Critical Path technique
What is the Critical Path?
The critical path
refers to the longest path through the strategy network. In a network
diagram, the longest path from start to finish or the path without any slack,
and therefore the path corresponding to the shortest time in which the project
can be completed (Mosaic Project
Service, 2014). This focuses on the route through the network
that has only critical activities. It consists of those activities that
determine the shortest time for project completion.
In addition, the Business
Dictionary (2015) clearly defines that Critical path is
'the longest sequence of activities in a project plan which must
be completed on time for the project to complete on due date. An activity on the critical path
cannot be started until its predecessor activity is complete; if it is delayed
for a day, the entire project will be delayed for a day unless the activity
following the delayed activity is completed a day earlier.'
In a similar view, Wikipedia (2015)
states that the critical path method is to calculate 'the longest path of
planned activities to logical end points or to the end of the project, AND the earliest and latest that each
activity can start and finish without making the
project longer.'
There are four main
keys that project managers need to consider when implementing the critical path
technique/strategy in operations processes:
1. All activities/tasks involved.
2. The time that each activity/task
will take to complete
3. The dependencies between the activities
4. Logical
end points [start points] of operations processes. (The relevant
activities/tasks [keys 1,2,3 above] have reasonably and logically been
arranged)
Why does the Critical Path technique matter?
In the business world,
understanding Critical Path helps the
operating/project managers handle complex and time-sensitive operations of all
tasks from the starting point to
the finishing point of the project. In addition, a deeper understanding of Critical Path allows the project managers to identify the most
important tasks in their project; therefore, they can employ suitable
resources, costs and timescales that target towards the completion of the
projects.
In HSC Business Studies, the critical path is
considered in the Operations Processes section (see the syllabus: the topic of Operations) where students are required to
learn the 'dot point' of "transformation processes". Regarding the critical path questions in the HSC examinations, knowing
the technique of how to calculate the figure of dates helps students be confident and save time in their exams.
The critical path
appears in the HSC examinations - Section I : 2012 [Q14]; 2015 [Q13 & Q14], set by
the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational StandardsNSW
(BOSTES). At the HSC level, see how to find the
total days of the critical path in the HSC 2012 Business Studies exam paper.
2012-Section I - Question | Answer:  |
Scheduling -
Explanation in details - for the learning space
Task H is DEPENDENT on task D, therefore it cannot start
until Task D is complete.
Task I is DEPENDENT on both tasks E and F, therefore it
cannot start until both tasks E and F are complete.
At any starting point, if there are two or more simultaneous tasks,
the LONGEST sequence or the HIGHEST figure is used as the earliest start time
for the task approaching the critical path.
Additionally, the latest time at which any given activity must
end, needs to be determined.
A flexible starting point for a task is called
a 'float' point. Focusing on a task/activity, the float is the difference
between the earliest task time, and the latest task time that this
task/activity is permitted to start.
If the task has no float, then this task is in the critical
path. In the example above, the tasks A, C, G, and J are in the critical path.
PRACTICE
At the HSC level, the Critical Path technique is
illustrated in another example, referring to the 2015 HSC
Business Studies exam, as below.
