57 pages • 1 hour read
Critical Chain
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Symbols & Motifs
Chevy Blazer
Early in the novel, Richard comes home to find a Chevy Blazer, an SUV produced by Chevrolet, in his driveway, which Judith explains is a gift to him. However, Richard knows that they cannot afford the new vehicle, especially considering his tenuous position with the university. When Richard’s conflict with B. J. becomes more immediate, one of Richard’s first thoughts is that he will need to get rid of the Blazer, in addition to potentially selling his home. The Blazer is a symbol, as with many new or expensive purchases, of wealth, but, in Richard’s case, it is also symbolic of his hard work and dedication to his field. Following the evaporating cloud method, it appears that the Blazer is an element of Richard’s definition of success, and it appears to be critically opposed to his role as an associate professor, making it seem that he needs to change his career to consulting to maintain the physical representation of success. However, the flawed assumption in this reasoning is that his hard work cannot amount to financial rewards in academia, which is proven incorrect as Richard gets tenure at the end of the novel.
The Blazer is reinforced by B. J.’s Seville STS, which is made by Cadillac. Upon seeing B. J.’s car, Richard thinks: “One of these days, I, too, will have a Cadillac” (255), transferring the symbolic quality of the Blazer to the Seville, as well. In this sense, the Cadillac is higher than the Blazer in a hierarchy of symbols, in which Cadillacs represent a greater degree of success when compared to Chevrolets. B. J.’s possession of the Seville, then, establishes her as more successful than Richard, further pointing to the possibility of success in academia, though B. J.’s role at the university is not currently academic in nature. Overall, these symbols represent a kind of conspicuous consumption, in which the vehicles are outward markers of internal feelings of success. In the end of the novel, it is assumed that Richard will not only keep the Blazer, but he may be on the path to buying a Cadillac in the future, showing his success as a result of developing CCPM.
Murphy
Murphy’s Law is a popular phrase originating from Edward A. Murphy Jr., an aerospace engineer, which states that anything that may go wrong will go wrong. In Critical Chain, Murphy’s Law is personified in the name Murphy, which is repeated in situations when characters want to emphasize the probability of a disaster or mistake in each system. Rather than using the full phrasing of Murphy’s Law, they refer to Murphy as though he is a person that will “strike” at a given time. This creates a motif of inserting Murphy as a hypothetical character within the plans of the characters in the novel, highlighting the impossibility of making a perfect plan without any openings for missteps. In the context of production, Murphy could be embodied in a machine breakdown, an issue in transportation, or bad weather, all of which can only be protected against through elaborate buffers. In projects, Murphy presents in much the same way, but he includes issues with vendors, uncontrollable delays, and changing needs, all of which cannot be planned.
Murphy as a motif reminds the reader that project management cannot be perfect, as this personified Murphy, or the possibility of unforeseeable conflicts, is always present. The goal of project management, then, is not to thwart specific instances of Murphy’s Law, but to minimize the openings for Murphy to strike. When a character mentions Murphy, they are usually pointing out that another character has created a hypothetical in which there is a significant opening for something to go wrong, which, according to Murphy’s Law, is inevitable.
Open Discussion
Open discussion is the phrase used in the novel to describe Richard’s teaching style, which often include problem-solving, working in groups, or debating an issue as a class. This style of pedagogy often relies on inquiry-based learning, in which the teacher performs the role of asking provocative questions designed to instigate deeper thought among students in discussion. Richard’s class functions well in open discussion, and his teaching method is a significant part of his reputation at the university. In the end, the other professors agree that Richard’s method is superior, though they worry that it may be difficult for them to apply themselves. The repeated mention of open discussion forms a critical motif to understanding the premise of the novel, which is essentially a narrative construction of Eli Goldratt’s own development of CCPM. By having different characters provide different elements of the developing theory, Goldratt can explain each element as it occurs by having the originating character explain and discuss their ideas with other characters, often in Richard’s classroom.
Open discussion also plays a critical role outside of the novel’s classroom, as B. J. encourages open discussion among the YPO presidents, the professors meet with Johnny to have a discussion on TOC, and Don encourages open discussion about investment evaluation in the final chapter. In each instance, readers should take note of open discussions in progress, as they usually involve multiple perspectives contributing to a solution, and each perspective is used to assist readers who may share concerns or questions with characters. For example, when reading Johnny’s analogy of soldiers building a road, readers will likely have similar questions and concerns to those of Richard, Charlene, and Jim, which then allow Johnny, as a character, and Goldratt, as the author, to provide further explanation.
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