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74 SCHEDULING

that comprise this section, we discuss these benefits and talk about practical ways
to use such tools.

It is unfortunate that many people wait until there is a project crisis before
getting friendly with CPM tools. Then, under the pressure of the crisis, they fail
to learn the few fundamentals that are necessary to utilize these tools effectively.
Frankly, the initial use of these tools can be intimidating. The trick is to get in-
troduced to them when not under extreme pressure, and to take the time to
learn some of the basics. Another good idea is to have a resident CPM guru on
the staff to mentor the others. Last, try to get into the use of CPM progressively,
starting with a small project and with basic functions, and growing in both scope
and functionality.

For every science (project management is both an art and a science) there is a
set of fundamentals. These include basic assumptions, algorithms, formulae,
terms, and protocols. The science of critical path scheduling is not exempt from
this. Therefore, on the possibility that a few readers will not be well versed in
these fundamentals, we have provided a CPM primer, in Chapter 3.1.

In the past decade, a variation of critical path scheduling, called critical chain
project management (CCPM), has emerged as an alternative method to CPM.
We choose not to take a position on this somewhat controversial subject, opting
instead to present a balanced, objective discussion on CCPM vs. CPM, in Chap-
ter 3.2. A major aspect of the CCPM approach is that of shared contingency. This
is a concept that we can strongly support, and we illustrate several ways of achiev-
ing this objective.

We also present a very strong case for the importance of schedules and time
compression, regardless of whether CPM or CCPM is used. Please read Chapter
3.4, to find clear evidence of the multitude of cost penalties due to projects
stretching out longer than planned or necessary.

Schedules are built by defining tasks, estimating task durations, and defining
task relationships. The hardest part is dealing with task durations. For most tasks,
you could come up with a range of times that could be all over the place, and have
no trouble justifying any of them. In Chapter 3.3, we provide a rationale for vari-
ous approaches to estimating durations, and offer some guidance on assigning du-
rations to tasks.

In keeping with the intent of this book to provide guidance for Practical Proj-
ect Management (PPM), Chapter 3.5 offers several pages of tips on how to apply
the basic tools of computer-based scheduling. Nothing fancy, but lots of very ef-
fective suggestions. These tips will help you to develop realistic schedules that re-
flect how you intend to do the job. You’ll find that it is easier than you thought.

Again, this is an important section. The most visible component of the project
plan is the schedule. The schedule is the basis for all the other aspects of the plan,