Does a Critical Path Ever Change as a Project Develops?
The Critical Path Method is a system for charting project completion dates and task benchmarks for large-scale operations. Project managers using the Critical Path Method have limited abilities to adjust time lines and due dates because of the certainty the system demands. Changing due dates in the Critical Path Method may require the creation of entirely new time lines and network diagrams.
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Critical Path Method Definition
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The Critical Path Method is a system designed to provide a graphic view of a project's time line to completion, predict the time required to complete the project and display the actions integral to staying on schedule. According to NetMBA's website, science-based services and manufacturing company DuPont developed the Critical Path Method in1957 as a means of addressing the challenges of shutting down multiple chemical plants for repairs and maintenance. The complex problem demanded a system that could clearly illustrate the phases of the project and the steps needed to bring the project to a successful close.
Project Critical Tasks
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Critical tasks are essential benchmarks in projects using the Critical Path Method. Delaying the completion of critical tasks will also push back the completion date of the project as a whole. Postponements of critical tasks can result from both conscious decisions to move task due dates and from reallocating resources. Project managers adjusting the resources of projects must be careful to ensure that these adjustments do not adversely impact critical tasks along the project-completion time lines. Projects using the Critical Path Method may or may not have the freedom to adjust due dates of critical tasks, depending on the nature of the projects and the desires of clients.
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Adjusting Newtork Diagram
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As projects progress, employee performance and the availability of resources will allow project managers to determine the actual completion dates of critical tasks and the larger project. This creates new critical paths for projects because project managers can better determine completion dates and what it will take in terms of resources to meet benchmarks and critical tasks. Project managers must then abandon outdated critical paths in favor of new paths that offer greater degrees of certainty.
Dangers of Critical Paths
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The Critical Path Method performs best on complicated but generally routine business projects, according to NetMBA's website. Everyday projects allow the Critical Path Method to shine because these tasks have less elements of uncertainty with regard to completion times. The more uncertainty business projects have, the less useful the Critical Path Method is because the system depends on certainty and the ability of project managers to chart completion dates ahead of time.
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