Critical Chain Project Management (Artech House Professional Development Library) [Hardcover]

Lawrence P. Leach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000 | ISBN-10: 1580530745 | ISBN-13: 978-1580530743

Providing the theory, tools and techniques you need to implement critical chain project management in your organization, you learn how to reduce stress on a project team, eliminate cost and scheduling over-runs, effectively manage project resources, and finish projects that meet or exceed expectations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lawrence Leach is President of Quality Systems. He received his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and his M.B.A. from the University of Idaho.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 330 pages
• Publisher: Artech House (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580530745
• ISBN-13: 978-1580530743
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,947,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lawrence (Larry) Leach is the principal of the Advanced Projects, Inc. (API), applying business tools to help clients improve their project delivery system. Prior to founding API, he was a vice president in several Fortune 500 companies, managing projects up to one billion dollars (US). Leach has a master's degree in business management from the University of Idaho (USA) and a master's in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut (USA). Larry is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has authored papers and books including Critical Chain Project Management, Second Edition, chapters in the Wiley Guide to Project Management and Project Portfolio Management, Lean Project Management: Eight Principles for Success, and most recently released Lean Project Leadership.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good follow-on reading after Goldratt about CCPM, March 16, 2006

By 

John Schuyler (Denver) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Critical Chain Project Management, Second Edition (Hardcover)

While not a devotee of critical chain project management (CCPM), I embrace several features of the approach.

Overall, this is a fine book despite some typos and minor organization flaws.

Mr. Leach has been promoting, teaching, and consulting in this area for years. It appears that the book is intended to complement his training and consulting---and that's okay. Anecdotes are frequently from questions arising at training or during client implementations. His experience shows.

Leach works to integrate concepts from theory of constraints (Goldratt), Project Management Institute's "PMBOK® Guide," lean manufacturing, and Six Sigma. He does this reasonably well, building upon and extending the foundation laid by Goldratt.

Some standout features of the book include a) implmentation barriers and issues; b) table of project model (logic) checks; and c) extensive notes and a chapter on implmentation.
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The first reading about CCPM should always be "Critical Chain" (1997) by E. Goldratt. This is an easy, insightful reading, by the guy that popularized (invented?) CCPM.

Then, before attempting implementation, I suggest studying Larry Leach's (this)book. Another credible guide is "Project Management in the Fast Lane: Applying the Theory of Constraints" (1998) by Robert Newbold

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NowI have an idea what to do..., November 28, 2000

By 

Penrose Stout (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Critical Chain Project Management (Artech House Professional Development Library) (Hardcover)

I read Goldratt's Critical Chain and was interested but had no idea what to do next other than pay him a bundle of money for a seminar.

Not the problem here. Now I understand what they are proposing and I can explore these ideas further without forking up more money... at least until I need some good training. Which has it's place... after you've decided to committ.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A long read on an interesting topic, January 16, 2007

By 

Joe PM "Joe PM" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Critical Chain Project Management, Second Edition (Hardcover)

I have always been interested in Critical Chain from a PM perspective and, more generally, the concept of Theory of Constraints. I thought this book would be a great way to extend my knowledge of ToC and to learn about how to move away from critical path.

The real meat of this book doesn't even kick in until about Chapter 4. Prior, there are lots of thoughts about the many sins of "critical path" and how we're all doomed to failure if we don't change our ways. Then, the book starts to get into how to actually use the technique. It's a long discussion... without a lot of "knowledge checks" to make sure you understand what is going on. There are technical diagrams, lots of them, many of them without a whole lot of explanation. I found myself occasionally having to re-read sections two or three times to really understand what the author was driving at.

I'm sure this is a practical book if used as a "complete reference" but in my opinion it's not a good guide for someone who wants to understand the basics quickly and then gain extensive knowledge of the topic over time.