CHAPTER 3

Critical Path Method

The Critical Path Method or Critical Path Analysis, is a mathematically
based algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities
It is an important tool for effective project management
Commonly used with all forms of projects, including construction,
software development, research projects, product development,
engineering, and plant maintenance, among others
Any project with interdependent activities can apply this method of
scheduling

Critical Path Method

CPM provides the following benefits:
Provides a graphical view of the project.
Total time to complete the whole project
When individual activities start & finish to meet the completion time
What are the critical activities
What are the non-critical activities

Critical Path Method

CPM models the activities and events of a project as a network. Activities are
depicted as nodes on the network and events that signify the beginning or
ending of activities are depicted as arcs or lines between the nodes. The
following is an example of a CPM network diagram:

Common Steps in CPM/PERT

1.

Define the project and identify all its activities.

From the work breakdown structure, a listing can be made of all the activities in
the project. This listing can be used as the basis for adding sequence and duration
information in later
steps.

2.

Develop the precedence relationships or sequence among all activities.

Some activities are dependent on the completion of others. A listing of the

immediate predecessors of each activity is useful
for constructing the CPM
network diagram.

3.

Draw the project network connecting all the activities.

Once the activities and their sequencing have been defined, the CPM diagram can
be drawn. CPM originally was developed as an activity on node (AON) network,
but some project planners prefer to specify the activities on the arcs.

Common Steps in CPM/PERT

4.

Assign time (or resources) estimate to complete each activity .

The time required to complete each activity can be estimated using past
experience or the estimates of knowledgeable persons. CPM is a
deterministic model that does not take into account variation in the
completion time, so only one number is used for an activity's time
estimate.

Common Steps in CPM/PERT

5. Compute the longest path through the network. This path is called critical path. The activities on the
path are critical activities

The critical path is the longest-duration path through the network. The significance of the critical path is
that the activities that lie on it cannot be delayed without delaying the project. Because of its impact on
the entire project, critical path analysis is an important aspect of project planning.
The critical path can be identified by determining the following four parameters for each activity:
ES - earliest start time: the earliest time at which the activity can start given that its precedent
activities must be completed first.
EF - earliest finish time, equal to the earliest start time for the activity plus the time required to
complete the activity.
LF - latest finish time: the latest time at which the activity can be completed without delaying the
project.
LS - latest start time, equal to the latest finish time minus the time required to complete the activity.
The slack time for an activity is the time between its earliest and latest start time, or between its earliest
and latest finish time. Slack is the amount of time that an activity can be delayed past its earliest start or
earliest finish without delaying the project.
The critical path is the path through the project network in which none of the activities have slack, that is,
the path for which ES=LS and EF=LF for all activities in the path. A delay in the critical path delays the
project. Similarly, to accelerate the project it is necessary to reduce the total time required for the
activities in the critical path.

Critical Path Method

Example: (RI)
Step 1: There is a project which consists of the following activities:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J.
Step 2:

(i) A and B are initial activities which can be started simultaneously.

(ii) B precedes C
(iii)A precedes D and E.

(iv)C and E precede F and G.

(v) D and C precede I and H.
(vi)H and F precede J

(vii) I, J and G are the terminal activities.

From the example given

AOA /AON
Activity On Arc (AOA)

Activity

arc

arc
node

Completion
of activity

node

Activity On Node (AON)

Precedence
relationship
A

arc

Activity
B
node
10

Critical Path Method

Example 1 :
Politeknik Kota Kinabalu has planned to build a new multipurpose athletic
complex on its campus. The complex would provide a stadium for
intercollegiate soccer games, a badminton court, expanded office space and
classrooms. The following activities would have to be undertaken before
construction can begin.

Critical Path Method

Critical Path Method

Network Path Representation
A
Start

D
C

F
E

H
G

Finish

Critical Path Method

All possible paths in PoliKK project:

Path
StartA C D F H Finish
StartA C E F H Finish
StartA C E G H Finish
StartB C D F H Finish
StartB C E G H Finish
StartB C E F H Finish

Length (weeks)
7+15+3+15+7=47
7+15+5+15+7=49
7+15+5+11+7=45
10+15+3+15+5=50
10+15+5+11+7=48
10+15+5+15+7=52

Critical Path Method

Network Node

ACTIVITY

EARLY
START

EARLY
FINISH

DURATION
(TIME)

LATE
START

LATE
FINISH

Early Start - Early Finish & Late Start - Late Finish

Forward Pass
Early Finish:
Backward Pass
Late Start:

EF = ES + t
t = activity duration
LS = LF t
Slack, s = LS ES or LF EF

s=3
A 0 7
7 3 10

s=2
D 25 28
3 27 30
s=0
C 10 25
15 10 25

Start

s=0
F 30 45
15 30 45
s=0
E 25 30
5 25 30

s=0
B 0 10
10 0 10

Critical path:
Start-B-C-E-F-H-Finish
Completion time = 52 weeks

52 weeks

s=4
G 30 41
11 34 45

s=0
H 45 52
7 45 52

C
B

ES - EF
Forward

Start
0

Finish

Finish

10

20

30

40

LS - LF

C
B

50

E
Md Asnyat Asmat

Backward
16

Activity

Duration

ES

EF

LS

LF

Slack, s
(LS-ES)

Critical
activity?

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

7
10
15
3
5
15
11
7

0
0
10
25
25
30
30
45

7
10
25
28
30
45
41
52

3
0
10
27
25
30
34
45

10
10
25
30
30
45
45
52

3
0
0
2
0
0
4
0

No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes

Critical path:
Start-B-C-E-F-H-Finish
Completion time = 52 weeks
17

CPM Limitation
CPM requires experience, skill, and knowledge sufficient to provide. It was
developed for complex but fairly routine projects with minimal uncertainty
in the project completion times. For less routine projects there is more
uncertainty in the completion times, and this uncertainty limits the
usefulness of the deterministic CPM model. An alternative to CPM is the PERT
project planning model, which allows a range of durations to be specified for
each activity.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of CPM?