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Project Management vocabulary · Schedule & Time

Critical path

Meaning in project management, with examples

/ˌkrɪtɪkəl ˈpæθ/nounCommon term

In project management, critical path means: The longest chain of dependent tasks in a project. It sets the shortest possible finish date, so any delay to a task on it delays the whole project.

In Turkish: kritik yol

How it is used

Comes from the critical path method (CPM). Planners calculate it, and managers watch tasks “on the critical path” very closely. Tasks that are not on it have some float, or spare time.

Example sentences

  1. The permit application is on the critical path, so a one-week delay there moves the opening by a week.

  2. Painting isn't on the critical path, so it can wait a few days without affecting the handover.

Common collocations

  • on the critical path
  • critical path method
  • calculate the critical path
  • critical path activities
  • dependencyA link between two tasks or deliverables where one cannot start or finish until the other has started or finished.
  • Gantt chartA bar chart that shows project tasks as horizontal bars on a timeline, so you can see when each task starts and ends and how tasks depend on each other.
  • bufferExtra time added to a schedule, or extra money or capacity kept aside, to absorb delays and surprises without missing the final date.
  • fast-trackTo shorten a schedule by doing tasks at the same time that were planned to be done one after the other. It saves time but increases the risk of rework.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Schedule & Time

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