Cherry-picking solution components and sequencing them incorrectly can lead to the failure of the Critical Chain Project Management(1) implementations. The logic of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.vectorconsulting.in/en/research-and-publication/articles/critical-chain-project-management-doing-more-projects-faster/">CCPM</a> appeals to common sense. Anyone looking for a way to tackle the damage done by bad multitasking and ‘date-driven’ behaviour would readily embrace the solutions offered by CCPM. The concept of CCPM doesn’t need any hard selling. Workshops are making believers out of managers everywhere. While it is easy to convey the logic of the new paradigm, it isn’t easy to implement the principles of CCPM in practice.There are numerous instances of implementations where no discernible improvements in lead times (reduction in inventory) and output were achieved. At the same time, there are instances where huge gains were made. So, what’s different between these two categories? If we were to study the actual improvements achieved in both these sets, we’d see some typical, predictable patterns.Surprisingly, even in implementations without results, the protagonists of the change talk in terms of intangible, vague improvements like ‘improved visibility’, ‘discipline of planning’, and so on. The absence of concrete improvements in lead time, inventory reduction, and output is usually blamed on the complexity of the calculations, compounded by the wide variety in product mix. Users in such assignments see CCPM processes as a burden, even as priority conflicts at the resource level persist and hamper day-to-day work.Often, top management is ambivalent about such implementations. While project plans and updates give them a sense of improved ‘systematic' working, they also get a sense of not being in control. They continue to feel that people are not being proactive enough, a malaise that existed even before the implementation.The experience of hugely successful implementations is vastly different. The best way to understand the impact of an implementation is to seek informal feedback from the lowest-level resources in the design department. They would describe the dramatic change in their environment, talk of being more productive, and the ability to work without being pulled in different directions. They experience a condition of ‘flow’ –- working with fewer interruptions. They would also point out that issues get resolved much faster.In such environments, the data of actual improvement is also much beyond the noise of product mix. The improvement at the global level is evident. Top management gets the feeling of real control as they see the organisation always ready well before critical customer deadlines. Chronic symptoms of ‘rush-hour’ work close to customer deadlines are almost gone!   These two types of results have nothing to do with environmental conditions or people’s capabilities. The exemplary success stories do not correlate with the kind of environment or the level of ‘intellect’ of the people affected by the change. The logic of damages from bad multitasking and ‘date driven’ behaviours holds good across every project environment – from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.vectorconsulting.in/en/research-and-publication/articles/three-rules-for-rapid-new-product-development/">New Product Development</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.vectorconsulting.in/en/solution-frameworks/software-development/">software development</a> to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.vectorconsulting.in/en/solution-frameworks/engineering-to-order/">ETO</a> (Engineered-to-Order) and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.vectorconsulting.in/en/research-and-publication/articles/epc-reborn-focus-on-flow/">EPC</a> (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) environments.It’s easy to pinpoint the reason behind unsuccessful implementation – cherry-picking of solution components. CCPM solution components are built on the firm foundation of sequence logic. Each solution component is built on the success of the previous component. Incorrect sequencing of the components would yield no results at all. For example, in an environment of rampant bad multitasking, the reliability of plans is extremely low. So, trying to set up a CCPM planning process(2) without addressing the problem of bad multitasking would only lead to a lot of hard work in maintaining project plans with nearly no benefit to the actual users.Similarly, in some environments, people favour the rules of common priority and the full-kit gating policy but put no effort into implementing the necessary conditions to  reduce WIP across different departments. They assume that such a diluted effort will at least give them some benefits. However, efforts to establish a common priority list are only a one-time effort. Without WIP control, pressures from different stakeholders force one to change the list, and very soon, the common priority list goes haywire.Erroneous sequencing and cherry-picking of solution components are the main reasons for failure of CCPM implementations. Such approaches also lead people to conclude that CCPM is not applicable to their environment.Surprisingly, there is a pattern even in cherry-picking solution components in these failed implementations. These implementations usually skip the first step of WIP reduction in critical starting departments like design, which calls for freezing work fronts according to agreed priorities and then move to the rule of triggering work based on the ‘one in and one out’ rule. The transition step of freezing work fronts to reduce WIP in the starting departments creates a perception of ‘high risk’, and hence managers shy away from it. At times, even consultants perceive this risk and refrain from deploying this step.Is this step of freezing and aggressively reducing WIP risky? Or is it a step necessary to eliminate the risk of the status quo? The best way to find out is to ask each section or department in the current environment to highlight its top three priority projects. One will be surprised to see that the list varies widely across departments, reflecting a significant gap in understanding what is truly important. Since the number of work fronts that one can work on is more than the available resources, at any point in time, there is a small active list and a frozen list (many projects which are not being worked upon) in every department. Often, the frozen list is longer than the active list, the lists vary widely across departments. They keep changing daily causing, overall desynchronisation and delays in every project.So, the rules of common priority and restricted WIP bring everyone on the same page, thus improving overall synchronisation. These two lists have to be centrally controlled and not left to people at the lowest level of the organisation. This, in turn, facilitates the implementation of other steps of the CCPM solutions.The sequence of solution implementation holds the key to a successful CCPM deployment. The icing on the nicely conceptualised cake can only be placed when the base is ready.Understanding the complete solution is different from understanding the sequence of implementation of the solution components. Mastery of these two know-hows is crucial for any successful implementation.

Key Takeaways

In Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) implementation, the line between project success and failure is very thin - some projects succeed while others fail. A key reason for failure is the cherry-picking of solution components and incorrect sequencing.

Getting CCPM implementation right

<h4>Getting CCPM implementation right</h4>

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Why do some operations achieve massive output gains while others fail? The answer lies in the right execution sequence and eliminating cherry picking.