Daicel Safety Systems Americas, INC has traditionally utilized various methods to manage project completions including the Critical Path Method (CPM). Though these methods have led to successful project completions, they often come with adverse effects. Due to the amount of literature and advancement in the project management discipline, alternative options such as Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) have gained popularity. CCPM seeks to perfect the CPM approach by recognizing resource constraints and the critical chains dependency on them while safeguarding completion dates with buffers. CCPM offers project managers an option to remove resource inefficiency and stalling while meeting deadlines. The goal of the thesis was to address the validity of CCPM to complete a Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for a product line addition. The submission was timely due to risk management purposes and manufacturing flexibility. Because of past project history with CPM and the need to advance into a more reliable method, the results of the CCPM approach were heavily analyzed. The project outcome indicated that CCPM offers a viable solution to timely target schedule completions.

Project management, to which the thesis "Development of software support for CCPM method in MS Project" aims, is a very important part of everyday life for most present companies. The project management has gone through rapid development, through the second half of last century, during which many new techniques and methods, for planning and managing projects, were developed. One of these methods was critical chain project management method (CCPM), developed by E. M. Goldratt in the mid 80th of last century. At the end of the 20th century the market began to be flooded by software applications which supported project management, thanks to the boom of information and communication technologies. Because the CCPM method is still too young, there is only a very little amount of products aimed at this method. Author of the thesis took as its main objective the development of a software application that would serve to support the project management by CCPM method, and will work as an extension to an existing, widely used product, MS Project. To achieve this objective, few secondary objectives have to be met. The first is to characterize methods for project management with a focus on the critical chain project management method, including the description of the advantages and disadvantages of this method. These objectives will be achieved with the help of literature search, supplemented by knowledge gained by studying the issue at the college. Another secondary objective is to find, analyze and compare existing software used for project management support with CCPM method. For the primary analysis the author mainly uses information supplied by developers of these products, for the deeper analysis is used a model project that examines the behavior of the application in standard situations. For product comparison is made a group of criteria, which can also serve for potential readers as the basis for decision of the choice of suitable application for their needs. The main objective of the work, the development of the application, is based on the requirements set on the basis of information obtained from literature and on the results from testing of existing applications. This application is considered to be the greatest benefit of the thesis. In the end of the thesis the newly developed application is compared with existing products, by testing on a model project and by evaluating with a group of criteria established for evaluation of existing products.

Thesis deals with evaluation of possibilities and conditions for application of key project management methods. Particular parts involve description and delimitation of chosen project management. Traditional methods that are represented by CPM and PERT methods. Furthermore, the thesis is enriched on the basis facts of the Theory of Constraints, which led to the creation of a separate project management system based on the Critical Chain method. This part is followed by an analysis and comparison of these methods in the phase of planning, managing and controlling from a perspective of single project case. Thesis is followed by the using of selected method in real environment conditions, its implementation and evaluation of risks and economic differences.

This thesis deals with application of Critical Chain in IT/ICT Project management in an international IT company. Beginning with a definition of Theory of Constraints and Critical Chain from a theoretical point of view the thesis provides knowledge base for practical implementation of Critical Chain. The thesis proceeds with selection and division of various IT/ICT projects types providing their evaluation according to their usability with CCPM (Critical Chain Project Management). The thesis also contains research and overview of available resources dealing with application of Critical Chain in IT projects management. This research is presented in a form of case studies and also concluded as a summary of both achieved successes and critical success factors that should be taken into account when implementing CCPM. Based on the knowledge acquired from the previous chapters a formal step-by-step procedure defining how to proceed with CCPM in a project was defined. This procedure will be applied in a real project management as a part of this diploma thesis. The thesis also presents analysis of currently used methodology and approaches to project management in the company and using the procedure created in the previous part the methodology is extended by relevant parts of CCPM. These approaches and methodology are formalized in a Methodical Pattern for IS Development (FI) -- CCPM and this pattern is then used for application of CCPM in a software development project. The project is prepared, planned and controlled according to principles of Critical Chain. The thesis captures this process step-by-step including monitoring of the project and its buffers. For evaluation of the Critical Chain implementation in a software development project a set of criteria was developed and used for assessment. Also every member of the given project team was sent a questionnaire to provide feedback. Originally planned comparison of the CCPM project with a project managed by currently used approaches could not, unfortunately, be carried out due to lack of data and their sensitivity. Considering the scope of this thesis, the application of CCPM in a real project represents verification of validity of the Methodical Pattern for IS Development (FI) -- CCPM and the contribution is also in creation of criteria and verification of their usability for evaluation of projects and potential comparison of two or more projects. Based on the practical application of Critical Chain in a real project, suggestions and recommendation for adjustments to current methodology and also further work with CCPM in the company were provided.