Improving Your Project Management Skills, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 7Scheduling Activities

THE CRITICAL PATH IS THE PATH through the network diagram (see Chapter 5) that takes the longest total time. It therefore determines the earliest possible time the project can be completed. The critical path is a network analysis technique used to determine the amount of scheduling flexibility (or total float) on each of the various network paths in the project schedule and to determine the overall project duration. Activities on the critical path are not inherently more important than other activities in the project, but they are more critical to the overall project schedule, because any delay in them will delay the completion of the entire project unless other adjustments are made. The critical path allows the ...