Steps to find Critical Path in Project

Step 1: Identify All Tasks

Before finding the Critical Path, the tasks need to be defined. In this step, all the tasks, activities, or processes are defined which are required for the completion of the project. This list of activities is called the Work Breakdown Structure. It works like a high-level idea that guides the team about what task to perform and how to perform it.

Step 2: Determine the Sequence

Once you are clear with what to perform and how to perform it, you have to identify when to perform the tasks. Hence, in this step, you have to establish the sequence of the various tasks and activities identified in the previous step. This allows us to understand the logical flow of the activities which helps us in creating the network diagram.

Step 3: Estimate the Duration of Each Task

Here the project experts conduct discussions with the team and stakeholders to calculate the estimated duration of each task in the sequence. The duration of the task includes the total time from the start to the completion of the task. It is important to understand that every task duration contributes to the entire project timeline.

Step 4: Draw the Project Network Diagram

Now, you have to create a Project Network Diagram for project tasks. A Project Network Diagram is the visual representation of the tasks in which the nodes represent the activities and arrows denote dependencies among them. Network Diagram can be of different types such as the Arrow Diagram Method (ADM) or Precedence Diagram Method (PDM).

Step 5: Identify the Critical Path

You are now ready to look for the Critical Path in your Project. In this step, the longest path that passes through all critical tasks is chosen. In Critical Path, all the essential interdependent tasks are included so that, need to switch to different paths. This is the reason why Critical Path has the minimum completion time in the Project.

Step 6: Calculate the Float

As we discussed in Step 1, tasks can be critical as well as non-critical. Since the Critical Tasks cannot be extended, their delay time(also called Float or Slack) is zero. But on the other hand, non-critical tasks can be extended. Thus, they have some positive Float Value. The Float Value is the difference between the earliest and latest start or finish point of the task. You have to find the Float value to adjust the delay of non-crucial tasks.

Step 7: Monitor the Critical Path

After you are done with all the steps, you now have to continuously monitor and review the entire critical path. The project professionals have to track progress, manage the resources, and handle the unwanted delays in the project. This step aims to maintain the project schedule so that we can deliver it within the timeline.

If you are facing challenges in identifying the Critical Path in your Project, you have found the perfect guide. This article covers every insight on the Critical Path, the method to find it along with importance. By the end of this guide, you will be able to easily find the Critical Path to manage your project activities.

Project Managers often find it challenging to accurately determine the tasks and activities for executing the project plan. This is important not only for meeting the stakeholder expectations but also for managing the project quality from the end-users perspective. However, planning these activities can be done in more than one way. Or, we can say there are multiple paths for the project tasks.

But out of these, which path is Critical for our Project? In this article, we will learn about the Critical Path, one of the most important topics of Project Management. So, let us get started without any delay.