nd this concludes stupid when they say, What do why critical path is you mean my task isnt on the

such an important critical path? The project cant and integral part of be done without this work! A any serious management systasks presence on or absence tem. Uh-oh! Did we draw a confrom the critical path has abclusion without presenting any solutely nothing to do with its supportive evidence? OK, lets importance to the scope. Its rego and find some evidence, and Michael A. Hatfield, CCC, and James Noel lation to the critical path has well just include it in a table, or significance only in a schedulas an appendix. ing context, i.e., a delay in a task on the critical path will affect Well, actually, that probably wont do either, since we will the projects completion date. Also, it is important to note that need to organize that information in such a way as to support if your activity is not on the critical path today, it may be on it our conclusion. No, wait, we will need to organize the informa- tomorrow, or the next day, and unless you are a particularly tion in such a way as to support arguments, which, in turn, sup- adept project manager, the ebbs and flows of criticality may port the conclusion. I suppose we will need a good introduction burn you. Do not seek criticality unless you understand its imas well, to capture the readers interest. plications. Actually, what we need to do is sit down and plan the enThe next myth on the dispense-with list is that performtire project out. One small problemweve already started the ing critical path analysis is difficult, expensive, or not cost-efpaper. While we are the authors, the paper has, to some degree, fective. In fact, scheduling a project on a personal computer has assumed a life of its own, and we either cannot or will not go become easy and expedient. There are a wide variety of schedback and correct history. Perhaps we can prepare a baseline uling packages available, from the simple and cheap to the comchange proposal so that the reader will not expect a logically or- plex and pricey. The range of capability and ease of use of the dered paper, and will accept more of a rambling, scattershot dis- available scheduling software renders the its not cost-effective cussion on the issue of critical path. argument untenable. All right, all right, we will stop rubbing your nose in the obOf course, if your project does not matter, then neither vious need for critical path. But the previous paragraphs do does critical path scheduling (or any other management inforserve a valuable purpose: too many managers believe that while mation, for that matter). The reverse of this statement is also critical path scheduling may be fine for construction or tangible true: if the management of your projects schedule does not matoutput contracts, intellectual-product or service contracts dont ter, then the success or failure of the project is probably inconneed this kind of scheduling. As the introductory paragraphs at- sequential. One of the authors once worked with a project mantest, the poor quality that comes from a lack of planning is as ager (in name only) who held the critical path method in conobvious in intellectual properties as it is in the construction of tempt, even though he managed a high-dollar, high-profile office buildings or a jet aircraft. project. Sadly, his management style was reduced to a highly For those readers who do not know what critical path reactionary mode, slamming the brakes on some tasks while method (CPM) scheduling is, it is simply planning the activities going pedal-to-the-medal on others, and perhaps reversing himthat comprise a project in their logical order (precedence), and self within a week or two on which tasks received which apdefining the relationship among and between them. For exam- proach. It did not take long for the project to incur overruns and ple, for a building project, the surveying task must be complet- significant delays, since it was clearly out of control. However, ed before excavation can begin, excavation needs to be nearly this particular manager had managed to convince his superiors complete before the foundation footings can be created, which that CPM was unnecessary, costly, and not applicable to his have to be done before the foundation can be poured, and so project. Finally and ironically, it was left to the customer to inforth. Of course, not all of the tasks depend on another tasks sist on implementing a scheduling package. Once the situation completion before they can start. A schedule showing all of had been entered into a computer, the true extent of the misthese logical relationships is a network. If you draw lines be- management became clear. The project manager conveniently tween the tasks showing their relationship to each other, you left before the rebid came up. have denoted paths. Many of these paths are worked simultaWe are sure that many of the readers of this publication neously, or in parallel to each other. The single longest path have similar horror stories, but we are equally sure that no simfrom start to finish is called the critical path. ilar horror stories include projects that performed critical path We would like to dispel some myths about critical analysis as part of their project control system, and were led by paththe first such myth is that the term critical path is a con- a project manager who understood the information produced figuration or scope-management tool. It is not. Critical path is a by such a system. Understanding what a Gantt chart tells you is scheduling term. Task managers who do not know better sound just as important to project management as understanding what

The Case for

critical path

Feature Article
Cost Engineering Vol. 40/No. 3 MARCH 1998 17

the different colored traffic lights mean to car safety. Consider how absurd it would be to let your teenaged son borrow the family car if the extent of his knowledge of driving was how the airbag deployed. As far-fetched as this appears, we have witnessed major projects assigned to managers who had no working knowledge of CPM. The former example carried with it the probability that the family car would be involved in an accident. The latter risked millions in taxpayer money, and the viability of critical defense systems or successful environmental remediation, either of which would affect many lives indeed. Now, which scenario is more ridiculous? One of the advantages that accountants have over projectcontrol types is that their tools, techniques, and tactics have been formally codified by certification boards and even legislatures. You would never read an article entitled, The Case for Using a Balance Sheet or Why Assets Should Be Increased With Debits in Accountants Weekly, or whatever those guys read. Inasmuch as the management of assets is required for tax purposes, the correct management approach to tracking those assets is clearly delineated and mandated. However, project management is another story. For project management purposes, the value of any of our tools or techniques is measured by the increased probability of successfully attaining the objective that the tool or technique brings to the table. For the value of CPM, we would like to direct your attention to the construction industry. In the construction industry, managing a projects schedule takes on a special significance, since many different teams with different specialties have to be coordinated to attain a projects objectives. If the drywall workers show up before the plumbing has even been started, then the project manager must pay for their idle time. He or she also may not have access to them when they are really needed, if the project manager delays the start of their work too long. In other words, mismanagement of the schedule in this area tends to have immediate, quantifiable repercussions against the companys bottom line. In schedule-critical environments, such as this, expect the very best methodology available for managing the schedule to be in place. No major construction project is without CPM specialists and project managers who know how to manage in a CPM environment. The companies that are exceptions to the previous statement fall into one of two categories: those that are bankrupt, and those that will be soon.

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or those managers who seek an advantage over their competition, both inside and outside of the organization, the use of critical path methodology probably will get you ahead, and is almost guaranteed to make for success if your competition refuses to use CPM. We would like to write that the use of CPM is as good as insider information on Wall Street or as having the winning lottery numbers, but as with any management tool, CPM can only position you to make the right decisionsit cant make them for you. You have been shown one of the tools you will need to do a managers job right. The question is . . . will you use it?x
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Cost Engineering Vol. 40/No. 3 MARCH 1998