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This thesis demonstrates comparison of methods PERT and Critical Chain on the practical project of the development of golf course Liščí louky. In terms of the project the owners of the company GOLF Šumava s.r.o. will make a decision between two feasible alternates of the project. The thesis presents the comparison by methods PERT and Critical Chain by using software MS Project. The recommendation of the final alternate of the project for the owners was made not only on the basis of time and cost analysis but also on the basis of SWOT analyse.

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is a relatively new method of scheduling. Whilst it has a number of advantages over traditional scheduling methods, it is still far from perfect. A literature review of the CCPM method, its shortcomings and suggestions for improvement is presented in this thesis. The review reveals that, in addition to other issues addressed, most researchers concentrate on the question of project and feeding buffer size. Issues concerning the resource buffer are ignored in the literature. This is a crucial gap in research, as resources are needed to perform tasks, and resource buffers protect the critical activities from the unavailability of resources. Although the original CCPM method treats resource buffers only as a notice or a ‘wake-up call’, the research in this thesis proposes to include resource buffers as time buffers with the assigned resources and cost. The research in this thesis provides a simulation methodology to answer the problem of resource buffer allocation and sizing. The simulation is performed on 3 projects, generated by RanGen software, each with the same characteristics of network order strength, resource strength and resource use. Three different buffer sizes and three different uncertainty levels are applied to the schedules. The analysis of simulation results demonstrates that no optimum resource buffer can be obtained for all projects in general. Each project, even with the same characteristics, behaves differently. Therefore the simulation methodology, developed and presented in the thesis, has to be applied to decide on the size of resource buffer in a specific project. The research outcomes demonstrate that resource buffers cannot be neglected and should be simulated using CCPM schedules, as they help to reduce the total project duration during execution. The decision whether to apply the resource buffer should also be based on financial analysis of the cost and benefits of inclusion.

This study used action research to study the implementation of Critical Chain methodology in a multi-project environment. It used a medium sized company, which is an original equipment manufacturer, but due to the complexity of the equipment each is executed as a project. This creates a multi-project environment.The object of the research was to find the contributing and inhibiting factors to CC implementation. It further sought to discover improvements in business performance due to CC methodology.The study found resistance to change prevented CC implementation. The resistance to change was supported by incorrect application of CC principles and a false sense that CC is contributing to the business. On business performance improvements it was found that order intake improvements of thirty seven per cent year on year and reduction in lead time of projects due to implementation of CC principles. The latter also opened new markets which strategically benefitted the company. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

無 / Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) has merged in last few years as a novel approach for managing projects. While there were many previous researches studied CCPM concerning with single project management, but CCPM multi project management was hardly paid attention, especially capacity-constraint buffer sizing approach. However, there were some research papers which examined and illustrated CCPM under multi-project environment; those papers assumed all the subprojects were identical. Despite the fact that such situation is impractical. The purpose of this dissertation is to compare Cut and paste method (C&PM) with Root square error method (RSEM) for applying in project buffer, feeding buffer and capacity-constraint buffer sizing and to change some subproject parameters which make an impact on the project schedule for multi-project scheduling. Keywords: Critical chain project management, Multi Project Scheduling, Buffer Management, Capacity constraint buffer, Buffer sizing method.

Scheduling is a major task in project management. The current scheduling technique, Critical Path Method (CPM), has been widely applied for several decades, but a large number of projects fail to be completed on time and schedule delays occur in many projects. This raises question about the validity of the current project scheduling system. Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), derived from Theory of Constraints, is a relatively new alternative approach toward scheduling projects. This study compared CCPM and CPM to determine which scheduling method delivers a shorter project duration and has a better usage of resources. A scheduling software called ProChain was used to reschedule a CPM based construction project using CCPM. The study concluded that the CCPM has the possibility to deliver shorter project duration and better resource usage in comparison to CPM. It was revealed that ProChain has limitation in the process of transforming a CPM schedule to a CCPM schedule. For example, ProChain treats any tasks without any predecessor as a project terminating task and puts a project buffer after it.

For decades, Army Engineers have utilized the systems of the Critical Path Method (CPM) and multi-level Gantt chart planning system for its construction projects. While these methods are well accepted, they are not without their flaws. Research and literature in project management has given weight to several viable alternative options to planning projects. One such option, Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), was developed to address the flaws of CPM by offering a holistic approach to project management based on strict resource control and the use of time buffers. This method attempts to eliminate multitasking and procrastination that can plague efficiency and offer managers more flexibly on tasks that otherwise had no leeway. CCPM may give project managers more flexibility and control while at the same time shortening the overall length of a project, saving time and money. The purpose of this thesis was to address the time saving and resource management benefits of utilizing CCPM over CPM and analyze the viability of those benefits being applied to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction project planning. Through the use of surveys of Army Engineer project supervisors, several key factors that cause delays because of CPM were identified and rated. The validity of CCPM based solutions to the same issues were also assessed by Army project supervisors in the survey. Analysis of the survey results indicated that CCPM may offer solutions to major issues that Army project supervisors face.

Denna rapport utgår från en fallstudie på Jensen Sweden och syftar till att förkorta ledtiderna i verksamhetens produktion. Några av problemen som finns i verksamheten är återkommande materialbrist och att produktionen drivs av en subjektiv styrning. Beläggningen i produktionen är ojämn och olika avdelningar är resurseffektiva utan fokus på helheten.Ovanstående problem ger upphov till multitasking som har en rad negativa effekter och som dessutom genererar mycket produkter i arbete. Följden av detta blir långa ledtider och att upptäckten av produktionsavvikelser försvårars.Lösningarna som presenteras i rapporten syftar till att bryta ner takten för ingående produktionsmoment och en struktur tas fram för hur den dagliga styrningen kan bedrivas. Med hjälp av ett Gantt-schema visualiseras beläggningen i produktionen i förhållande till kapaciteten. Detta Gantt-schema visualiserar även den kritiska kedjan. Flexibla team införs för att balanserna kapaciteten och skapa en jämn beläggning mellan stationerna. En viktig parameter för att inte göra systemet för komplext är att minimera antalet order i produktionen. Företaget arbetar med kundspecifika projekt och metoderna som används i rapporten är tänkta att kunna appliceras på företag med liknande produktionsprocesser. / This report is based on a case study at Jensen Sweden and aims to shorten lead times in their production system. Some of the problems are recurring material shortages and that the production planning is driven by a subjective management. The stocking density in the production is uneven and different departments are resource efficient without any focus on the product flow as a whole.The above problems cause multitasking that has a number of negative effects and in addition generate a lot of work in progress. The effect will be long lead times which complicate the discovery of manufacturing deviations.The solutions presented in this report are aimed at breaking down the tact of the incoming production activities, further a structure on how to control the daily management is suggested. Using a Gantt-chart, the stocking density in production relative to the capacity is visualized. The Ganttchart also visualizes the critical chain. Flexible teams are introduced in order to balance the capacity and occupancy between the stations. An important parameter to decrease the complexity of the system is to minimize the number of orders in production. The company is working with customer-specific projects and the intention of the methods used in the report is that they should be to be applicable to companies with similar production processes.

A presente dissertação investiga a adequação do método da Corrente Crítica para a programação dos projetos de parada de plataformas marítimas de exploração de petróleo, que envolvem processos de tomada de decisões em condições de risco. O método da Corrente Crítica (Critical Chain Project Management - CCPM), baseado na Teoria das Restrições (TOC), se propõe a oferecer instrumentos de controle mais precisos e focados que os tradicionalmente utilizados no método do Caminho Crítico (Critical Path Method - CPM), indicando em que momento agir, onde e como deve ser direcionada a ação. A hipótese subjacente à pesquisa é a de que a Corrente Crítica (CCPM) traduz, de forma mais adequada que o Caminho Crítico (CPM), a incerteza existente na parada de plataforma, permitindo a elaboração de um cronograma a um só tempo mais realista e mais desafiador, no sentido de atender metas de menor interrupção na produção. Com base nessa hipótese, as duas principais perguntas que nortearam toda a investigação foram: 1. O método da Corrente Crítica é adequado à programação da parada de plataformas marítimas de exploração de petróleo? 2. Que vantagens poderia trazer em comparação aos métodos tradicionais de programação de projetos em uso nas paradas de plataformas? Para responder a tais perguntas, além de revisar a bibliografia existente sobre o assunto, optou-se por coletar depoimentos de diversos especialistas do setor, por meio de três abordagens qualitativas: pesquisa-ação, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e grupo focal. A análise e interpretação dos dados revelaram que, devido aos seus instrumentos de controle de restrição de recursos serem mais afinados, o Método da Corrente Crítica (CCPM) é mais adequado ao problema da parada de plataformas marítimas - caracterizado pelo ambiente de alta limitação de recursos e por grande paralelismo de atividades. O presente estudo leva a concluir que a implantação do novo método, por oferecer aos gestores ferramentas mais precisas de controle, resulta em melhores chances de cumprimento do prazo dos projetos. / The present study discusses the adequacy of the Critical Chain Project Management Method (CCPM) - also known as the Critical Chain Method - for scheduling projects involving shutdowns on oil platforms, as such projects involve decision-making processes under risk conditions. The CCPM is based on the Theory of Constraints and aims at providing more precise and more clearly focused control instruments than those traditionally used in the Critical Path Method (CPM). The CCPM also indicates the best moments to act and where and how the action should be directed. The hypothesis underlying the research is that the CCPM portrays, more adequately than the CPM, the uncertainty that exists in a platform shutdown. This characteristic also makes it possible to draw up a schedule that is both more realistic and more challenging, as it addresses the goal of causing less interruption of production. On the basis of this hypothesis, the two main questions that oriented the entire investigation were: 1) Is the CCPM suitable for scheduling the shutdown of an offshore oil platform and, 2) What advantages might it have over the traditional scheduling methods in use on platform shutdown? To answer these questions the authors reviewed the existing bibliography on the topic and made direct on-site observations during an actual shutdown. In addition, interviews were held with a number of specialists in the area using qualitative approaches, namely, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and action research. The Data analysis revealed that the instruments used in the CCPM for controlling the constraints of resources are more refined, so the method has been proven to be more adequate than others for facing problems that come up in offshore platform shutdowns, which are characterized by strict constraints on resources and considerable parallelism of activities. The results have led to the conclusion that the implementation of the CCPM provides managers with more precise tools for control than the CPM, and may thus increase the chances for complying with the timeframes set down for projects.

Tato práce se zabývá vzájemnou provázaností projektového a procesního řízení. Jejím cílem je zjištění možností přenosu technik a metod aplikovaných při řešení projektů na řešení problémů v procesním řízení. Po prozkoumání společných a rozdílných rysů projektů a procesů jsem v první části práce dospěl k závěru, že mezi instanci procesu a projekt lze, s jistými omezeními, položit ekvivalenci. V následující části práce mapuji vzájemné interakce mezi projektovým a procesním řízením. Jsou zde uvedeny jak obecné způsoby vzájemných interakcí mezi oběma typy řízení, tak vybrané metodiky, které získávají v posledních letech na významu, ale prozatím nepronikly do obecného povědomí (Six Sigma, Lean). Práce má také za úkol čtenáře seznámit s novými trendy v projektovém řízení. Do této oblasti spadá a významnou částí na práci se podílí pojednání o Human Interaction Managementu. Práce se pokouší o zmapování jeho možností a přínosů, ale také možných problémových oblastí, se kterými se může uživatel tohoto přístupu setkat. Do práce jsem zahrnul také seznámení s prvním Human Interaction Management Systémem, který prozatím není běžně dostupný. Cílem bylo přiblížit čtenáři způsob práce s takovýmto systémem, seznámit jej s výhodami tohoto nového přístupu na konkrétní aplikaci, ale také nastínit možná úskalí.