Critical Path Method Essentials



In project management, the critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that must be completed to successfully conclude a project, from start to finish. The tasks on the critical path are known as critical activities because if they’re delayed, the whole project will be delayed. By identifying the critical path, determining the total duration of a project can be made.
Calculating the critical path is key during the planning phase because the critical path identifies important deadlines and the activities which must be completed on time. Once a critical path is determined, a clear picture of the schedule becomes evident.
To find this, project managers use the critical path method or algorithm to define the least amount of time necessary to complete each task with the least amount of slack.
The critical path method, also known as critical path analysis, is a scheduling procedure that uses a network diagram to depict a project and the sequences of tasks required to complete it, which are known as paths. Once the paths are defined, the duration of each path is calculated by an algorithm to identify the critical path, which determines the total duration of the project.
It is used in project management to create project schedules and helps project managers create a timeline for the project. The critical path method includes:
• Identifying every task necessary to complete the project and the dependencies between them
• Estimating the duration of the project tasks
• Calculating the critical path based on the tasks’ duration and dependencies to identify the critical activities
• Focusing on planning, scheduling and controlling critical activities
• Setting project milestones and deliverables
• Setting stakeholder expectations related to deadlines
After making these considerations, insight is gained into which activities must be prioritized.
Projects are made up of tasks that must adhere to a schedule in order to meet a deadline. It sounds simple, but without mapping the work it can quickly get out of hand and project can get off track.
When analysing the critical path, pay attention closely at the time it will take to complete each task, considering the task dependencies and how they’ll impact the schedule. It’s a technique to find the most realistic project deadline. It can also help during the project as a metric to track progress.
Therefore, when doing critical path analysis, finding the sequence of tasks that are both important and dependent on a previous task. Less important tasks aren’t ignored and are part of the analysis; however, they’re the ones which can be jettisoned if time and money won’t permit.
Critical path software is used to automatically calculate the critical path in the project schedule. Without using software, managers would have to manually calculate the time-consuming and complicated equation.
Time is one of the triple constraints of a project, so it’s understandable why critical path software has become popular in project management. Any opportunity to gain efficiencies steers the project closer to meeting its goals and objectives.



Since critical path is a very specific technique, critical path software is usually associated with a larger project planning tool that organizes tasks, prioritizes the sequence of activities and other features that go into creating the schedule. One of the most used project management software to identify the critical path is Microsoft Project, although there are many others as well.
Knowing the critical path and having a tool to recalculate it as the schedule evolves over the course of the project is key to getting back on track when behind schedule. More benefits to using critical path software include the following.
• Quick Calculations Save Time and Effort
• Track Progress to Know If You’re Behind
• Recalculate as Project Schedule Changes
• Keep Track of Task Dependencies
• Set Milestones and Save Important Dates
• Get Insightful Data When Planning Tasks
• Create Schedule Baseline for Project Variance

The Critical Path Method or C P M and the Program Evaluation Review Technique or P E R T are both visual representations of a project schedule, but it’s important to know the differences.
The main read more difference between PERT and C P M is that PERT was designed to plan projects with uncertain activity times. Therefore, PERT uses three time estimates for each task: optimistic, most likely and pessimistic. On the other hand, C P M was designed for projects where activity times are certain.
The Critical Path Method is one of the many tools that project managers use when creating their project plan and schedule. It informs them on the length of time, the amount of resources and costs associated with each task and the overall project. Once they have this mapped out, they can start plotting the timeline in their scheduling software and start the process of managing their project.
Simply put, using the critical path is a way to order the seeming chaotic complexity of any project. If deadlines are important to getting a project to deliver on time, then the duration of each task must be understood in order to better estimate where those deadlines will land on the project timeline.
The critical path is important when managing a project because it identifies all the tasks needed to complete the project—then determines the tasks that must be done on time, those that can be delayed if needed and how much float there is.
The reason for understanding the critical path in project management is that the more accurate and reliable the data, the better the project timeline, schedule, plan and so forth. The critical path of a project shows not only how long tasks are likely to take but prioritizes them.
When in the middle of a project and it’s running behind schedule, the critical path will show which tasks must be completed and those that can be left undone without negatively impacting deliverables. This could mean the difference between a successful project, and a failed one.
Critical path is also helpful within the project as a measurement of schedule variance. That is, it can help determine which stage of the project compared to where the plan indicated at that time. This information will quickly advise if the project is on target or lagging.
Another benefit of using the critical path in project management is that it helps identify and map task dependencies. Not all tasks can be done at the same time. There is an order and often that structure means that some tasks can’t start or stop until another has started or stopped. It can help avoid bottlenecks by mapping parallel tasks and keep the project moving.
Finding the critical path is a useful tool that project managers use to make better time estimates. It lends itself to complex and larger projects, but it can be a helpful tool no matter the size of the project.
Once the critical path is determined, keep returning to the analysis and continuing to crunch those numbers as things change when executing the project. That’s a lot of work, but when used in conjunction with a robust project management software, the first steps towards success have been taken. Let us know your thoughts on the Critical Path Method, and how it has assisted you in your projects. All the very best on your project management journey.

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