What is the critical path?

    The critical path is the longest chain of dependent activities through a schedule. It sets the earliest date the project can finish.

    Activities on the critical path have no spare time: a day lost on one of them is a day lost on the finish date, unless it's recovered elsewhere. The critical path can change as work progresses, so it needs rechecking at every update.

    Finding it relies on a properly linked schedule. Missing logic or hard-coded dates hide the true critical path.

    Related terms

    Float

    How long an activity can be delayed without delaying something else.

    Baseline

    An approved snapshot of the schedule, budget or scope, kept so actual performance can be compared against the plan.

    Milestone

    A significant point in a schedule, such as a key approval, handover or completion, shown as an event with no duration.

    Schedule performance index

    SPI

    Compares the value of work completed with the value planned.

    Formula and example
    NextFloat

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