Research On The Project Schedule Management Based On Critical Chain Technology

Project scheduling is one of the most important dimensions in project management in China. To some extent, the management level of project scheduling remarkably represents the overall project management level. Project scheduling is the most common management task, but is theorized much later than other management tasks. Many project management patterns have already been developed, but readily neglecting the influence of external factors in the traditional project scheduling often leads to schedule deviation and eventually the failure of whole project schedule. Hence, in the new management pattern of project scheduling, Critical Chain method is introduced to mitigate the uncertain factors that are not well controlled in the traditional methods so that, by preparing the mitigation plans against these factors in advance early in the project planning stage, the project management level can be elevated to a new level. It is also considered to be a humble contribution to the improvement of project management level for our country.This article summarizes many outcomes, advantages and disadvantages of Critical Chain method, aiming to find the most suitable management pattern for projects in China. By correlating data and cases of all kinds, various management patterns were demonstrated in depth, analyzed to exploit the most efficiency and optimized based on it.Before practical application of Critical Chain method, it is suggested to have basic understanding of the theoretical foundation of Critical Chain method, which includes the fundamentals, assumptions, as well as the keys to practical application. Critical Chain method, as a new project management method, should first be compared with traditional management methods, exposing their shortcomings in contrast to its advantages, to see whether Critical Chain method can supplement the weakness of traditional ones. Modeling is an approach to identify and establish the Critical Chain in project management. Difficulties will occur when setting up the model because the complexity, resource allocation, and buffers of all processes shall be fully considered.The practical application of Critical Chain method cannot be easily done considering the potential of broken chain due to irrational allocation of resource. These require holistic consideration instead of partial view when using Critical Chain method.Proper set-up of buffers is the key element of Critical Chain method and all the consequent tasks rely on its maintenance in a safe status. Setting up model to examine its reliability before putting it into practice can significantly reduce the unwanted risks.Meanwhile, improving the stability of Critical Chain by optimizing the model can also dramatically increase the efficiency. By continuously implement the methodology of setting up the model, it is also expected to improve the overall management level of the whole society.