Projects in Less Time:: A Synopsis of Critical Chain [Paperback]

Mark Woeppel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2005

Everyone who has managed a project (or been involved in one) knows how difficult it is to finish on time. If you've managed many projects, your frustration is even greater; you not only have to finish on time, but in less time. Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) has been hailed as the biggest innovation in project management in 40 years. Projects in Less Time; A Synopsis of Critical Chain by Mark J. Woeppel explains the main ideas behind this breakthrough concept. Woeppel builds on a short, easy to understand synopsis of Eliyahu M. Goldratt's pioneering book, Critical Chain, by deftly augmenting it with commentary, case studies and implementation advice. Readers not only gain a meaningful appreciation for the ideas behind CCPM, they clearly see significant implications for real projects.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Woeppel is a master of positive transformation of organizations, with a history of successful turnarounds. He is a recognized expert in the Theory of Constraints, teaching hundreds of executives around the world. Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt, author of The Goal, called him the most skilled implementer of Constraint Management in North America. He is an internationally known author, speaker and lecturer on the topics of Continuous Improvement, Synchronous Flow Manufacturing, Cost Accounting, Organizational Measurement, and Project Management. He is the author of The Manufacturer’s Guide to Implementing the Theory of Constraints, published by APICS/St. Lucie Press, and Projects in Less Time, published by Booksurge, in English, Spanish and Japanese. Notable speaking venues are: Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business, University of California, Los Angeles, American Production & Inventory Control Society, and Institute for Management Accounting. His industry experience includes the Graphic Arts, Industrial Equipment, Consumer Products, Automotive, Oilfield Equipment, Electronics, and Steel Fabrication, Subsea Oilfield Development, Project Management, and Semiconductor product development. He serves as President for Pinnacle Strategies, a provider of consulting, training, and technology solutions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (December 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419620533
• ISBN-13: 978-1419620539
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Oops, I'm sorry I bought it, August 26, 2006

By 

RBake (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Projects in Less Time:: A Synopsis of Critical Chain (Paperback)

I was sorry I purchased "Projects in Less Time" and felt a little cheated. Maybe I read the title and description wrong. About 15 minutes after I received it I realized the title and summary of what the book "promised" to tell me didn't match the contents that much. Being the book is relatively inexpensive it was not worth the time and trouble to send it back. I see this book has gotten a lot of high ratings ("5") here at Amazon. That doesn't seem right to me because the book is about "Projects" yet lacks usefulness and content from a Project Management (PM) point of view. The final let-down in this book for me was that the main case study/example toward the end of the book was about a production constraint example--not a CCPM example. Here's where I'm coming from: I am both an experienced practicing project manager and a project management instructor. I recently "discovered" books on Theory of Constrains (TOC) and Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) over the last year. I have also purchased and learned several CCPM scheduling software packages. I am not saying "don't buy this book". If you are looking for a "brief" on Theory Of Constraints (TOC) using Goldratt's production examples and don't want to read Goldratt's books, which some folks don't like because they are long novels, then this book might be great for you. For someone looking to learn more about CCPM--it may not be for you. If you are like me, I would start with The Goal, the read some other Goldratt books. Then for more technical how-to in order to implement CCPM I'd look to Lawrence Leach's books. I spent an hour writing this to help prevent others from wasting their time and money if they got it wrong--like me. I hope my comments can be helpful to some, either way.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast way to get the essence of Critical Chain, February 27, 2006

By 

Joseph V. Walton (Center Valley, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Projects in Less Time:: A Synopsis of Critical Chain (Paperback)

If you are in a hurry and want to understand the essence of Critical Chain this is the book to read. There aren't many wasted words but the important TOC concepts are covered and even expanded upon in this synopsis of Goldratt's Critical Chain. It would be well worth any project manager's time to read this short (125 pages) book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview and more of Critical Chain, January 20, 2006

By 

Clarke (Linlithgow, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Projects in Less Time:: A Synopsis of Critical Chain (Paperback)

Mark Woeppel is a very experienced Theory of Constraints expert and widely respected in TOC circles. He's done a nice job here of explaining Goldratt's Critical Chain approach to managing projects.

Mark has written a chapter by chapter synopsis of Goldratt's Critical Chain book, along with his own commentary and a case study. My first thought was that this was a cunning plan to write a book very quickly, but even though I've already read Critical Chain a half-dozen times, or more, and I've used the approach in reality, I am happy to say that I've learnt lots from Mark's additional commentary.