Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is a project scheduling technique which has been developed to overcome some of the deficiencies of traditional methods and where, in a single project environment, the critical chain is the longest chain of activities in a project network, taking into account both activity precedence and resource dependencies. In multi-project environments, the constraint is the resource which impedes projects' earlier completion. CCPM relies on buffers to protect the critical chain and monitor/control the project. The literature review conducted by this study reveals that the research on CCPM principles in multi-project environments is still extremely scarce. The review also suggests that outright elimination of multitasking (i.e. switching back and forth among two or more concurrent tasks) by imposing a relay race mentality (i.e. starting a task as soon as it becomes available and finishing it as soon as possible), as one of the main features of CCPM, might worsen the resource constraints of CCPM portfolios and cause creation of over-protective buffers. It further implies that there is also a good level of multitasking that can benefit such environments by improving resource availability and requiring shorter protective buffers. This research aims to bridge the gap by investigating the impact of level of multitasking on resource availability issues and project and feeding buffer sizing in CCPM portfolios with different resource capacities. This is pursued through adopting a deductive approach and developing five research hypotheses, considering ten different levels of resource capacity, testing the hypotheses by conducting Monte Carlo simulations of randomly generated project data and comparing the results with deterministic duration values of the same portfolios with 30%, 40% and 50% feeding and project buffer sizes. In total, ten portfolios with similar size, variability and complexity levels, each containing four projects, were simulated. It was concluded that: firstly, some limited levels of multitasking, determined in relation to the level of resource capacity, can be beneficial to time performance of CCPM portfolios; secondly, shorter buffer sizes can be accounted for by abolishing the ban on multitasking while maintaining a lower rate of resource capacity; finally, the element of relay race work ethic that completely bans multitasking should not be implemented as it proved to be counterproductive in terms of resource availability. Seven recommendations and a buffer sizing framework are provided as complementary guidelines to practitioners' own experience, knowledge and judgment, in addition to an explanation of theoretical and practical contributions and suggestions for future research.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2045.pdf: 3215623 bytes, checksum: 69c0ddb010cfaf01e4067504e5a8a8e0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-29 / The approach of this study relates to the method of project management originated of the Theory of Constraints called Critical Chain. Beyond of the bibliographical revision on research methodology, production systems, project management, simulation of systems, Theory of Constraints and Critical Chain, a case study was accomplished to compare two methods of project management in a company of Industrial Goods. This company works with projects under order and it uses the Critical Path Method (CPM) to make your projects management. To compare the two methods of project management, historical information on the current management method adopted by the company had been collected, and for the method of Critical Chain some simulations had been done. Through these simulations it was possible to compare the compliments of the finish dates and the lead-time of projects to each one of the management methods. The results indicate for a better execution of finish dates when the method of the Critical Chain is used in the project management. / A abordagem deste estudo se refere ao método de gerenciamento de projetos originado da Teoria das Restrições chamado de Corrente Crítica. Além das revisões bibliográficas sobre metodologia de pesquisa, sistemas de produção, gerenciamento de projetos, simulação de sistemas, Teoria das Restrições e Corrente Crítica, foi realizado um estudo de caso para comparar dois métodos de gerenciamento de projetos em uma empresa de Bens de Capital. Esta empresa trabalha com projetos sob encomenda e utiliza o Método do Caminho Crítico (Critical Path Method CPM) para realizar o gerenciamento dos seus projetos. Para comparar os dois métodos de gerenciamento de projetos, foram coletadas informações históricas sobre o método de gerenciamento atual adotado pela empresa, e para o método da Corrente Crítica foram realizadas algumas simulações. Por meio destas simulações foi possível comparar os cumprimentos dos prazos de entrega e as durações dos projetos para cada um dos métodos de gerenciamento. Os resultados indicam para um maior cumprimento de prazos quando o método da Corrente Crítica é utilizado no gerenciamento do projeto.

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.

« Theory Of Constraints » (TOC), est le nom donné à une série de techniques de résolution de problèmes et d’aide à la prise de décision créée par le Docteur Eliyahu M. Goldratt dans les années 1980. La TOC n’est ni l’objet de recherches, ni de publications en France. La centralité du concept de contrainte est l’aboutissement d’un processus qui a conduit E. M. Goldratt d’une première posture mécaniste sur le fonctionnement des organisations à une perception systémique dans laquelle ce concept occupe une place prépondérante. C’est l’irruption de ce concept dans le domaine de l’organisation qui va initier le développement de la TOC. La description des expériences menées pendant une période de trois années sert à contextualiser les usages des éléments de la TOC. La description de l’expérimentation fournit de nombreux éléments de réponses à nombre de nos questions de recherche et permet d’évaluer les apports potentiels, mais aussi les limites des pratiques managériales mobilisées. / Theory Of Constraints (TOC) is the name given to tools and techniques dedicated to problem solving and decision making created by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt at the beginning of the 1980s. It is clear that there are neither research, nor publications in France on TOC. The concept of constraint is the outcome of a thinking process which lead E. M. Goldratt from a mechanistic posture on operations in organizations to a systemic perception in which this concept dominates, like in mathematics or linear programming. Experiments for 3 years within a French midsize company lead to the contextualization of the usage of TOC elements. They provide a lot of answers to our research questions and allow the assessment of potential contributions, but also of limitations of TOC management approaches mobilized.

This multiple-case-based dissertation contributes to the stream of literature on the organizational innovation process by examining Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) as an innovation with the potential to address an important schedule planning and execution performance gap in DOD weapon system development programs. The contextually different Integrated Product Team case studies in DOD's F/A-22 fighter aircraft weapons system acquisition program are: manufacturing assembly, manufacturing process, test operations, and supplier product development. Rich descriptions of the case studies are developed by the author, a senior Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company systems engineer in a role that merged participant, observer, change agent and champion (POCAC). Analysis distinguishes between Program and Operational levels of organizational structure and focuses on the innovation process through use of the author-designed Casey Hybrid Innovation Process (CHIP) model based on Rogers' stages heuristic. Substantively, research demonstrates that in key areas of the F/A-22 program, proper application of the innovative Critical Chain Project Management process can generate and achieve development schedules sometimes substantially better than traditional approaches; improper application will lead to mixed results or rejection. The research contributes to knowledge in the field of organizational innovation by demonstrating use of the CHIP model in the huge, geographically dispersed and extremely complex organization of the largest DOD weapon system acquisition program of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The research reflects Program leadership's important role in the top-down initiation and support of an innovation, even while choosing (by policy) not to force use at the Operational level. At the Operational level, details show that IPT implementations and results of the CCPM innovation vary. / Ph. D.

A presente obra aborda a experiência recente de empresas brasileiras no gerenciamento continuado de ambientes multiprojetos pelo Método da Corrente Crítica, ou CCPM, Critical Chain Path Method, através de um estudo de casos múltiplos, conduzido frente às empresas EMBRAER e EMBRACO. O desenvolvimento do estudo bibliográfico permitiu pontuar as diferenças conceituais de gerenciamento de portfólios, gerenciamento de programas, gerenciamento de projetos e gerenciamento de ambientes multiprojetos, posicionar o CCPM dentro do rol de algoritmos de solução de ambientes multiprojetos e identificar as características que expliquem sua maior difusão no universo da administração de projetos, em detrimento de outras proposições matematicamente até mais robustas que ele. A pesquisa de campo identificou que, dentre as seis práticas preconizadas pela filosofia gerencial Visão Viável para a condução do CCPM, três delas despontam como fatores críticos de sucesso para o gerenciamento de ambientes multiprojetos: reduzindo a multitarefa nociva, planejando e executando. Por fim, os dados coletados evidenciaram que o CCPM traz ganhos quantitativamente significativos ao desempenho do gerenciamento de ambientes multiprojetos, especialmente no que diga respeito ao incremento da capacidade de entrega de projetos (throughput) de um pool de recursos de tamanho constante, e que sua efetiva implementação é impactada pela estrutura organizacional e pela maturidade em administração de projetos da empresa. / The present work discusses the recent experience of Brazilian companies in continued management of multi-project environments by means of Critical Chain Path Method, or CCPM, through a multiple case study conducted on the companies EMBRAER and EMBRACO. The bibliographic study allowed the determination of conceptual differences among portfolio management, program management, project management and multi-project environment management, positioned the CCPM inside the roll of multi-project solution algorithms and identified characteristics that explain its widest adoption in the universe of project management, to the detriment of other propositions, although mathematically even more robust than CCPM itself. The field research identified that, among the six practices advocated by the managerial philosophy Viable Vision for the conduction of CCPM, three of them stand out as critical success factors for managing multi-project environments: reducing harmful multitasking, planning and executing. Finally, the data collected indicated that the CCPM brings significant performance gains to the management of multi-project environments, especially related to the throughput increase of project delivery, considering a constant size pool of resources, and that their effective implementation is impacted by the organizational structure and the maturity in project management of the company.

The work deals with issue of workers motivation on projects managed by method of Theory of constraints (TOC) which improves efficiency of projects. But this management method requires completely different manner of project workers consideration which can be unnatural for many people. This can cause same problems that in extreme cases may involve unsuccessful implementation of TOC. This is the reason why importance of motivation rapidly increases in connection with deployment and sustainment of Critical Chain Project Management. Main goals of this work are to describe most important differences between TOC and original methods of project management, to indentify impact of TOC on project workers, and (in relationship with previous findings) to evaluate existing theories of motivation and make a proposal of some measures for people motivation which are based on these theories.

A presente obra aborda a experiência recente de empresas brasileiras no gerenciamento continuado de ambientes multiprojetos pelo Método da Corrente Crítica, ou CCPM, Critical Chain Path Method, através de um estudo de casos múltiplos, conduzido frente às empresas EMBRAER e EMBRACO. O desenvolvimento do estudo bibliográfico permitiu pontuar as diferenças conceituais de gerenciamento de portfólios, gerenciamento de programas, gerenciamento de projetos e gerenciamento de ambientes multiprojetos, posicionar o CCPM dentro do rol de algoritmos de solução de ambientes multiprojetos e identificar as características que expliquem sua maior difusão no universo da administração de projetos, em detrimento de outras proposições matematicamente até mais robustas que ele. A pesquisa de campo identificou que, dentre as seis práticas preconizadas pela filosofia gerencial Visão Viável para a condução do CCPM, três delas despontam como fatores críticos de sucesso para o gerenciamento de ambientes multiprojetos: reduzindo a multitarefa nociva, planejando e executando. Por fim, os dados coletados evidenciaram que o CCPM traz ganhos quantitativamente significativos ao desempenho do gerenciamento de ambientes multiprojetos, especialmente no que diga respeito ao incremento da capacidade de entrega de projetos (throughput) de um pool de recursos de tamanho constante, e que sua efetiva implementação é impactada pela estrutura organizacional e pela maturidade em administração de projetos da empresa. / The present work discusses the recent experience of Brazilian companies in continued management of multi-project environments by means of Critical Chain Path Method, or CCPM, through a multiple case study conducted on the companies EMBRAER and EMBRACO. The bibliographic study allowed the determination of conceptual differences among portfolio management, program management, project management and multi-project environment management, positioned the CCPM inside the roll of multi-project solution algorithms and identified characteristics that explain its widest adoption in the universe of project management, to the detriment of other propositions, although mathematically even more robust than CCPM itself. The field research identified that, among the six practices advocated by the managerial philosophy Viable Vision for the conduction of CCPM, three of them stand out as critical success factors for managing multi-project environments: reducing harmful multitasking, planning and executing. Finally, the data collected indicated that the CCPM brings significant performance gains to the management of multi-project environments, especially related to the throughput increase of project delivery, considering a constant size pool of resources, and that their effective implementation is impacted by the organizational structure and the maturity in project management of the company.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5069.pdf: 2520919 bytes, checksum: b9113b4009fc58c6de6cb820cac2ad09 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-11 / It is already known that the productive environment is in constant changing, with new technologies, new systems and theories coming up every day, providing other forms to manage production to comply with inconstant demands and a competitive market. In this context, the capacity planning has an important role for a company, managing resources in a structured way with accurate information, ensuring that market requirements will be fulfilled in terms of delivery, cost and quality. The Critical Chain Method is shown as an alternative to change the way that manufacturing resources has been managed, prioritizing what is really important, avoiding waste of time and financial resources. Therefore, the objective of this work was to elaborate a model of discrete-event simulation to evaluate and compare the use of the principles of critical chain, against the traditional capacity planning method used in a foundry. For this assessment were used performance indicators as accomplishment deadlines, work in process, average lead time, etc., where these after being compared, have shown the proposed method could provide positive results to the environment studied. / É de conhecimento que o ambiente produtivo está em constante mudança, com novas tecnologias, sistemas e teorias surgindo a cada dia, proporcionando novas maneiras para gerenciar a produção e atender a um mercado concorrido e com demandas inconstantes. Nesse contexto, o planejamento da capacidade tem papel fundamental para uma empresa, gerenciando os recursos de maneira estruturada com informações precisas e garantindo o atendimento às necessidades do mercado, em termos de prazos de entrega, custo e qualidade. O Método da Corrente Crítica se mostra como uma alternativa para modificar a maneira de gerenciar os recursos fabris, priorizando o que é realmente importante e evitando-se o desperdício de tempo, e consequentemente de recursos financeiros. Logo, o objetivo deste trabalho foi elaborar um modelo de simulação de eventos discretos para avaliar e comparar a utilização dos princípios da corrente crítica, frente ao método tradicional de planejamento da capacidade utilizado em uma fundição de grande porte. Para esta avaliação foram utilizados indicadores de desempenho como atendimento aos prazos, trabalho em processo, lead time médio, etc., onde estes, após serem comparados, mostraram que o método proposto pode trazer bons resultados ao ambiente estudado.

Submitted by Octaviano Rojas Luiz null (orojasluiz@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-12-30T17:58:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Defesa Octaviano - Versão Final.pdf: 2283965 bytes, checksum: be59a53e18c4c4a8210c9db23e1de808 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-01-03T16:42:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 luiz_or_me_bauru.pdf: 2283965 bytes, checksum: be59a53e18c4c4a8210c9db23e1de808 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-03T16:42:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 luiz_or_me_bauru.pdf: 2283965 bytes, checksum: be59a53e18c4c4a8210c9db23e1de808 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A Gestão de Projetos por Corrente Crítica (Critical Chain Project Management – CCPM), uma abordagem fundamentada na Teoria das Restrições, tem apresentado alguns resultados efetivos na condução tanto de empreendimentos únicos quanto de vários simultaneamente. Apesar disso, a literatura pouco estudou esta abordagem para o desenvolvimento de produtos e na gestão de seu portfólio, áreas em que a Gestão de Projetos desempenha papel importante, e, especificamente, seus impactos no desempenho. Assim, o objetivo geral desta pesquisa é analisar a relação entre a aderência a preceitos e práticas da CCPM e o desempenho do portfólio de produtos em empresas. Para cumprir com estes objetivos, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa survey, com uma amostra de 79 empresas. Os resultados indicam que empresas praticantes de conceitos e ferramentas sugeridos pela CCPM apresentam melhores resultados, estatisticamente significativos, para os três fatores de desempenho em Gestão de Portfólio de Produtos adotados por esta pesquisa. Este estudo ainda aprofunda o conhecimento em CCPM e portfólio de produtos, ao estudar, por meio de testes não-paramétricos, a influência de algumas variáveis, como o nível de turbulência do ambiente organizacional, nos constructos desta pesquisa. Verificou-se que não houve diferença significativa entre os fatores pesquisados e o nível de turbulência do ambiente. Além disso, as empresas que afirmaram adotar o guia PMBOK® utilizaram mais as práticas de CCPM. / The Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), an approach based on the Theory of Constraints, has shown effective results in driving both single projects and concurrent multiple projects. Despite this, the literature has little studied this approach to product development and portfolio management, areas in which Project Management plays an important role, and specifically its impact on performance. Thus, the overall objective of this research is to analyze the relationship between adherence to rules and practices of CCPM and portfolio performance of the company's products. In order to meet these objectives, a survey research through a questionnaire was developed, conducted with 79 companies. The results show that companies adopting concepts and tools suggested by CCPM have better results, statistically significant, for the three performance factors in Product Portfolio Management adopted by this research. This research further deepens the CCPM and product portfolio knowledge, studying, by non-parametric tests, the influence of some variables, such as the level of turbulence in the organizational environment, in the research constructs. It was verified that there was no significant difference between the studied factors and the level of environmental turbulence. In addition, companies that have adopted the PMBOK® guide have used CCPM practices more.