![]() As a result it inherits that longer Early Finish date as the task Early Start Date. So although, in this example, one of the predecessor tasks for ‘Build Timber Frame’ completes in only 5 days, the task cannot commence until the Slab is poured. Where there are multiple paths with tasks able to be done in parallel, the Critical Path will be determined by the longest series of tasks in which the project can complete. The ES for a task will be based on the Early Finish of its predecessor. The Project Manager can then estimate the duration for the other tasks in the sequence and perform the Forward Pass to establish the ES and EF for each of them. To begin with, the Project Manager performs a Forward Pass where the Early Start of the First Activity is zero and the Early Finish equals zero plus the duration (EF = ES + Duration).Īdd Early start, duration and Early finish attributes of the first task In order to determine what they are, Critical Path Analysis is undertaken to start building these out. The Project Manager won’t know all the actual attributes for this task up front. Float (or slack) = the amount of extra time (delay) the project can take before it affects the overall project durationĪs more project tasks are mapped into the network of tasks including the tasks that can be done in parallel, the sequence will start to look like this:.LF = Late Finish (the latest time in which the task can complete).EF = Early Finish (the earliest time in which the task can complete).Duration = the estimated time for the task to complete.LS = Late Start (the latest time the task can commence).ES = Early Start (the earliest time the task can commence based on constraints / dependencies).The task will need to have additional attributes added and can be mapped per the below: Add additional attributes to all tasks like Early start, Late start, Duration, Early finish, Late finish and Float. The next step is for the Project Manager to build out each task to determine the Critical Path. The tasks in this project WBS are: Identify tasks, duration and predecesorĪlmost all the dependencies in the project are simple Finish-Start dependencies however task 5 requires both tasks 3 and 4 to complete before it starts which means they can be in parallel. To illustrate this point, let’s use the example of a project to build a (very basic) house. To begin with the Project Manager can assign a number of attributes to each task which will be used to determine the project duration. The Critical Path Method and (Critical Path Analysis) starts by converting the WBS into a schedule or sequence for those activities to complete. Where a Resource Critical Path is being mapped, a Resource Breakdown Structure will also be required.The tasks required to complete the project ( the Work Breakdown Structure or WBS).The Critical Path is made up of the following attributes: Definition of the critical path method What makes critical path? This is known as the Resource Critical Path. However if there are two resources, the tasks could be done in parallel and therefore changes the way the tasks can be sequenced. In some cases, resource availability or constraints can inform the critical path where one resource may have to complete one task before they can start another. There can be more than one Critical Path for a project where tasks can be sequenced differently although the end date will be the same in each scenario. The sequencing of tasks within the Critical Path are informed by the project dependencies or the critical tasks predecessor(s). The Critical Path (CP) is the longest sequence of these critical tasks which must be completed on the scheduled time for the project to meet the target date. With this definition, a Project Manage can then work out the best way to sequence these tasks in order to meet a target date or remain within a cost constraint. This is a critical (pardon the pun □) definition to ensure a Project Manager can understand which tasks and activities can have, based on start and finish times, the greatest impact on the project schedule. ![]() The Cambridge Dictionary defines critical in several ways however the most appropriate for project management is the ‘critical’ adjective: “of the greatest importance to the way things may happen”. ![]() What is a Critical Path and the Critical Path Method?įirstly let’s start with the word ‘critical’ as it is often overused or misused in projects. The Critical Path Method is the management technique that derives the critical path and also identifies the earliest and latest time these tasks can start and finish without impacting the project end date.
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