Critical Path

Introduction

The critical path represents the longest sequence of tasks that determine the project duration. The feature highlights tasks on the critical path (red color).

Tasks on the critical path are also listed in the Gantt module Infobar.

The critical path is based on strong dependencies between tasks (soft dependencies do NOT affect it).
Once you establish task dependencies, the App automatically highlights the critical path (to display it, click on View > Critical path).

Open

Critical path tasks must have start/end dates. Tasks without dates can’t be visualized on the timeline and aren’t included in the critical path.

When one tasks on a critical path doesn’t have start/end dates, the entire critical path is disrupted. Once the start/end dates are provided the critical path will be calculated normally and include all the connected tasks.

Open

Critical path calculation

Use strong dependencies to determine the correct order of tasks. 

• The path is calculated from the end (the last task(s) in the project)

• The algorithm works backward looking for strong links connecting tasks

• The most direct path (without a time gap between tasks) is highlighted

• A gap between tasks is allowed only if an ASAP link has a "lag time" added

Strong links (non-ASAP)

Strong links determine the necessary order of tasks but don’t always result in a critical path.

A critical path does NOT allow for arbitrary gaps between tasks. When a non-ASAP dependency is created, the target point must follow the source point, but they don’t have to happen immediately after each other. This can ‘break’ the critical path.

ASAP mode

When a strong dependency is in the ASAP mode, one task follows the other with no gap between them (unless a gap has been added as lag time). To ensure a dependency results in a critical path, activate the ASAP mode.

Lag time

A critical path does allow for gaps between tasks, but they have to be added as lag time. Lag time can be added to strong ASAP dependencies.

Non-working days

The non-working days do not ‘break’ the critical path calculation. This means that if there are two tasks on the critical path (connected with a dependency) and the predecessor ends before a non-working day, the App will move the successor to start on the first working day and both will remain on the critical path.

Critical path Infobar tab

Tasks that are a part of the critical path are listed in the Infobar > Critical path tab.