Critical path method (CPM) is a step by step project management technique for process planning that defines critical and non – critical task with the goal of preventing time-frame problems and process bottlenecks.

What is Critical Path?

It is the sequence of activities with the longest duration. A delay in any of the activities in the critical path will result in delay of the whole project. Because of its impact on the entire project, critical path analysis is an important aspect of project planning.

How to calculate Critical Path?

While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same. The process is different. To understand the differences, Jennifer listed them.

Example

Activity          Predecessor             Duration

A                                 –                       5

B                                  A                     7

C                                  A                     4

D                                 B                      10

E                                  C                      3

F                                  C                      5

G                                 D,E                  6

H                                 F,G                  4

Critical-Path

Calculate Longest Duration

There are three paths of this project

To arrive at the Critical Path, add the duration of each activity in the node at its given path. The critical path is the one with the longest duration.

 

Start – A + B + D + G + H = 32 Days

Start – A + C + E + G + H = 22 Days

Start – A + C + F + H = 18 Days

 

Thus the critical Path is with the longest duration of 32 Days

Another method to determine Critical Path is look for the path with zero Free Float / Slack. We will cover this in another topic.

 

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