The novel is designed to follow the discovery of CCPM, or the Critical Chain Project Management method as a means of efficiently managing resources and scheduling in one or multiple projects. The predominant theme of the novel, then, is the importance of managing resources and scheduling tasks as those elements contribute to overall project success and efficiency. Early in the class, Charlie asserts: “Everybody knows that projects don’t finish on time or on budget, and if they do it means they had to compromise on content” (35), which effectively outlines Goldratt’s goal in Critical Chain. Richard’s, and therefore Goldratt’s, intention is to find a way to manage projects so that they maintain quality, finish on time, and remain within the established budget. It is important to note that quality only becomes a concern due to the remaining two issues, which implies that only budget and time need to be considered in resolving these issues. Buffers are the main method Richard finds for managing time and resources, and the variety of buffers in the novel contributes to overall efficiency in project management, which is most discussed as an issue of “focus.”

Focus is the main concern of most of the characters in the novel, and when Ruth comments that “losing focus is one thing a project leader cannot afford” (89), that sentiment quickly spreads to all areas of a project.