According to the PMBOK Guide, specifically within the Develop Schedule process, the Critical Chain Method (CCM) is a schedule network analysis technique that modifies the project schedule to account for limited resources.
* Resource Constraints: Unlike the Critical Path Method (CPM), which focuses on logical dependencies (task sequences), the Critical Chain Method accounts for both logical dependencies and resource availability. If a resource is required for two different tasks at the same time, the Critical Chain Method will adjust the schedule to resolve this conflict.
* Buffers: CCM adds non-work schedule activities called buffers to manage uncertainty.
* Project Buffer: Placed at the end of the critical chain to protect the target finish date.
* Feeding Buffers: Placed at points where non-critical chains merge into the critical chain to protect the critical chain from slippage in the feeding tasks.
* Focus on Aggregated Risk: Instead of managing the " float " of individual activities, the project manager manages the remaining buffer durations against the remaining duration of the chain of activities.
Comparison with other options:
* A. Human resource planning: This is part of the Plan Resource Management process. It involves identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships, but it is not a schedule network analysis technique that modifies the schedule itself.
* B. Fast tracking: This is a schedule compression technique where activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least a portion of their duration. It usually increases risk and may require more resources, but it does not inherently " modify the schedule to account for limited resources " in the way CCM does.
* C. Rolling wave planning: This is an iterative planning technique where the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level. It is a form of progressive elaboration, not a resource-constrained network analysis technique.