About this Presentation
Albany Engineered Composites (AEC) conducts multiple engineering projects simultaneously across a global engineering team. Given shifting priorities and constrained resources, achieving on-time delivery performance proved challenging to comprehend and measure. Upon initiation of a critical project for a new weaving work cell, a more effective approach to project management, schedule risk comprehension, and status communication with internal and external stakeholders became imperative. Embracing Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), both AEC and its customer swiftly aligned on leveraging CCPM concepts to achieve two distinct objectives: on-time completion and, if feasible, project acceleration. Implementation of the CCPM method entailed comprehensive team training and the development of new schedules incorporating CCPM best practices. Project completion target dates were established using standard CCPM techniques and definitions. Regular communication on project status was streamlined and standardized. The immediate impact of CCPM on project management performance was evident. The project's critical path became readily discernible, enabling prioritization of actions. Understanding of non-critical tasks facilitated resource allocation where most needed. Fact-based decisions regarding resource capacity and activity level-loading became feasible. By utilizing high-level Fever Charts to convey project status and buffer utilization (and savings!), project communication was simplified. A project schedule spanning several hundred lines was condensed into a single chart easily shared and understood. While the CCPM pilot project remains ongoing, its benefits have already materialized, leading to the extension of the CCPM method to a portfolio of other new technology projects slated for 2024.
What Will You Learn
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Instructor(s)
Phil McGrail
Phil McGrail is the Senior Manager of Global Projects at Albany Engineered Composites. As a register Project Management Professional (PMP), he manages and coordinates a global team of process engineers, equipment engineers, and project managers across a portfolio of process improvement, robustness, and New Product Introduction (NPI) projects. With experience in semiconductor equipment design and manufacturing, aerospace composites design and testing, and advanced carbon fiber composites manufacturing, he has over twenty years of engineering team leadership experience.
Ms Alka Wadhwa
Alka Wadhwa is an experienced consultant and process improvement expert with over 24 years of expertise in the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean Six Sigma, and organizational performance optimization. She has successfully led projects in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing, driving significant improvements such as a 67% boost in hospital operations and a 140% increase in outpatient visits.
Previously, Alka Wadhwa spent 17+ years at GE Global Research Center, where she led initiatives to enhance various GE businesses through advanced technologies, process redesign, and system optimization. Founder of Better Solutions Consulting, LLC, she specializes in using TOC, Six Sigma, and data analytics to streamline operations and build high-performance teams.
Her work has earned her multiple accolades, including the Empire State Award of Excellence in healthcare.
Dr Gary Wadhwa
Dr. Gary Wadhwa is a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with extensive experience in the field. He completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and has served as an Attending at prestigious institutions like St. Peters Hospitals, Ellis Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in NY. With a career spanning over two decades, he was the former CEO and President of a group specialty practice in NY from 1994 to 2015. Dr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from UT at Knoxville, TN, and has undergone additional training in System Dynamics at MIT, Health System Management at Harvard Business School, and Entrepreneurship and healthcare innovations at Columbia Business School. Committed to expanding access to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery care, he is currently engaged in a meaningful project to provide healthcare services to underserved populations in inner city and rural areas through non-profit Community Health Centers.