A critical path analysis is a very useful tool in the project management. It helps the project managers to deal with the complex and time-sensitive projects. A critical path analysis template is used to estimate the shortest possible duration in which a project can be completed by utilizing minimum possible resources.
Critical path analysis is an important element of a particular project. It allows the project managers to carefully utilize the available resources in order to avoid wastage. It also helps in identifying the best ways in which a project can be completed and delivered. With the help of a critical path analysis template, a project is divided into several tasks, and this way, the time required to complete a particular project can easily be determined.
In a critical path analysis, different tasks of the project can also be included on preference basis. The managers can easily determine that which tasks are more important, complex or are required to be completed first in order to proceed. For more details and understanding, make sure to check out the given below critical path analysis templates.
Effective Critical Path Analysis Templates
Special Critical Path Analysis Template
Project Critical Path Analysis Template
Detailed Critical Path Analysis Template
Useful Critical Path Analysis Template
Basic Critical Path Analysis Template
Network Critical Path Analysis
Oriented Critical Path Analysis Template
Critical Path Analysis Algorithm Template
Company’s Critical Path Analysis Template
Sample Critical Path Analysis Template
Proper Critical Path Analysis
Class Critical Path Analysis Template
Process of Critical Path Analysis Template
The process of creating a critical path analysis involves the following five steps:
- Scope of the project:
By knowing the scope and dividing the project into several activities or tasks, you can give them names or codes. Make sure that every activity should have a duration and a specific date.
- Determine the sequence:
After dividing the project into different activities or tasks, the most important thing is to determine the sequence of performing them. It is also important to identify the correct sequence because some tasks are required to be performed first in order to perform other remaining tasks.
- Activity Network:
After you determine the activities dependent on each other, create a diagram or a chart showing the network or relationship between these activities.
- Time Interval:
Determine or estimate the time required to complete each task or activity. This way the time required to complete the whole project can easily be determined. Definitely, the smaller or more simple tasks will require less time to complete as compared to more complex or longer tasks, which will require more time. So, to determine the best possible time required to complete a single task or activity, is very important here.
- Identify a critical path:
At the end, use the activity network created earlier, to identify the longest sequence on the path or the critical path by using the following parameters:
Early Start: it means the time when all the previous tasks are accomplished.
Early End: it indicates the nearest start time and the time required to accomplish the task.
Late End: it means that all the activities are timely completed without any postpone.
Late Start: it means the last end time minus the time requires to complete the task.
Useful Critical Path Analysis Templates
Critical Path Analysis Diagram Template
Sample Critical Path Analysis Template
Typical Critical Path Analysis Template
Critical Path Analysis Tracker Template
Structural Critical Path Analysis Template
Exclusive Critical Path Analysis Template
Critical Path Analysis Worksheet Template
Critical Path Analysis Spreadsheet Template
Example Critical Path Analysis Template
Colorful Critical Path Analysis Template
Illustrative Critical Path Analysis Template
Advantages of a Critical Path Analysis
Following are some of the key advantages if using a critical path analysis:
- It helps in prioritizing the tasks.
- It reduces the risks as well as the costs of complex or complicated projects.
- A critical path analysis allows best allocation of resources.
- It enables you to easily compare the expected and actual progress.
- It allows careful assessment of the requirements of each task of a project.
- It gives a clear understanding of the time required to complete a particular project.
- The project managers can easily get a useful overview of a complicated project.
- It helps in proper distribution of team members so that the tasks or activities can be effectively performed.
- It serves the dual purpose of decision making as well as planning.
- A critical path analysis assists the team to stay focused on the main task.
- It can also help the managers in other business plannings such as cash flow forecasting and budget preparing etc.
