An investigation into the fundamentals of critical chain project scheduling

The theory of constraints (TOC) is a philosophy that is used to develop specific management techniques. The TOC technique for project time management is often referred to as the ‘critical chain’ technique. There are indications that this technique is increasingly being used. This paper reviews the literature on this application of TOC. It also investigate the assumptions and principles underlying the approach. The technique is considered an innovation that would be useful to organisations capable of accepting a new paradigm.