Critical Path Method

Farrokh Alemi, Ph.D.

 Purpose of CPM

 Finish fast
 Quantify progress
 Communicate effectively

Course on Project Management

 Advantages and Disadvantages of
Formal Schedules
 Saves time and money on large
complex projects
 Effective communication tool
 Too much work
 Assessment of duration of tasks
 Assessment of interdependencies

Course on Project Management

 Resource Oriented and Time
Oriented Schedules
 Resource oriented
 Time oriented

Course on Project Management

 Elements of a Critical Path
Chart
 Activity
 Precedence
 Duration/cost

Course on Project Management

 Elements of a Critical Path
Chart
 Activity
 Precedence
 Duration/cost
Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Obtaining list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to selected patients
F Collect responses
G Analyze data

Course on Project Management

 Elements of a Critical Path
Chart
 Activity
 Precedence
 Duration/cost

Course on Project Management

 Elements of a Critical Path
Chart
 Activity
 Precedence
 Duration/cost
Activity Description Precedents
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool A
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list C
E Mail surveys to selected patients D
F Collect responses E
G Analyze data F

Course on Project Management

 Elements of a Critical Path
Chart
 Activity
 Precedence
 Duration/cost

Course on Project Management

 Elements of a Critical Path
Chart
 Activity
 Precedence
 Duration/cost

Activity Description Precedents Duration

A Select satisfaction survey tool 2 weeks
B Print survey tool A 3 weeks
C Select list of patients 1 week
D Sample from list C 1 week
E Mail surveys to selected patients D 2 weeks
F Collect responses E 4 weeks
G Analyze data F 3 weeks

Course on Project Management

 Branch and Node Charts

 Activity on branch
 Activity on node

Course on Project Management

 Activity In Node
A B E F G

C D

Activity Description Precedents

A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool A
C Obtain list of patients
D Sample from list C
E Mail surveys to selected patients D,B
F Collect responses E
G Analyze data F

Course on Project Management

 Activity On Branches
A B E F G
1 3 5 6 7 End
Start
C D
2 4

Activity Description Precedents

A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool A
C Obtain list of patients
D Sample from list C
E Mail surveys to selected patients D,B
F Collect responses E
G Analyze data F

Course on Project Management

 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
Forward pass calculates early start and finish

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
Backward pass calculates latest start and end times

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times

Critical Path includes activities where earliest start

A 2time and 3 E 2timeFare4equal
B latest finish G 3 End

Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
Activities not on the critical path have “slack.” The
latest2finish time3and the earliest start
4 date are
A B E 2 F G 3 End
different
Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
Start Finish
Early 0
Late

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
Start Finish
Early 0 2
Late

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F Start Finish
E 0 2 Early 2 5
L     Late

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

Activity Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F
E 0 2 E 2 5
L     L    

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

Start Finish
Early 2 5
Activity Description
Late A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F
E 0 2 E 2 5
L     L    

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F
E 0 1 Early
L     Late
Course on Project Management
Start Finish
1
Activity
2
Description
A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F Start Finish
E 0 2 E 2 5 Early 5 7
L     L     Late

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
E 0 1 E 1 2 Activity Description
L     L     A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F   S F   S F   S F
E 0 2 E 2 5 E 5 7 E 7 11 E 11 14
L     L     L     L     L    

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
E 0 1 E 1 2 Activity Description
L     L     A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F   S F   S F
  S F
E 0 2 E 2 5 E 5 7 E 7 11 E 11 14
L     L     L     L     L   14

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
E 0 1 E 1 2
L     L    

Latest finish is the minimum of latest start of

succeeding tasks. Latest start is the latest finish
minus duration.

Course on Project Management

 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F   S F   S F   S F
E 0 2 E 2 5 E 5 7 E 7 11 E 11 14
L     L     L     L     L 11 14

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
E 0 1 E 1 2
L     L    

Latest finish is the minimum of latest start of

succeeding tasks. Latest start is the latest finish
minus duration.

Course on Project Management

 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F   S F   S F
  S F
E 0 2 E 2 5 E 5 7 E 7 11 E 11 14
L     L     L     L 7 11 L 11 14

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
E 0 1 E 1 2 Activity Description
L     L     A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Earliest and Latest Start and
Finish Times
  S F   S F   S F   S F   S F

E 0 2 E 2 5 E 5 7 E 7 11 E 11 14

L 0 2 L 2 5 L 5 7 L 7 11 L 11 14

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
Activity Description
E 0 1 E 1 2
L 3 4 L 4 5 A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool
C Select list of patients
D Sample from list
E Mail surveys to patients
F Collect responses
Course on Project Management G Analyze data
 Slack Time
  S F   S F   S F   S F   S F
E 0 2 E 2 5 E 5 7 E 7 11 E 11 14
L 0 2 L 2 5 L 5 7 L 7 11 L 11 14

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
E 0 1 E 1 2
L 3 4 L 4 5

Slack time = Latest start – Earliest start

Course on Project Management

 Critical Path
  S F   S F   S F   S F   S F
E 0 2 E 2 5 E 5 7 E 7 11 E 11 14
L 0 2 L 2 5 L 5 7 L 7 11 L 11 14

A 2 3 E 2 4 G 3 End
B F

Start

C 1 D 1

  S F   S F
E 0 1 E 1 2
L 3 4 L 4 5

Critical path includes activities with no slack.

Course on Project Management

 Communicating Project Schedule

 Time scaled network of activities

 Gantt chart
 Time an activity graphs and
completion graphs

Course on Project Management

 Communicating Project Schedule

 Time scaled network of activities

 Gantt chart
 Time an activity graphs and
completion graphs

Course on Project Management

 Communicating Project Schedule

 Time scaled network of activities

 Gantt chart
 Time an activity graphs and
completion graphs

Course on Project Management

 Activity Splitting

A B E F G

C D

Activity Description Precedents

A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool A
C Obtain list of patients
D Sample from list C
E Mail surveys to selected patients D,B
F Collect responses E
G Analyze data F

Course on Project Management

 Activity Splitting

A B E F G

C D

Activity Description Precedents

A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool A
C Obtain list of patients
D Sample from list C
E Mail surveys to selected patients D,B
F Collect responses E
G Analyze data F

Course on Project Management

 Activity Splitting

A B E F1 G

C D F2

Activity Description Precedents

A Select satisfaction survey tool
B Print survey tool A
C Obtain list of patients
D Sample from list C
E Mail surveys to selected patients D,B
F Collect responses (F1=early, F2=Late) E
G Analyze data F

Course on Project Management

 Software

 Discovery of Critical Path

Course on Project Management

 Crashing Schedules

 Cost time tradeoff

 Order of crashing

Course on Project Management

 Take Home Lesson

The critical path includes activities

with no slack