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Comparing and Contrasting the Critical Path and Critical Chain Methods
Liberty University
MGMT 645
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Comparing and Contrasting the Critical Path and Critical Chain Methods
The Critical path and Critical chain are both project management techniques. The critical
chain as a novel methodology is gaining traction and posing challenges to the conventional
critical path method. Project management is becoming more important as the proportion of
activities in the allotted project grows. The "critical path" has always been the controlling
paradigm for project superintending and planning for more than fifty years, and it has been
revolutionary in project management (Nafkha, & Wiliński, 2016, p.78). The "critical path"
technique is widely employed in organizations that follow the best practices of project
management today.
The critical path method
The critical path technique is founded on a straightforward concept. If each work is
planned to start as soon as practicable, once all its predecessors have been completed, the
project's duration and date of completion will be decided by the longest predecessors` sequence.
Since the precedence relationships are typically depicted in a network diagram, the sequence is
referred to as a critical path (Nafkha, & Wiliński, 2016, p.82). Any course from the
project`s beginning to its completion is a path in the diagram, and the critical path is longest path
or the bottleneck. The date of completion is calculated using the critical path. The date of
completion discovered in this manner is the finest and earliest completion date conceivable.
Since the tasks on the critical path can never be delayed, every task on this critical path is
referred to as a critical task. Any delayed vital activity pushes back the date of the completion of
the project by the same amount (Nafkha, &Wiliński, 2016). If required, all activities that do not
fall on the critical path could be postponed without affecting the completion date of the project.
The float or (slack) for each task refers to the amount that may be postponed without causing
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delays. This is a crucial critical path method concept since it provides for scheduling flexibility
and may be used to adjust the schedule throughout project execution.
The Critical Chain Method
The network diagram`s longest path with resource restrictions and activity dependency is
referred to as a critical chain. The method of critical chain is a step forward from the critical path
in that it takes resource availability into account when creating the schedule of the project
timeline. Instead of floats, the critical chain technique uses buffers (Anantatmula, & Webb, 2016,
p.1007). The buffers eliminate the concepts of float or slack. The following buffers are part of the
critical chain:
Project buffer
As a non-activity buffer, project buffers act as the critical chain
activities` contingency and are often integrated between the final activity and the project
completion date. This buffer is used to store the gains from tasks that finish earlier than intended.
Activities normally last half as long as the contingency removed by a project manager from
every task. It improves efficiency and reduces schedule time by removing uncertainty from a task
to the project.
Feeding Buffer
The feeding buffer is integrated into the non-critical chain so that the critical chain`s
delays do not affect the non-critical chain (Anantatmula, & Webb, 2016, p.1010). The feeding
and the project buffers are calculated in the same way, and the lifespan of these two buffers is
dependent on the safety that the project manager extracts from non-critical chain tasks.
Resource Buffers
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They might be human resources or pieces of equipment, and are maintained alongside
critical chain to improve their availability whenever needed. Because resource limits are taken
into account, the lifespan of a critical chain will be longer compared to that of the critical path.
When contingencies are eliminated by the project manager, however, the time might be lowered.
To present its data, the critical chain utilizes critical resources.
What are the main differences?
Both critical chain and critical path project management consider the tasks that must be
completed to finish a project and the order in which they must be completed. However, they take
various approaches to assisting project managers in completing tasks.
Projects are viewed through the lens of tasks in critical path project management
(CPPM). A project`s critical path is described by predicting the time taken to complete each
activity as well as the slack time in-between tasks (Nafkha, &Wiliński, 2016, p.85). The method
of critical path is used to calculate the logical network paths` degree of schedule flexibility in the
schedule model and to predict the minimal project length. CCPM examines a project from a
resource standpoint. It recommends approaching a project like it is a relay race, with every task
finished as fast as possible before being handed over to the next individual. It focuses on the
overall goal instead of individual tasks, and it guarantees that there are always resources
present for every critical task (Anantatmula, & Webb, 2016, p.1015).
The critical path method examines a project`s length depending on work estimations from
the stakeholders. Critical chain is based on the premise that tasks do not really take that long as
people anticipate them to and strives to accordingly plan.
The critical path`s tasks are called "critical" since if even one of them is disrupted, the
whole project would be delayed. For every task, resources are availed, and time is projected,
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with the possibility of an earlier or later start, as well as an earlier or later completion. The
project manager can generate the longest possible distance for the project by setting out this
critical path one by one. Project management using critical path, unlike project management
using critical chain, permits multitasking that implies two activities on the project`s critical path
can be completed at the same time. In addition, each activity has an expected time buffer
between them (Shurrab, 2015, p.4).
Another significant distinction is that project management using critical chain puts the
critical path model's task time estimations to the test. When allocated a week to complete a task,
an individual may not begin straight away until someday later during the week (the so
called "student syndrome") or may complete the assignment ahead of schedule but continue to
tinker with it (referred to as "gold plating"). As per the course, gold plating is outside the
purview of what was initially requested, yet some team members in the project partake in
it anyway (Nafkha, & Wiliński, 2016, p.87). Since they completed early, they believe it is the
correct thing to be doing. Instead of gold plating their individual task, the critical chain
requires the individual to pass their project on to the individual next in line soon. Taking the
initial time estimation and halving it is one technique to handle gold plating. As a result, a three-
day project is reduced to twelve hours, or one and a half days. The remaining twelve hours are
added to the project buffer time bucket which could or could not be used at the end of the project
(Shurrab, 2015, p.5). In other words, each activity is given less time. People are expected to
accomplish tasks as quickly as feasible while maintaining the greatest level of quality. They do
not work to meet a deadline. They strive to do it as quickly as feasible. Any necessary
modifications can then be made within the project buffer period.
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Individuals with a task to accomplish are not assigned any additional work until their
assignment is done when the project management is done using critical chain method. They are
not aiming for a certain deadline. They are attempting to do their jobs as quickly as possible
while maintaining a high level of quality. In addition, the buffer time of the project is added at
the end and used when necessary. In between tasks, time buffer does not occur. Whenever
resources are few and project managers need to focus their team members on some critical tasks,
critical path method of project management comes in handy (Shurrab, 2015, p.6). For something
like a deployment project, the project managers may decide to employ the critical path method
of project management. Critical chain method of project management, on the other hand, is more
beneficial when resources are not going to be a problem and each activity is hampered only by
the amount of time it takes to execute it.
Which would you utilize and in which situations?
I would use the method of critical path. This method would be used in the following
situations.
When future planning has to be improved: CPM may be used in comparing projections to
the actual progress. Current project data can be utilized to guide project plans in the
future.
When resource management should be facilitated more effectively: CPM assists project
managers in prioritizing activities, providing them a better understanding of where and
how to allocate resources.
When it is best to avoid bottlenecks: Project bottlenecks can lead to the loss of important
time. Utilizing a network diagram to map out project dependencies would give a better
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picture of which tasks can and cannot occur simultaneously, allowing for
rescheduling accordingly.
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References
Anantatmula, V. S., & Webb, J. B. (2016). Critical chain method in traditional project and
portfolio management situations. Project Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools,
and Applications, 1005-1022. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/critical-chain-method-
in-traditional-project-and-portfolio-management-situations/155322
Nafkha, R., & Wiliński, A. (2016). The critical path method in estimating project
duration. Information Systems in Management, 5(1), 78-87.
https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.baztech-c3d822db-42f7-4ad8-8b40-
25acdb0518f9
Shurrab, M. (2015). Traditional Critical Path Method versus Critical Chain Project Management:
A Comparative View. International Journal of Economics & Management Sciences, 4(9),
4-9.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286479527_Traditional_Critical_Path_Method_
versus_Critical_Chain_Project_Management_A_Comparative_View
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