project performance

MBA642

Project Initiation,

Planning and Execution

Workshop Week 8

Agile Project Management and

Critical Chain Project Management

(CCPM)

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2

• Understand different

project methodologies

• Identify the key facets of

each methodology

• Examine the strengths and

weaknesses of different

methodologies

Workshop Objectives

Project Methodologies

• Waterfall or traditional stage-gate

• Agile

• Kanban

• Critical Chain

Waterfall

• Stage – Gate process

Source: http://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/46809-an-introduction-

to-stage-gate-analysis/#imgn_0

Waterfall for Software

• Systems Development Life Cycle

System Analysis

Conceptual Design

Physical Design

Implementation

Operations

Source: Rormney et al (2013) Accounting Information Systems, Pearson

Advantages of Waterfall

• Easy to use and manage

• Discipline is enforced

• Requires a well documented

approval approach

Disadvantages of Waterfall

• Changes cannot easily be

accommodated

• Delivery isn’t complete until

the end

• Gather accurate

requirements can be

challenging

Workshop Activity

• In small groups of 2 or 3, discuss the ‘waterfall’

method and identify: – Typical use cases

– Other advantages

– Other disadvantages

Share your ideas with the class.

Agile Project Management

• Typical use is software development

• Why agile?

– Development costs have reduced allowing

more trial and error

– New tools available to design and check

customer needs before development; e.g.,

wireframes

– Need to react to changing customer wants

has driven need for shorter life-cycles

Agile Process

Agile Principles 1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of

valuable software.

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness

change for the customer’s competitive advantage.

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with

preference to the shorter timescale.

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they

need, and trust them to get the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a

development team is face-to-face conversation.

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users

should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

10. Simplicity -- the art of maximising the amount of work not done -- is essential.

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organising teams.

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and

adjusts its behaviour accordingly.

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Scrum Process

• Backlog – Desired features / stories

• Sprint planning (scrum meetings) – What will be included in the next round

• Sprint work: analyse, design, build – Do the work

• Sprint review – Check completeness

• Testing

• Deployment

• Retrospective

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Advantages of Agile

• Change is embraced

• End-goal can be

unknown

• Faster, high-quality

delivery

• Strong team interaction

• Customers are heard

• Continuous

improvement

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Disadvantages of Agile

• Planning can be less

concrete

• Team must be

knowledgeable

• Time commitment from

developers

• Documentation can be

neglected

• Final product can be very

different

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Waterfall vs Agile

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Workshop Activity

In small groups of 2 or 3:

• Explore the advantages of

Agile and identify the pre-

requisites to secure these

advantages

• Examine the disadvantages of

Agile and consider how these

might be overcome

Share your ideas with the class.

Kanban

• Kanban is Japanese for “visual signal” or “card.”

• Toyota line-workers used a kanban (i.e., an actual

card) to signal steps in their manufacturing process.

The system’s highly visual nature allowed teams to

communicate more easily on what work needed to

be done and when. It also standardised cues and

refined processes, which helped to reduce waste

and maximise value.

Source: https://leankit.com/learn/kanban/what-is-kanban/

Kanban in Manufacturing

Source: http://www.strategosinc.com/kanban.htm

Simple Kanban for Tasks

Source: https://www.digite.com/kanban/what-is-kanban/

Complex Kanban for Agile

Source: Andy Carmichael - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55448101

Advantages of Kanban

• Increases flexibility

• Reduces waste

• Easy to understand

• Improves delivery flow

• Minimises cycle time

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Disadvantages of Kanban

• Outdated board can lead

to issues

• Teams can overcomplicate

the board

• Lack of timing for each

item

• Adding new items can

cause problems

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Agile vs Kanban

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Workshop Activity

In small groups of 2 or 3,

discuss the ‘kanban’ method

and identify: • Typical use cases

• Other advantages

• Other disadvantages

Share your ideas with the class.

Develop the swim lanes for one of

your typical use cases.

Critical Chain Project

Management (CCPM) • Development of the critical path

• Reworks the critical path using critical chain methods

– constraints

– buffers

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

Project Management

Execution Challenges • Scope/requirements change as the project progresses

• Technology changes or fails to deliver

• Vendors fail to deliver on time

• Approvals do not come on time

• Organisational priorities change

• Quality problems cause re-work

• Resources are not available even if promised

• Decision making and planning involve many layers of

management with conflicting interests

Source: http://3escp33iuwsj485tugc1mb91.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-

content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2016/02/CPM-and-CCPM-a-Compare-and-

Contrast-Pinnacle-Strategies.pdf

CCPM: Constraints

• Task uncertainty

• Task duration overestimated

• Undue safety margins

> pooling of buffers

Source: https://www.smartsheet.com/agile-vs-scrum-vs-waterfall-vs-kanban

CCPM: Buffers

• Project buffer

• Feeding buffer

• Resource buffer

Source: https://www.simplilearn.com/what-is-critical-chain-project-

management-rar68-article

CPM vs CCPM

Source: http://3escp33iuwsj485tugc1mb91.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-

content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2016/02/CPM-and-CCPM-a-Compare-and-

Contrast-Pinnacle-Strategies.pdf

Advantages of CCPM

• Identifies the critical work

sequence

• Reduces work-in-progress;

speeding up execution

• Identifies the risk with each task

and its impact on project

completion

• Clearly identifies when

management action required

• Exploits scarce resources

Source: http://3escp33iuwsj485tugc1mb91.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-

content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2016/02/CPM-and-CCPM-a-Compare-and-

Contrast-Pinnacle-Strategies.pdf

Disadvantages of CCPM

• Resource loads are

understated

• Feeding can require extra

steps

• Learning curve to master

the process

• Requires unique software

Source: http://3escp33iuwsj485tugc1mb91.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-

content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2016/02/CPM-and-CCPM-a-Compare-and-

Contrast-Pinnacle-Strategies.pdf

Workshop Activity

In small groups of 2 or 3,

consider the project

execution challenges that

can affect any project.

Discuss the problems

associated with ‘pooling’

task buffers.

Share your ideas with the

class.

Summary

• Project methodologies

vary for different use

cases

• We have considered

four methodologies • Agile

• Kanban

• Waterfall

• CCPM