What is the Critical Path Method (CPM)?

[@justineonasaltine]

I've looked at several different explanations of the principle of the critical path method on KZbin and I think this is the clearest I've found yet. Super useful for my CAPM prep. Thank you!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

That's great to hear Justine. There are a huge number of simple explainer videos for core PM concepts on this channel - made for people just like you!

[@JarodThurley]

Thank you, I am working towards a Diploma of Project Management and I have been in Project Management over the last 4 years. I find your presentations very helpful. Thank you for covering the Critical Path method.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

You are very welcome, Jarod. Good luck with your Diploma!

[@jellisawilliams3773]

i watched the ads because the content was good. i just started doing project management online

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Jellisa, thank you. You may also like he articles on our website: onlinepmcourses.com/

[@reennyaradwen1460]

Hello Jelisa, I would like to do bachelor of project management too by next year, online classes

[@arlanajuarez3300]

Thank you for being my favorite video content provider. You make the hard stuff simple.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you, Ariana, that’s exactly what I aim to do.

[@Dwavard]

At 1m 55s great critical path explanation :-)

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you, David.

[@lonleydragonfly]

thank you - this was so helpful, i have just started a project management course

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Glad it was helpful! Good luck with your course.

[@heatherkindsvatter5651]

Due to the age of the video I am certain you are aware of the misspelled work, at 3:26 Step (6) Update is missing the "d" - otherwise great video. Thank you for your continued teachings.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thanks, Heather. Ironically, you misspelled 'word'! Easily done. Impossible to fix once baked into a video, as YT does not permit upload of a replacement video.

[@kennguyen1066]

Well explained 🙏

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you!

[@doct4u]

I don’t know why some people have disliked this video, because there is nothing to do so except this exceptional basic concept of CPM, PERT, Ghantt chart

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you.

[@shinambhatti3381]

well explained the steps of CPM likeestimate activity duration, and update to show peogress etc.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you.

[@PunmasterSTP]

Critical Path Method? More like "Cool videos that are the best of 'em!" 👍

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you!

[@PunmasterSTP]

@@Onlinepmcourses You're most welcome!

[@arshdeepbrar9331]

This video about the Critical Path Method (CPM) was really educational, in my opinion. It was easy to understand and succinct to explain how CPM finds the longest sequence of dependent activities and calculates project time. My understanding of the idea was improved by the network diagram's visual representation. However, I'm curious about real-world applications and potential challenges in implementing CPM. Any thoughts on that? Thanks for the informative content!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you. In reality, CPM is not widely used outside of large-scale projects (because of the cost overhead of setting up the CPM) in disciplines where schedule estimating can have high reliability. The biggest area of use is therefore in the construction industry, where there are large projects, sophisticated and specialized software, and reliable estimation methodologies. Most of the world's project managers (who often have little training and no aspiration to manage big projects) will never need to use CPM. And, in less familiar projects (like R&D), PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) tends to be used because it allows for 3-point estimating that takes better account of uncertainties. My companion video on PERT: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2KZYZSXd71qo6c

[@katyweir3671]

Thanks for this - it was really clear and informative. I am studying for PMP and will definitely be checking out your other videos.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Glad it was helpful! Good luck with your PMP. You may like our PMP resources. This roadmap links to all of our free and paid PMP resources: onlinepmcourses.com/project-management-certification-programs/study-project-management-professional-pmp/

[@Szoki666]

I am here for the CAPM :)

[@Chaziradncjfdn]

Best explanation!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Glad it was helpful!

[@snorlax-x2o]

I am solving a moot case in which both parties contribute to the delays of the final completion date. I am figuring out how to calculate the delay caused by each action. Thanks for helping.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

You're welcome.

[@almazabraha]

Thank you very well explained.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Glad it was helpful!

[@valentinsarmagal]

critical path definition at 3:05

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Indeed.

[@_M_D_M_]

Hi. Thank You for the video. Is it ok to bring in 3 Point Estimate to CPM? What can be the pitfalls of doing so?

[@Onlinepmcourses]

MM, hi. I'd say that Project Management is a creative profession. So it is always okay to mix, match and adapt the tools you have to create your own. If you have a good reason to test it out, do so. If the new tool is better for your needs than the old one: use it. Then adapt it when you see an opportunity or a need. Go for it!

[@BennosCamaro]

Very clearly explained thank you

[@Onlinepmcourses]

You're welcome, Ben, thanks.

[@MyAviram]

Good Video..served me the purpose of understanding the basic of the topic, although detailed description and examples are not available, still it's helpful

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Detailed description and examples may be something I'll do in a later video. But, for this one, the clue is in the title 'in under 5 minutes'!

[@MyAviram]

@@Onlinepmcourses keep up the good work👍

[@Onlinepmcourses]

@@MyAviram Thank you

[@blackdogbite]

Also... No graphic examples of a critical path schedule with the CP shown???

[@Onlinepmcourses]

The video is meant as a briefing, not a detailed tutorial. But, I do see that it would have been helpful.

[@mraarondavidsmith]

Great stuff- absolutely helping me on my Organizational Management test prep! Thanks!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Great to hear it - good luck, Aaron!

[@ayahayah9591]

Amazing

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thanks

[@ZambeziExplorers101]

Why cant you use the 3 point estimate from the pert chart on the duration estimation.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

There is no reason. You can use whatever estimating methodology you choose.

[@p.m.2082]

Good work Mr. Clayton. If possible, please keep the backgrounds in dark colors, instead of white, which would be easy on the eyes especially for the people who watch videos at night.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you. Bright and breezy. That's me. Nearly 4 million views and you're the first person to mention this. Sadly almost all of my 400 videos to date have a light background. Just turn the brightness down on your screen when you watch them. Seriously, I am aiming for strong contract between background and any text/graphics, for max clarity on small screens. On a dark background, my choice of colors would be severely limited. So, while I have experimented with other formats, the bright backgrounds are likely to stay.

[@edwardchirwa1079]

Is it possible for a critical path not to begin at the "start" of the Network Diagram?

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Edward. The answer is yes... and no. You can have a critical path for a part of a project - like a workstream. That will start at the start of the workstream. That workstream may itself be on the project's critical path - or may be off it. However, the critical path for the project itself - the whole project - starts at the start of the project and ends at the end of the project. That said, it is possible to craft a project plan where the first activity you are due to do is not on the critical path. For example if, in parallel there is another activity that's scheduled to start a day after the first activity, that second activity could be on the critical path. But the path still starts at the project start date. This last point is hard to explain without a picture. But it's also a bit of a contrived case - entirely possible in principle, but unlikely to occur, I suspect, in practice.

[@edwardchirwa1079]

@@Onlinepmcourses Lol, as for yes.,. and no. But I understand. Thank you.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

@@edwardchirwa1079 :-)

[@mello7256]

Is it using for resources levelling tho

[@Onlinepmcourses]

I'd suggest that we can better use CPA to allocate resources to balance out different routes through the network. Then, you can address the effectiveness of those allocations in providing a level resource profile, by either rescheduling tasks, or re-allocating resources to level them out. What is Resource Levelling? kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6exZ56vgrqYabM

[@mjo1138]

sir so how can we use CPM fir recruitment purpose?

[@Onlinepmcourses]

The key to the CPM is finding tasks that, if they run late, will delay the final completion. So, if you want a candidate to join your business on a certain day, you can work back to find which parts of the recruitment process could delay this start date. Those are the critical activities, which you need to manage carefully (or create contingency for).

[@celsiusfahrenheit1176]

Very well explained, thx

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you.

[@Rasmia_Oxford]

How is the critical path simultaneously the longest and shortest at the same time?

[@Onlinepmcourses]

The critical path is not the shortest path. It is the longest path through the network. Therefore there is no (or least) slack. Any delay to any activity on the critical path will affect the end point. So it is critical in the sense that it is the path where the impact of any risks on timelines is greatest.

[@naushiii]

Information is useful for us but u have to focus on your presenting way

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Well, this channel is all about the information so thank you. So, what changes would you like to see to my presentation style - many of my community find it suits them well?

[@Ghulumasa101]

@@Onlinepmcourses i think it was fine. i understood. perhaps you can include an image of critical path on the gantt chart.

[@steveszabo1677]

good explanation, however "update" was spelled wrong

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you. Yes, occasional errors slip in. I apologise.

[@buscape0752]

Ich Grüße Ganz FraUAS und prof. Hefter ❤

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Yes indeed: Greetings.

[@blackdogbite]

Critical Path is the SHORTEST route through the project network. Making it LONG is easy!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

The Critical Path is the longest route through the network. If any of those tasks is delayed, then the whole project is delayed. If you delay a task on a shorter path, then you may not delay the end of the project.

[@jore354]

Nice job explaining this. Your instruction is super helpful! Thank you. On a side note, have you had your thyroid examined by your GP? You have an alarming bulge - just concerned for you. Best wishes.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you - and no, I don't think there is anything wrong with my thyroid.

[@larrysmusics531]

Cool

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thanks

[@mashegolilian3693]

This is not helping

[@Onlinepmcourses]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[@Form_Evolve_Invent_India]

Remove sound effects

[@Onlinepmcourses]

This is an early video (4 years old) and I was experimenting. I no longer use this kind of sound effect. However, I must say that a request rather than an instruction would have been more courteous. Next time you have a suggestion for a KZbinr (most of us know we will never recoup the cost of making our videos - 4-8 hours each, in my case), please think carefully about how you make the request. I welcome feedback, but please don't tell me what to do.

[@Form_Evolve_Invent_India]

@@Onlinepmcourses yes it felt like an experiment 😀. But the contents are very nice. I have set a reminder to watch some of them each day.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

@@Form_Evolve_Invent_India Thank you - glad to have you onboard.

[@SuperDreams1981]

Crikey - losing the will to live!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Sorry to hear it.

[@rockingadventure2422]

owsm ...

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Tx

[@adequatequality]

Mate no one needs a history lesson on this...just explain the damn thing with graphics...

[@Onlinepmcourses]

LoL - Sorry to disappoint. No one needs history, but a lot of us find it helpful to learn from it. Context is understanding. If I were you, I'd avoid my video on the Gantt Chart, or you may learn who invented it. And it wasn't Henry Gantt! But, who needs to know?

[@Ethanmuraopb]

Thats why the skip button exists buddy

[@Ethanmuraopb]

Probably in the wrong field of work if you bitching about something like this

[@shefanlo1188]

OMG I had to watch 3 of this guys videos for my college assignment. the content is awesome but the guy is super boring.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

I'll take 'the content is awesome' - thank you!

[@Ghulumasa101]

you are boring. this guy is great, he isnt boring. just be patient and listen. he explains things clear and concisely. i dont want someone talking too fast!

[@sandeeppadam1101]

Royal waste of time video.. no value gained..

[@Onlinepmcourses]

☹️ Sorry.

[@lissettevelec5955]

Good explanation but whatever invent this she is a maniac

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Maybe. But almost certainly... was a maniac! Invented in 1957.

[@Arshdeep_singh_003]

This video about the Critical Path Method (CPM) was really educational, in my opinion. It was easy to understand and succinct to explain how CPM finds the longest sequence of dependent activities and calculates project time. My understanding of the idea was improved by the network diagram's visual representation. However, I'm curious about real-world applications and potential challenges in implementing CPM. Any thoughts on that? Thanks for the informative content!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

CPM is most often used on large projects and in 'familiar' project types - so construction is a big use-case. There is a managerial overhead to using this tool that smaller projects don't need and cannot easily justify. And single point estimating means that the tool has little to offer to build in schedule uncertainty. So R&D projects with a lot of unknowns tend to use the PERT method instead: What is PERT? - studio.kzbin.infoi160aaBX7mE/edit

[@pmphub9580]

Very clearly explained thank you

[@Onlinepmcourses]

You're very welcome.