Calculate duration of each task: Secondly, you’re going to need to calculate the longest time that each critical path task will need to be completed.
Generally speaking, this should only include critical tasks and higher-level activities (rather than granular detail), as it’s possible for critical path analysis to become too complex to manage if a detailed overview of all activities is included. List all tasks/activities: First off, you’ll need to list all the tasks and activities that are necessary for the completion of the project in a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).Here’s how they work in a little more detail: The first stage of the critical path method has four basic steps. How does critical path project management work?
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However, after the PC revolution and innovations in computer hardware/software made it possible to conduct schedule management on a standard desktop computer, usage of critical path became much more widespread. As a result, the cost of critical path project management was a significant barrier to entry.
Initially, access to bulky, specialist mainframe computers was needed to use CPM. In fact, critical path analysis had its roots in some DuPont techniques dating back to the early 1940s, where it contributed to the success of the Manhattan Project.Īlthough DuPont’s interest in the critical path method had diminished by the early 1960s, a couple of other companies began to use it to oversee large projects, including Mauchly Associates and Catalytic Construction. Navy and Booz Allen Hamilton developed a similar technique- PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique)-which is where the term “critical path” originated. Kelley and Walker published a paper on their research in 1959, although DuPont moved away from the technique after the management team that was responsible for it changed. By ensuring that the right tasks were performed at the right times, instead of simply saturating the problem with additional labor, they found that excess costs could be avoided. They were attempting to find ways to reduce the costs associated with plant shutdowns and restarts that were being caused by inefficient scheduling. The history of critical path analysisĬPM was developed in the late 1950s by James E. Put simply, the critical path method helps you to understand the optimum timeline for completing your project. The critical path itself is the longest amount of time it will take you to complete the overall project, giving you an insight into how best to structure your project schedule to ensure it’s delivered on time and at minimum cost. In essence, the critical path method requires you to list all the activities that need to be finished to complete a project, the length of time each activity will take, and the dependencies between these activities. There are a broad range of project management tools that can help you achieve these goals, one of which is the critical path method (CPM).ĬPM is a project modeling technique that you can use to analyze, plan, and schedule complex projects.
When you’re managing a complex project with lots of moving parts and evolving deadlines, it can be difficult to deliver on time and on budget.