Skip to main content
Search Icon
Quick Links
  • Adobe Completes Workfront Acquisition
  • Workfront + Adobe
  • Why Workfront is different
  • Leap Virtual Conference
  • Interactive Product Tour
  • Work Management Guide
Language Select Icon
US (English) UK (English) Dutch German Swedish
Login
Workfront ProofHQ
Contact Sales
Language Select Icon
US (English) UK (English) Dutch German Swedish
Workfront - An Adobe Company logo
Search Icon
Quick Links
  • Adobe Completes Workfront Acquisition
  • Workfront + Adobe
  • Why Workfront is different
  • Leap Virtual Conference
  • Interactive Product Tour
  • Work Management Guide
  • Why Workfront

    Overview

    Why We Are Different

    See what makes us stand out from the competition and why top brands trust us.

    Customers

    Learn how Workfront customers benefit from our work management solution.

    Partners

    Consult our extensive global partner network of digital transformation experts.

    Services

    Get comprehensive support, training, and a tailored implementation of Workfront.

    Recommended Content

    Workfront Overview

    With Workfront, enterprise work management can help your company, departments plan, predict, collaborate, evolve, and deliver their best work.

    Learn more
    Why workfront product screen.
    Learn more
    Up button icon
  • Solutions

    By Department

    Marketing

    Align marketing strategy to execution and launch campaigns faster.

    IT

    Transform the enterprise and deliver impact with data-driven decisions.

    Product Development

    Manage processes and automate work to launch winning products.

    Professional Services

    Manage client needs and deliver services faster.

    Agency

    Streamline workflows, manage resources, and deliver results.

    Explore all solutions

    By Use Case

    Project Management

    Plan projects, track progress, and deliver work that achieves results.

    Resource Management

    View capacity, make assignments, and prove your impact.

    Digital Collaboration

    Centralize communication, project planning, and work execution.

    Portfolio Planning

    Decide which projects to prioritize or pause, and identify those at risk.

    Strategic Planning

    Define business direction and outline a path for achieving your goals.

    Explore all use cases

    Recommended Content

    Mighty Guide: 7 Experts on Flawless Campaign Execution

    Read this Mighty Guide for advice from seven marketing experts on how to execute flawless campaigns under pressure.

    Learn more
    grey background with mighty guide logo
    Learn more
    Up button icon
  • Platform

    By Product

    Workfront

    Manage the entire lifecycle of work in a single, centralized solution.

    • Goals

      Align strategic goals to work, monitor progress, and drive amazing results.

    • Scenario Planner

      Plan continuously, compare scenarios, and determine the best path forward.

    • Fusion

      Integrate your favorite applications and automate work in one platform.

    Adobe Experience Cloud

    Digital experience solutions

    Explore the platform

    Tours & Demos

    Interactive Product Tour

    Get a hands-on look at managing all your work in Workfront.

    Scenario Planner Demo

    Experience how Scenario Planner simplifies the continuous planning process.

    Workfront Goals

    Align strategic goals to work, monitor progress, and drive amazing results.

    Explore all tours & demos

    Recommended Content

    Work Management Maturity Assessment

    The journey toward work optimization starts with understanding your organization’s current level of work maturity. Take the assessment and learn how to optimize work—at every level.

    Take the assessment
    Work Management Maturity Assessment
    Take the assessment
    Up button icon
  • Plans
  • Resources

    Learn

    Resource Center

    View webinars, reports, and studies to learn about the Workfront solution.

    Work Management Guide

    Learn everything you need to know about enterprise work management.

    Blog

    Prepare for the future of work with insights from work management leaders.

    Events

    Join Workfront at one of these events.

    Customers

    Workfront One

    Get product updates, connect with other users, and request product support.

    Training

    Become a Workfront expert with our library of training resources.

    Innovation Lab

    Submit and vote on product ideas.

    Workfront System Status

    Check on Workfront status, scheduled maintenance, and incidents.

    Recommended Content

    Level Up: How to Plan, Measure & Execute Strategic Growth Initiatives

    Ready to learn how to take advantage of new solutions to level up your strategic alignment in 2021? Join LeapPoint’s leadership, Workfront experts and special guests from Penn State University as they share best practices, tools and ideas to level-up your strategic alignment and execution for 2021.

    Learn more
    Work Boldly
    Learn more
    Up button icon
Search Icon
Quick Links
  • Adobe Completes Workfront Acquisition
  • Workfront + Adobe
  • Why Workfront is different
  • Leap Virtual Conference
  • Interactive Product Tour
  • Work Management Guide
Language Select Icon
US (English) UK (English) Dutch German Swedish
Login
Workfront ProofHQ
Contact Sales
Why Workfront
Overview

Why We Are Different

Customers

Partners

Services

Solutions
By Department

Marketing

IT

Product Development

Professional Services

Agency

By Use Case

Project Management

Resource Management

Digital Collaboration

Portfolio Planning

Strategic Planning

Platform
By Product

Workfront

  • Goals

  • Scenario Planner

  • Fusion

Adobe Experience Cloud

Tours & Demos

Interactive Product Tour

Scenario Planner Demo

Workfront Goals

Plans
Resources
Learn

Resource Center

Work Management Guide

Blog

Events

Customers

Workfront One

Training

Innovation Lab

Workfront System Status

Login
Workfront ProofHQ
Contact Sales

Critical Path Method

The Critical Path Method is a popular and effective approach to planning in project management. By clarifying the time requirements and contingencies of each stage of a given project, the Critical Path Method allows project managers to develop realistic timelines, identify opportunities to accelerate progress, and prioritize key components. The following is a guide to the Critical Path Method and its effective implementation.

Woman on laptop using the critical path method
Critical Path

What is the Critical Path Method?

The Critical Path Method is a project management methodology for modeling the timeline of a project. Engineers at Du Pont developed the critical path method in the 1950s, and it has since evolved to its modern digitized form.

The first step in implementing the Critical Path Method in project management is to list all tasks and activities required to complete the project. Next, estimate the time to complete each task. Finally, consider task dependencies so that tasks can be arranged in an appropriate order when such dependencies exist. Tasks that are not dependent on other tasks can be completed in parallel. In the end, the timeline that passes through the longest chain of dependent tasks is known as the “critical path.” 

Common terminology used when describing the Critical Path Method are as follows:

  • Dependent tasks: You cannot start these tasks until completing a previous (predecessor) task. 

  • Predecessor tasks: You must complete these tasks before starting another (dependent) task.

  • Float: This is a measure of how long you can delay a task without impacting the completion date. Generally, tasks on the critical path do not have any float.

  • Crash: This is the shortest amount of time that you can complete a particular task. Often, to complete a task within this minimum time, you may need to take shortcuts, which can diminish quality, so “crashing” a task is typically only considered if necessary to meet an important deadline.

  • Critical path: This is the longest (in terms of time) string of dependent tasks that you must complete for project completion. The length or time duration of the critical path determines the duration of the project.

  • Critical tasks: Tasks on the critical path are called critical tasks, and changes in the duration of such tasks will usually directly affect the overall project timeline.

  • Noncritical tasks: These tasks are not on the critical path. Often, delays or changes in the duration of such tasks will not impact the overall project deadline.

  • Subcritical path: In addition to the critical path, there may be other chains of dependent tasks of a shorter overall duration. These are called subcritical paths.


Gartner Report: 2020 Market Guide for Marketing Work Management

Ebook: The Complete Guide to Agile


Benefits of the Critical Path Method in project management.

The critical path method can help a project managers and their teams with many essential aspects of project management, including:

  • Identifying and addressing bottlenecks: By mapping out the critical path for a project, it becomes easier to see dependencies and determine which critical tasks may be at risk of delay should you fail to complete predecessor tasks in time. By making such identifications, you can quickly determine how to assign tasks and make sure you start predecessor tasks early enough to avoid potential bottlenecks. 

  • Using resources efficiently: Viewing task dependencies can also clarify how you should manage resources to tackle certain problems and when. If predecessor tasks run the risk of holding things up down the line, you can allocate resources to these first and then address noncritical tasks that have plenty of float time later on. 

  • Generating realistic timelines: Once the critical path is isolated, the project timeline will fall into place. You can clearly see the minimum amount of time needed to tackle the longest chain of dependent tasks.

  • Accelerating progress and increasing efficiency: In generating a critical path diagram, areas where you can increase efficiency may also become apparent. You may find that the critical path was not as long as you expected and that by running subcritical paths in parallel instead of sequentially, you can meet an earlier deadline. 

  • Identifying and reconsidering nonessential steps: Certainly, tasks on the critical path are essential, and many noncritical tasks might be as well, but you may also find in your analysis that you can compact or omit certain steps. 


Learn more: Workfront for Project Management

Report: Forrester: The Total Economic Impact of Workfront Study


How to use the critical path method.

While managers once implemented the Critical Path Method manually and composed representations by hand, work management solutions like Workfront can now expedite critical path calculations and representations. However, it is still essential to conceive of your project’s components accurately to input correct data.

1. Identify all tasks.

Create a master list of all the tasks that you must complete as part of the project. It might help to break things down in hierarchical steps, considering the final deliverables first and then determining what you require for their creation. 

For example, suppose you are upgrading the computers in an office. You will need to decide on a vendor; purchase new machines; make appointments with each individual receiving a new device; perform format, imaging, and other IT services during the transition; and so on.   

2. Determine time requirements for all tasks.

For each task identified, determine the time it will take to complete. If these are tasks that have been done before on previous projects, you can use past data to determine expected times. If there is uncertainty in the time, you may want to include a time range that can later be adjusted as needed. If materials need to be purchased and shipped, you will need to factor that into the timeline, as well.

3. Identify all dependencies between tasks.

While some tasks may be doable in isolation, you will likely have several tasks you cannot perform until you complete another task. For example, a manuscript cannot pass through the editing phase until after you write it. Accompanying graphics may require at least an outline first, as well.

4. Generate a critical path diagram.

Once you have the tasks, their time requirements, and a clear idea of dependencies, you can start diagraming everything out. You may represent each task as a circle or an icon, and then utilize lines or arrows to link dependent tasks together in chains. In some cases, chains may cross each other or interact in complex ways. 

For example, If the project involves building a house, there may be a critical path that starts with pulling the permits and laying the foundation and ends with the finishing fixtures in the interior. However, you can complete tasks such as applying the roofing and outdoor siding in parallel once the basic structure of the house is in place.

5. Determine the critical path.

Once you’ve created your diagram, you can use your timeline information to determine which chain of dependent tasks will take the longest time to complete from start to finish. This is your critical path, and it will determine the ultimate timeline of the project. 

It is possible to have more than one critical path, and each of them may also have shorter dependency chains, called subcritical paths.

6. Consider floats and resource allocations.

To meet project deadlines, you’ll want to consider how you order all tasks, not just those on the critical path. There may be certain critical tasks that require more resources at the beginning of the project but less toward the end, so you can delay noncritical tasks with floats. 

Of course, it is also possible for the opposite to happen—later critical tasks may require more manpower than earlier ones. In such a situation, it makes sense to complete noncritical tasks earlier in the process so that you can allocate resources appropriately later. 

Find the critical path for your next project.

The Critical Path Method can help you visualize your overall project scope, determine a reasonable timeline, and identify ways to optimize and allocate resources efficiently. It’s a great tool to include in your project management toolbox.

Take a product tour

See Workfront in action

In this interactive tour, you will get hands-on experience using Workfront. You will learn how Workfront enables the enterprise to:

  • Connect strategy to delivery
  • Iteratively plan and prioritize work
  • Collaborate across teams and divisions to get work done
  • Streamline and optimize processes
  • Measure and report on progress
  • Deliver against your strategy
Why Workfront
  • Why We Are Different
  • Customers
  • Partners
  • Services
Solutions
  • Departments
  • Use Cases
Platform
  • Products
  • Plans
  • Tours & Demos
Resources
  • News & Press
  • Resource Center
  • Blog
  • Workfront One
Support
  • System Status
  • Help
Adobe logo
  • Careers
  • Privacy Notice
  • Security
  • Terms of Service
  • Cookie Policy
  • Resources Index
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram
Contact Us
Copyright © 2021 Workfront, Inc. All Rights Reserved.