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Critical Path Analysis

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5 views

Critical Path Analysis

Uploaded by

daniel karangi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS

Critical path analysis is a method used to identify the sequence of tasks that
determine the minimum duration required to complete a project.
it is a fundamental technique in project management that helps to:
 Identify the critical tasks- determine which tasks are more critical than
others
 Identify the longest path-identify the longest path in the project schedule,
which is the critical path
 Determine the project duration: calculate the minimum duration required
to complete the project by identifying the critical path
 Identify dependencies: identify the dependencies between tasks and how
they impact the project schedule
 Identify slack: which is the amount of time available for each task if there
are no disruptions or delays
The critical path method is a graph-based method that uses a network diagram to
represent the project schedule. The network diagram consists of:
 Activities: represented by arrows on the diagram ,activities sre the tasks
that need to be competed
 Nodes: represented by circles or squares on the diagram, nodes are points
where activities meet
 Dependencies: represented by arrows between nodes ,dependencies show
how activities are linked
To perform a critical path analysis:
 Create a network diagram :draw a graph that represents all the activities
and their dependencies
 Calculate the expected duration of each activity :estimate the time
required to complete each activity
 Calculate the early start and early finish dates of these activities :calculate
when each activity can start and finish based on its dependencies
 Calculate the late start and late finish dates of these activities :calculate
when each activity must start and finish in order to meet the project
deadlines
 Identify the critical path :identify which path through the network has the
longest duration ,which is the critical path
 Calculate the project duration :add up all the durations along the critical
path to determine the minimum duration required to complete the project
IMPORTANCES OF CPA
It helps managers to;
1. Identify potential bottlenecks in the project schedule
2. Prioritize tasks based on their impact on the project timeline
3. Plan and manage resources more effectively
4. Mitigate risks by identifying potential delays and taking corrective action
5. Improve communication with stakeholders by providing clear estimates of
project timelines and deadlines
6. Reduces uncertainty: provides a clear understanding of the projects
schedule and timeline
7. Enhances decision making: provides data driven insights for making
informed decisions
Example
Suppose we have a project with three activities: A ,B and C. The dependencies
between these are as follows:
Activity A depends on no activity
Activity B depends on activity A
Activity C depends on activity B.
The durations for each activity are as follows
A-3 days
B-4 days
C-2 days
The earliest starting time (ES)and earliest finish times(EF) for each activity are as
follows
Activity A :ES=0, EF=3
Activity B :ES=3 .EF=7
Activity C:ES=7 ,EF=9
The latest start times (LS)and latest finish times (LF)for each activity are as follows:
Activity A :LS=0,LF=3
Activity B:LS=3,LF=7
Activity C:LS=7,LF=9
The critical activities are activities A and C as they have a LS equal to their ES, or
an LF equal to their EF
The critical path is therefore activity A>activity B>activity C
The minimum duration required to complete the project is 9 days

COMMON TOOLS USED FOR CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS


Gantt charts: a graphical representation of the project schedule showing activity
dependencies and timelines.
PERT charts: a flow chart method used to analyze project schedules and identify
critical paths
Critical path method: a method used to identify paths by analyzing activity
durations, dependencies and schedules
Monte Carlo simulations: a statistical technique used to simulate different
scenarios and estimate project durations

Gantt charts
It is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule.it typically consists of :
 Tasks -the individual activities that need to be completed within the project
 Dependencies -the relationships between tasks, showing which tasks
depend on others to be completed first
 Timelines-the start and end dates of each task, represented by bars on the
chart
 Milestones -significant events or deadlines that mark the important stages
in the project
Types of Gantt charts
1) Linear Gantt chart -a traditional Gantt chart with a linear timeline
2) Resource -levelling Gantt chart -shows resource allocation and levelling
3) Dependency based Gantt chart -it highlights task dependencies
4) Scrum Gantt charts -used in agile projects to track sprint cycles
Benefits of using Gantt charts
a) Improved planning and organization -visualize the project plan and make
informed decisions
b) Enhanced communication -share the plan with team members and
stakeholders
c) Increased productivity -identify and address delays and roadblocks quickly
d) Better resource allocation -optimize resource utilization and allocation
e) Enhanced progress monitoring-helps monitor the actual progress of the
project against the planned schedule
Common software tools used to create Gantt charts
a) Microsoft excel
b) Microsoft project
c) Smartsheet

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