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

~ (Author) "Projects fail at an alarming rate..." (more)
Key Phrases: critical chain plan, drum resource, concentrating contingency, New York, North River Press, Great Barrington (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

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 Publishers (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: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #299,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Critical Chain Yet !, September 1, 2000

By	"thepmguy" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

If your organization finds itself mired in delays, budget overruns, and exhausted staff 'running around in circles,' critical chain project management (CCPM) deserves your serious consideration.

An excellent start on the road to dramatic improvements for managing your projects, this book by Mr. Leach includes his practical experiences and numerous tips for successful project management using the renowned Critical Chain approach created by Dr. Eli Goldratt. A key component of this work is the implementation plan, which will jump start your planning for the breakthrough solution to projects mired by bottlenecks and will set you on track for a process of ongoing improvement for your portfolio of projects.

This book does a superb job of walking you through the theory, the psychology, and the practical aspects of critical chain project management. Another key thread is how Larry integrates the PMI Body of Knowledge principles with CCPM - a real plus for those who need the 'whole picture.'

I highly recommend this work for those who are serious about making the dramatic improvements required to excel in the digital revolution - projects often are delivered 20% or more earlier using critical chain properly. Mr. Leach's book will get you started on the right track.

20 of 23 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 (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 11 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 (REAL NAME)

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