Why do companies buy project management and planning software? There is a stark contrast in the claimed benefits, between traditional and CCPM systems.
I have just finished a series of seminars in Colombia, and today is free waiting for my return flight to the UK this evening. So I did a little bit of light research, looking at the benefits clients claim they get from using project management software. It wasn’t very scientific, I just looked on the websites of some of the biggest software brands. I compared critical path-bases systems (this is how most projects are planned today), and the critical chain approach (which is how I recommend projects are planned and managed).
Wow, what a difference!! No wonder board member don’t get excited about traditional project management systems. Their clients spoke about benefits such as…
- Visibility
- Staff time savings
- Alignment
- A “single view of the truth”
- Simpler-to-manage IT
But then on the Critical Chain sites, there were things that should get the C-suite excited. Their clients talked about…
- 30% more projects from the same resources
- 50% shorter durations
- 25% higher client billings
Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is an approach to planning and managing the execution of projects that has shown that it will reduce duration, increase on-time performance, reduce costs, lower risk, and improve quality. Just through using the technique.
CCPM is a key element in my book that is coming out in July this year. In The Executive Guide to Breakthrough Project Management, readers will learn how to significantly improve the performance of capital and construction projects.
- The VP of a $4 billion revenue software company told me last year:
“We trained all our managers to PMP standard, but results didn’t change. Within a year of implementing CCPM we were delivering 14% more projects with the same resources, and completing projects in 20% less time.“ - The Head of the Power Train Development Division, at Mazda, told a conference in 2013 that CCPM “Saved Mazda”. They used CCPM on the development of their “SKYACTIV” drive train range, faster and in 35% less man-days.
Robert Bolton and I wrote The Executive Guide to Breakthrough Project Management in order to introduce the capex and construction industries to methods, including CCPM, that when combined can lead to significant and sustainable improvement for both project clients and project supply chains.