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Old 03-11-2013, 06:18 AM
ketanco ketanco is offline Critical Path Length Windows 7 64bit Critical Path Length Office 2007
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This is not MS Project Specific question but a schedule question.



The critical path is usually the longest path of a schedule. In what cases this is not true?
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Old 03-11-2013, 08:38 AM
JulieS JulieS is offline Critical Path Length Windows 7 64bit Critical Path Length Office 2010 32bit
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The critical path is the series of tasks with float equal to zero. It is not necessarily the longest path in the project. Microsoft Project uses the forward and backwards pass to calculate float (Project refers to it as slack.).

Things like task calendars or constraints will change the float calculation and will change critical path.
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Old 03-15-2013, 10:53 AM
ketanco ketanco is offline Critical Path Length Windows 7 64bit Critical Path Length Office 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JulieS View Post
It is not necessarily the longest path in the project.
Why? Can you give a simple example?

Last edited by ketanco; 03-15-2013 at 11:56 AM.
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Old 03-15-2013, 11:34 AM
JulieS JulieS is offline Critical Path Length Windows 7 64bit Critical Path Length Office 2010 32bit
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Things like task calendars or constraints will change the float calculation and will change critical path.
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Old 03-15-2013, 11:56 AM
ketanco ketanco is offline Critical Path Length Windows 7 64bit Critical Path Length Office 2007
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so if they change the critical path then we will have a new critical path. but how is a critical path different than a longest path?
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Old 03-15-2013, 01:12 PM
JulieS JulieS is offline Critical Path Length Windows 7 64bit Critical Path Length Office 2010 32bit
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Constraints will alter critical path by adding slack. Try an experiment. Add three tasks linked F to S. On the last task add a Must Finish On constraint with a date 1 day after the current scheduled date.
You'll see only the task with the constraint is critical. Remove the constraint.
Critical path appears for all tasks.
Add a Finish no Earlier Than constraint on the second task with a date 3 days later than its schedule. The first task drops off critical path.
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