The use of critical chain tools can result in a lot of value, including decreased cycle times, increased efficiency, and increased predictability. Of course, when I say this, people generally want to know: “If it’s so great, why isn’t everyone doing it?”

Those who make important decisions in organizations recognize that real improvements require real changes, and therefore pose real risks. Failure may not be an option, but it happens a lot, and no one wants the short end of that stick. Most people’s experience is that most “improvement” initiatives accomplish somewhere between a little and less than nothing.

That’s why the typical answer is to go slowly: minimize the risks and, consequently, minimize the value. Take baby steps. Focus on more concrete tools, such as software. Avoid tackling behavioral change head-on. Unfortunately, this mindset is self-fulfilling. It validates people’s prior experience, that improvement projects are useless. And this is the key conflict you need to address when promoting any significant improvement process: how can you demonstrably minimize the risks while you maximize the value?

This question is behind everything in The Billion Dollar Solution. The book shows what you must do to minimize the risk of implementing a set of processes like ProChain Project Management - our methodology - while maximizing value. We’ve learned a lot over the years about what does and doesn’t work, we’ve systematized that knowledge, and we’re ready to make it public. I want to provoke awareness and discussion of the key implementation issues that have prevented your organization from managing projects more successfully, and I want to provide practical answers.

Let me know your problems, questions, and comments related to the book, project management, or change management. What do you think? What worked? What didn’t work? What obstacles do you see? I’ll use that as input for this blog.

Welcome to the Billion Dollar Solution blog! The book shipped from the printer yesterday, 16 December 2008. Please check back regularly; we expect to add new posts at least every month. That means the first time you post a comment, we have to approve it, so there might be a short delay.

Rob Newbold