Originally published May 22, 2022. Updated June 5, 2024
Our CPM guide includes everything you need to get started with the Critical Path Method — step-by-step examples, solutions, and schedules to help you complete your next project faster and easier.
The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a simple but powerful technique for analyzing, planning, and scheduling large, complex projects. It is used to determine a project’s critical path — the longest sequence of tasks that must be finished for the entire project to be complete.
CPM, also known as Critical Path Analysis (CPA), identifies dependencies between tasks and shows which tasks are critical to a project.
The Critical Path Method (CPM) is one of the most important concepts in project management and certainly among the most enduring. But what is the Critical Path Method, exactly? This beginner-friendly guide will help you understand the Critical Path Method formula and apply it to your projects.
Early iterations of the Critical Path Method can be traced back to the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s. Given the ambition, scale, and importance of this world-altering project, scientists — and the managers behind them — developed several techniques to ensure that the project delivered results on time. For a project management technique, the Critical Path Method has quite an illustrious history.
One of these techniques was to map out the most important tasks in any project and use that to estimate the project completion date.
Today, we know this technique as the Critical Path Method.
The Critical Path Method in project management is a cornerstone of project planning even to this day. How long a project takes often depends on the most important tasks that constitute it.
If you can map out these tasks and their duration, you can get a reasonable estimate of the project’s timeline and budget.
Don’t worry if all this sounds too much like jargon to you. In this beginner-friendly guide, I’ll teach you everything you should know about the Critical Path Method (CPM) and how it applies to project management.
Have you ever heard of the Theory of Constraints (TOC)?
First described by Eliyahu Goldratt in his 1984 book, The Goal, this theory states that your ability to complete any activity hinges on a few critical resources or constraints.
For example, if you’re making a sandwich, you might have all the butter, ham, and cheese you need, but if you don’t have bread, you can’t make a sandwich.
In this case, the bread would be the constraint on which your sandwich-making project depends.
The Critical Path Method is similar to this theory but broader in focus. According to this method, the success of any project depends on the timely completion of tasks along a critical path.
Let’s look at this method in more detail.
Every project, regardless of size or budget, has some core tasks crucial to completion. A task is defined as critical if it is delayed, slowing down the completion of the entire project.
Take something as simple as making an omelet.
If you had to create a short recipe for making an omelet, it would look something like this:
To make a good omelet, you need to perform several other tasks. You have to season the eggs with salt and pepper. You could add some vegetables and cheese. You could also flip it on the other side so the eggs are fully cooked through.
However, these activities are in addition to the three core steps in the recipe. You'll still have an omelet even if you don’t perform them. It's not a very good one, but it's an omelet nonetheless.
On the other hand, if you forget to beat the eggs, heat the pan, or cook the eggs, you will have nothing but a cold pan and two eggs.
The three steps in the recipe describe the critical tasks necessary to make the omelet-making project a success.
The sequence of these steps describes the critical path a new cook must take to make an omelet.
This is the Critical Path Method in a nutshell.
The Critical Path Method is defined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) as follows:
“The Critical Path Method is the sequence of scheduled activities that determines the project's duration.”
These scheduled activities must be performed if the project is to be considered a success. Moreover, they must be completed in a specific order. If you’re building a house, you can’t construct the walls and then dig the foundation; you must do it sequentially.
The important bit to understand is that the CPM describes the longest sequence of tasks in the project.
In any project, there will be multiple task sequences. The CPM would describe the sequence that takes the most time.
For example, if you’re building a house, you would have several task sequences as follows:
Each task requires different amounts of time and resources. For example, it takes more time to build walls and lay the roof than to install faucets and fixtures.
If you had to figure out the project’s ‘Critical Path’, you would look at the sequence that takes the most amount of time, like this:
The total time to complete the sequence along this critical path would give you an idea of the project’s minimum duration.
You might undertake several task sequences simultaneously, but if the critical path sequence is delayed, your project will also suffer.
At its heart, the Critical Path Method is essentially an algorithm for decision-making. This algorithm takes a task's start, duration, and finish time to determine which activities deserve the most attention (i.e., are "critical" for the project).
Let's consider an example to understand the critical path algorithm better.
Suppose you have a list of tasks as shown below. Columns C and D list the tasks that must be accomplished for the activity to begin and the duration of the activity, respectively.
Since the project manager's goal is to complete the project as quickly as possible (without compromising on quality), we'll try to find the earliest finish time for each activity.
To do this, organize all tasks into a flowchart and note their durations next to the task ID. The arrows indicate the sequence of activities. We'll mark the Earliest Start (ES) time to the left of the activity and the Earliest Finish (EF) time to the right.:
Mark the Start Time (S) to the left and right of the first activity. Usually, this would be 0.
Now mark the Earliest Start (ES) time of each activity. This is given by the largest number to the right of the activity's immediate predecessor (i.e. its Earliest Finish time, or EF).
If the activity has two predecessors, the one with the later EF time would give you the ES of the activity.
The EF of an activity is given by its Earliest Start time (ES) and its duration (t), i.e. ES + t.
Thus, if an activity's ES is 20 and lasts 10 days, its EF will be 30.
Mark all these figures in the flowchart.
The longest path will be the “critical path”.
The final figure to the right of the last task in the sequence shows the minimum time the project will take to finish.
Read more: How to Track Creative Project Management Hours
A concept related to and crucial for using the Critical Path Method is float or slack.
In project management, “float” defines the amount of time a task can be delayed without causing a delay in:
Any activity or task on the critical path has zero float. That is, you can’t delay it without causing a delay in the project or dependent tasks.
However, plenty of other activities in the project can be delayed. The quantification of this delay is called the “float.”
For example, when you’re making an omelet, “Heating the pan” has zero float since it is on the critical path.
Seasoning the eggs, however, has a lot of float. You can add salt to the raw egg mixture, while the eggs are cooking, and even after they’ve cooked.
The importance of slack should not be understated. Calculating the float or slack of all activities in the project is crucial for better distribution of resources.
If an activity has a high float, you can divert its resources to a higher-priority task.
Generally speaking, high float activities will be lower down the priority list, while those on the critical path (aka ‘zero float’ activities) will get prime attention.
Rare is the project that goes according to plan. You will invariably have delays, scope changes, and client demands that will force you to hasten some activities and delay others.
The Critical Path Method includes several measures to deal with such contingencies:
Fast-tracking is the process of running multiple activities on the critical path in parallel in order to reduce overall project time.
Fast-tracking is only possible for activities that don't have "hard" dependencies, i.e. they don't depend completely on their predecessors to start.
For example, you need to dig the foundation before you can build the walls of a house. But while you're doing the digging, you can also buy bricks and mix the cement.
Thus, while "build walls" is dependent on "dig foundation", you can run "buy bricks" and "mix cement" in parallel to digging the foundation.
Obviously, fast-tracking requires additional resources. It can also impact overall quality since you're distributing resources to multiple tasks. Good resource management will come in particularly handy in situations where you need to run activities in parallel.
Read more: Creative Resource Management for Agencies: Software + FAQs
What if you need to rush an activity because of an early deadline?
In such a situation, you can allocate additional resources to the activity to bring it to completion faster.
This process is called 'crashing'.
Having a crash duration is useful in activities that:
Crashing is generally not recommended, barring emergencies, since it can impact activities on and outside the critical path. If you have to do it, however, divert resources from high-float tasks, not those on the critical path.
In its September 1963 issue, Harvard Business Review had this to say about the Critical Path Method:
“Recently added to the growing assortment of quantitative tools for business decision making is the Critical Path Method — a powerful but simple technique for analyzing, planning, and scheduling large, complex projects.”
Since then, this method has established itself firmly in the theory and practice of project management. And for good reason - using the Critical Path Method offers countless benefits:
If you’re a project manager - or aspiring to be one - there is another reason to understand the Critical Path Method: it is a core part of the PMP exam. You can’t hope to be a certified project management professional without a deep understanding of this method.
In the next section, I’ll do a deep dive into CPM and show you how to use it in your projects.
Project managers (PMs) use CPM to find the best way to schedule all the tasks in a project so that they can be completed as quickly and cheaply as possible. It helps them to prioritize tasks, anticipate bottlenecks, and identify task dependencies, resource constraints, and project risks.
The Critical Path Method can seem overly complicated until you actually use it. However, if you have a good understanding of core project management concepts such as the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), you’ll find that CPM is delightfully simple.
I’ll walk you through a step-by-step process for using the Critical Path Method below.
Recall our article on work breakdown structures (WBS)?
This WBS is the first ingredient in using the Critical Path Method. If you don’t understand the role of the WBS or how to create one, I encourage you to read our beginner-friendly article first.
Once you have a WBS, jump straight to the first step.
If you know your WBS, you would know that it describes deliverables, not activities. This is why all its components are described using nouns or adjectives, not verbs.
The CPM, however, focuses on activities described using verbs.
Therefore, the first step of the CPM process is to list all the activities required to create deliverables at each level of the WBS.
For example, if you’re making a sandwich, you might have the following activities associated with it:
This list of activities will form the foundation of the CPM, so make sure it is thorough.
Any project has two types of tasks:
For example, if you’re making a sandwich, you can buy bread, vegetables, cheese, and chicken for it simultaneously. You can also chop vegetables while the chicken is cooking. Thus, these would be concurrent tasks.
However, buying bread and toasting bread are dependent tasks. You can’t toast bread if you don’t buy it, after all.
The next step in the CPM process is to establish which of the tasks are dependent and which are concurrent.
Go through your list of activities and identify which tasks each depends on and in what order, like this:
A list of dependent tasks is called an activity sequence. You’ll use these sequences to figure out the critical path.
Once you’ve identified all tasks and their dependencies, it’s time to create a network diagram, also known as a critical path analysis chart.
This chart visualizes separate activity sequences and enables you to map dependencies easily. To create it, make a list of all activity sequences and create separate boxes for each task in the sequence.
Next, use arrows to identify dependencies between tasks in each sequence, like this:
This network diagram will form the basis of the final critical path.
Recall that the critical path method describes the longest sequence of activities necessary to deliver the project successfully.
Thus, to figure out the critical path, we first need to estimate the duration of each activity. The activity sequence that takes the longest time would then be our critical path.
There are several tactics you can adopt to estimate the duration of an activity:
For example, if you know that it takes 10 minutes to paint a 2’ x 2’ board (4 sq ft), you can estimate that it will take 250 minutes to paint a 10’ x 10’ wall (100 sq ft).
However, even the best estimates can be inaccurate. Some tasks might be delayed because of unproductivity, delayed dependent tasks, or errors. Others might be completed earlier than expected because of an efficient worker.
To account for such contingencies, it is common to use three estimates for each activity:
The average of these three cases would give you a reasonable estimate of each activity’s duration.
Activity Duration = (A + B + C) / 3
If you’re dealing with activities you’ve performed several times in the past, you’ll likely have a better idea of its duration. In such a case, you can use a weighted average, giving additional preference to the “normal” scenario (B) according to your confidence.
Weighted Activity Duration = (A + 2B + C)/4
List each activity's duration (t) next to its name in the network diagram.
In your network diagram, write down the start and end time of each activity next to its box.
The first activity in the sequence would have a start time of ‘0’. Its end-time would be its duration.
The second activity’s start time would be the end time of the first activity. Its end-time would be the start time + the duration.
Do this for all the activities in every sequence, like this:
Now, look at the last activity in each sequence. The figure to its right would tell you the duration of the entire sequence.
The activity sequence with the longest duration would be your critical path.
Float, as I mentioned earlier, is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without causing a delay in the project.
Calculating the float for all activities can help in resource planning. If an activity has a high float, you can divert resources from it to a higher-priority task.
To determine float, follow this process:
You can do this for all other sequences to determine floats for every activity.
For example, in the diagram below, activities E, F, G, H, and I make up the critical path. Their total duration is 100 hours.
Activities B, C, D, and E make up the second longest sequence, totaling 90 hours.
The difference between their total duration is 10 hours. However, since activity E is common and on the critical path, it would have zero float.
Hence, B, C, and D - which are the non-common activities in the second sequence - would have a float of 10.
That’s it! You just used the Critical Path Method in a hypothetical project.
In the real world, you’ll rarely use network diagrams to chart the critical path. Instead, you’ll use Gantt charts to visualize tasks and their dependencies.
However, creating network diagrams and mapping critical paths manually can help you understand the concept better. It will also help you when you’re preparing for the PMP exam or actually managing projects.
The Gantt Chart is a graphical tool that is used to display task dependencies and timing information. It can be used to track actual progress against planned progress and can help identify any potential problems with completing a project on time - and is often used in conjunction with Critical Path Method analysis to provide a more complete picture of the project. That said, there are some differences between the two.
If you need to track complex task dependencies and want a more detailed view of the project timeline then the Critical Path Method is the better choice. If you just need a simple way to track progress and don't need every detail, then Gantt Chart may be a preferred option.
In addition, the Critical Path Method should be used when you need to accurately predict the length of a project and when there are multiple dependencies between tasks. Gantt charts are best suited for projects where changes occur frequently, and you need to be able to quickly adapt to those changes.
Non-critical tasks are not dependent upon the completion of other tasks, so they can be executed before or after a certain project stage has been completed. However, as these tasks still need to be done before the project can be finished, forgetting one will push back the completion date of the whole project.
PERT is a project management technique that uses a probabilistic model to schedule and control uncertain activities, while CPM is a statistical technique that uses a deterministic model to schedule and control well-defined activities. The two techniques are quite different in their underlying assumptions and methodology.
PERT assumes that all tasks in a project are uncertain and uses a probability distribution to calculate the expected completion time for each task. This allows for the estimation of the project's overall duration - given the uncertainty in the individual tasks. CPM, on the other hand, assumes that all tasks are well-defined and can be scheduled with certainty. It uses a mathematical algorithm to calculate the shortest path through a network of tasks, known as the critical path. This allows for the determination of the earliest possible completion date for a project and its latest allowable completion date.
The PERT technique is the best choice when there is significant uncertainty surrounding the individual activities in a project. This uncertainty can be due to the nature of the activities themselves, or because the required resources for those activities are not yet known. The critical path method, on the other hand, is better suited for projects where all of the activities and their dependencies are well-defined and relatively stable.
It's important to note that although CPM continues to play a major role in project management, new theories and workflows seek to improve processes even further.
That said, the critical path method is still a popular way to schedule projects despite some newer theories that have arisen in recent years. One such theory is the elasticity theory, which suggests that projects should be scheduled according to the flexibility of the deadlines. This takes into account the fact that unexpected delays can always occur and that it's better to have a project that's finished a little late than one that's rushed or never finished at all.
Other theories focus on using predictive analytics to calculate the best possible sequence of tasks in order to achieve the desired outcome. For example, some researchers are exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to help identify and optimize critical paths. This could help reduce the amount of time needed to complete a project and improve its overall efficiency.
Earned Value Management (EVM) is another project management technique that integrates cost, schedule, and scope information into a single performance measurement system. EVM can also be put into practice in conjunction with CPM, as EVM contractors often use it to assess project performance and determine whether a project is on schedule and on budget.
Interestingly, most new updates or theoretical approaches draw inspiration from CPM itself.
While there are no perfect solutions to project management, the critical path method is still one of the most popular ways to get the job done. Put plainly, CPM is used to compress and make schedules more efficient, quickly resolve resource shortages or resignations, and compile data for future use. Compressing a schedule means finding ways to complete the project in less time. This can be done by eliminating unnecessary tasks, shortening task durations, or overlapping tasks. Resolving resource shortages means making sure that all the resources needed to complete the project are available when needed and proactively knowing when additional resources may be needed. This can be done by reallocating resources, negotiating for more resources, or postponing tasks that can be done later. Compiling data for future use means gathering information about how the project was completed to be used as a guide for future projects.
The critical path method example above shows that CPM is a powerful project management tool. By having a foundational understanding of how CPM works and how it can be applied to your projects - rather than searching for a quick-fix Critical Path Method calculator - you can use it to improve your project management skills and increase your project's chances of success.
For CPM to work effectively, your schedule must be continually updated throughout the project to reflect any changes. Using project management software, which includes critical path method software, such as Workamajig, will make it quicker and easier to plot and monitor your critical pathway and adjust your schedule when necessary.
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