Austin Software Process Improvement Network (A-SPIN)

Critical Chain Project Management – How to Improve Project Performance by Managing Uncertainty, by George Altenbaugh Overview: One of the core challenges in project management is managing the uncertainty inherent in project work. However, the current project management theory known as the critical path method (CPM), which was developed 40 years ago, does not effectively manage uncertainty. Critical Chain Project Management identifies what is critical, and protects it against uncertainty. As a result projects have been completed ahead of schedule and with much less risk. Critical Chain is the application of Eli Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints (TOC) to project management. TOC is based on systems thinking and what Goldratt calls “uncommon sense”. Critical Chain allows the project manager to stop focusing on task completions and intermediate milestones, and to concentrate on the only milestone that matters – the project completion date. About the Speaker: George Altenbaugh has over thirteen years of consulting and industry experience in the private and public sectors. His experience includes managing the design and implementation of large software systems, redesigning business processes, assessing IT resource requirements, capacity planning, and software quality assurance. He has extensive knowledge of project management and software development processes and has successfully deployed major on-line retail and wholesale systems for Fortune 500 clients. George earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Science in Industrial Administration (MBA) from the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon University. He is certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute.