Critical path analysis

 

Critical path analysis

 

What is critical path analysis?

Critical path analysis is a technique of analysing dependant tasks and calculating the total time to complete the project. This allows the project manager to see the shortest time that the project will take to complete. It will also show which tasks are critical to the project rather than tasks which may not be necessary to successfully complete the project.

 

 

When will an employer use critical path analysis?

An employer might use Critical Path Analysis (CPA) to plan, execute, and manage projects, especially when tasks are interdependent, deadlines are crucial, and resources are limited. Some specific scenarios may be project planning and scheduling, resource management, cost management and risk management. An example industry using critical path analysis would be manufacturing. CPA would be used to streamline production processes and supply chains.

 

Critical path analysis used in MS Project

MS project is a favoured planning tool by many individuals. MS project can be used to calculate the critical path from given tasks. By using the Gnatt chart tools, you can view the critical path visually in red.

 

The critical path is a chain of linked tasks that directly affects the project finish date. If any task on the critical path is late, the whole project is late. The critical path is a series of tasks (or sometimes only a single task) that controls the calculated start or finish date of the project.