How critical really is the critical chain? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Having done quite well in manufacturing, the “term critical chain” had migrated and taken root in the world of project management. It was strongly adopted – and still used today.  Not only is it used  for calculating the project’s shortest path, but also as a way for thinking about the structure of the project. The term “feeding chains” offers a little buffering room and even improves how the project structure is described, along with the project manager’s ability to understand the makeshift dependencies logic of the project.

While this terminology might be good for project management, it is followed by a common and awkward mistake of assigning project risk to the critical chain. This is where this marriage between the terminology and the project management happens, leading the project manager to invest time in the wrong places. Let’s see why. Continue reading…