The theory of constraints approach to project management

Projects almost always seem to be behind schedule, over budget, and project content is often compromised. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) approach to project management significantly shortens project completion time without inflated costs or compromised project content. TOC emphasizes eliminating traditional safety time for individual activities, identifying the critical chain, and establishing properly located, sized, and managed buffers to achieve all project objectives. In the common case where there is competition for resources, projects may be constrained by both critical activities and resource availability. The critical chain is the sequence of dependent activities which realistically defines the minimum project duration, and may consist of activities on multiple paths.