide guidance and feedback.
Mentor others to reinforce your own learning.
8. Stay Updated:
Subscribe to industry publications and newsletters.
Follow thought leaders on social media.
Navigating in Project Management Career is not easy, feel free to reach out: find me on LinkedIn, YouTube, Udemy or Book a 1:1 Call
When you’re ready to dive deeper into strategies to learn and prepare PMP in 8 weeks, check out PMP OS. This course is fully packed with actionable tactics to help you prepare smarter, not harder.
Straightforward difference between critical path and critical chain method !🙌
Easy to remember