Critical Path Method (CPM)
Critical Path Method (CPM) identifies vital tasks for project completion, assessing scheduling flexibilities. The critical path, the longest activity sequence, dictates project completion; delays impact the entire project.
- CPM identifies crucial tasks, and dependencies, and calculates durations in project timelines.
- In the late 1950s, CPM emerged to tackle rising costs from poor scheduling.
- Now, it’s widely used to plan projects, prioritize tasks, and enhance project flexibility understanding.
CPM Steps
There are the following steps which is essential for steps for Critical path method are as follows:
- Collect Project Activities: We have to use a work breakdown structure to collect all activities of the project which helps to find out all the final deliverables.
- Identify Task Dependencies: Identify task dependencies through judgment and team feedback. Incorrectly defining dependencies renders the critical path method ineffective.
- Create a Critical Path Diagram: A CPM diagram or we can say the network diagram, depicts the order of activities of the overall system.
- Estimate the Timeline: Estimate the task durations in the Critical Path Method using past project data.
- Use the Critical Path Formula: Critical path determination involves the CPM formula, comprising a forward pass with ES and EF, and a backward pass with LS and LF. Time durations guide calculations.
- Identify the Critical Path: Activities with 0 float form the critical path, all dependent except the first. Positive slack tasks run parallel.
- Revise During Execution: Continuously update the critical path diagram during project execution, identifying critical tasks and those flexible. Anticipate changes or constraints to refine accuracy, addressing critical path drag if needed.
Advantages of CPM
There are following benefits of using CPM in Project management are as follows:
- Improved team communication: Critical Path Analysis helps to improve team Communication.
- Helps in task prioritization: The critical path method will also help to Prioritize Tasks.
- Accurate project schedule: The critical path method will also help you make a more accurate project schedule.
- Visual nature: There is another important role which is its visual nature, especially when mapped on the timeline of a Gantt chart.
What are the Major Types of Project Management?
Leading a team demands unique skills and experience. Project management, with its diverse approaches, requires understanding. Navigating individual work styles, honing leadership skills, and achieving goals necessitate a nuanced grasp of the varied aspects of this challenging role. The following points help you to navigate through the major types of project management:
Table of Content
- What is Project Management?
- Major Types of Project Management
- Waterfall Development Model
- Agile Development Model
- Lean Development Model
- Six Sigma Development Model
- Critical Path Method (CPM)
- Conclusion
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