What is a Critical Chain Method (CCM)?
Critical chain scheduling accounts for resource limits, not just task logic, and attacks a human truth: people pad their estimates, then burn the padding (student syndrome, Parkinson's law). CCM strips the padding out of individual tasks and pools it into shared buffers — a project buffer at the end of the chain, feeding buffers where side paths join it.
You then manage by buffer consumption instead of per-task dates: the question isn't "is task 47 late?" but "how much buffer has the chain eaten versus how far along we are?"
Worked example
A machine-builder's engineers estimate "3 weeks, safe" per design package. CCM re-plans with honest 2-week estimates and a pooled 4-week project buffer. Mid-project, the buffer is 30% consumed with 50% of the chain complete — green status, no drama, and nobody privately gaming their own padding anymore.