Other reasons why the critical path will change periodically is because some of the tasks will be completed ahead or behind schedule, and/or task relationships can change. This will result in a new expected completion date for the project. Misconception: The critical path will never change.įact: Every project has at least some changes (for example, scope, time, and/or money) which means the critical path(s) will change. Also, people have to remember after a task on the critical path is completed, it’s no longer “critical” because it cannot affect the plan’s finish date. Misconception: Every task on the critical path is critical.įact: The word “critical” in this context usually has nothing to do how important these tasks are to the overall plan, but instead refers to how their scheduling will affect the project’s finish date. This provides you wiggle room without delaying the tasks that follow it and doesn’t alter the completion date. Conversely, non-critical paths have slack time which is the amount of time a task can slip.
Misconception: The critical path is the shortest path through the network diagram.įact: The critical path is the longest path through the network diagram, meaning the sequence of activities that collectivity define the starting and ending dates for the project and have no slack or float time (excess time). Using an example project, you can link different tasks to each other to see how it affects the total slack of each task.įor a comprehensive coverage of all the features and functions of the Microsoft Project suite, our training guide is available to the public on Amazon.įor more help on navigating the challenges of project management, contact our experts today.Most non-technical people don’t know what the critical path is whereas, those that work on IT projects know what it means at a high level, but have few insights into the actual mechanics of it-and how quickly it can change the outcome of their projects! The truth is that there are many misconceptions about the critical path. Reapply the Gantt Chart view, remove the Critical filter (so you again see all tasks in the project), and from Format: Bar Styles select the Critical Tasks checkbox.įigure 7 Critical tasks identified in red in the Gantt Chart Critical tasks can also be identified in the Gantt Chart.To see this view, from View:Task Views click the Network Diagram icon. The Network Diagram view displays a node for tasks, along with schedule information and connecting arrows to show the relationship and sequence of activities.Note: Look at the ID numbers of these tasks to see that not all tasks are displayed.įigure 5 Only critical tasks (0 slack) appear Only critical tasks in your project will now appear. From View:Data select Critical from the Filter dropdown list.Note that the last column shows the total slack for each task. To do so, from View:Data click the Tables dropdown list and select Schedule.