WHY HAS MY CRITICAL PATH DISAPPEARED? AND, HOW TO FIX IT. MS PROJECT MADE EASY TUTORIAL NO. 43

In this video I go over a common problem that people have using MS Project. Their critical path suddenly for no reason seems to disappear. In this video I demonstrate how and explain why it disappears and more importantly I show how you can bring back the critical path and make it visible.
Download Start Point File From Google Drive Here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1NCbZ...
Other Videos in this series:
MS Project Made Easy
• Tutorial 1 Introduction • MS Project Made Easy T...
• Tutorial 2 Calendars • MS Project Made Easy T...
• Tutorial 3 5 things to improve • MS Project Made Easy T...
• Tutorial 4 Resources • 8 Things & More on How...
• Tutorial 5 Filter • MS Project Made Easy T...
• Tutorial 6 Updating • MS Project Made Easy T...
• Tutorial 7 Revisions • How to Update & Revise...
• Tutorial 8 Change Orders • Update and Insert Chan...
• Tutorial 9 Timeline scale • Make professional pres...
• Tutorial 10 Work, Duration, Units, Effort Driven • Learn Work, Units, Dur...
• Tutorial 11 Resource Leveling • Learn the Basics How T...
• Tutorial 13 Baselines • How to set a BASELINE ...
• Tutorial 14 Mult baselines and Changes • How & Why to set Multi...
• Tutorial 15 Master Project • Learn to Create a Mast...
• Tutorial 16 Resource Pool • Learn How to Create a ...
• Tutorial 17 5 Project Hacks when reviewing • 5 MS Project Hacks to ...
• Tutorial 18 Hammock Activity • How to Make a Hammock ...
• Tutorial 19 Resources by volume • Learn how to create & ...
• Tutorial 20 Buffers • Learn how to apply Buf...
• Tutorial 21 Cash Flow • Learn 3 Ways to create...
• Tutorial 22 Before Purchasing MS Project
• Tutorial 23 Overallocation and leveling • Learn how to level res...
• Tutorial 24 Templates • Learn why and how to m...
• Tutorial 25 Format • Learn how to customize...
• Tutorial 26 Naming Protocols • Learn How To Keep Trac...
• Tutorial 28 Updating Problems Solved • How to update and solv...
• Tutorial 29 WBS • LEARN HOW TO CREATE A ...
I’m Tom Stephenson a professor of Construction management and I’ve taught MS Project to both students and professional for many years. In this course I plan to build on a sample project that we can create together. Every video will add more tools to your repertoire so that you will be able to create baseline schedules, update and recover them. You will also be able to add and track changes, cost, and productivity rates so that you can be a successful project manager.
I plan to add one video per week and you can follow along by subscribing and clicking the notification icon. I will provide google drive links in the description for start point files as we progress in the course. If there is a specific topic you are after take a look at my other MS Project playlists on my channel.
Tom Stephenson is a national award-winning professor (George Brown College, University of Toronto) and best-selling author whose background in education spans nearly three decades. His diverse teaching disciplines include construction project management, business management, human resource management, architecture, carpentry, and brick and stone masonry. As a dual-professional, Tom is called upon by industry leaders to translate knowledge, reinvigorate corporate culture, and inspire innovation in emerging and established companies across Canada. Before breaking into the academic realm, Tom acquired more than a decade of practical project-management experience, operating a mid-sized Toronto-based general contracting firm. He is also the author of the newly released Planning, Scheduling, and Control of Construction Projects with American Technical Publishers and the four best-selling editions of Understanding Construction Drawings for Housing and Small Buildings with Nelson Publishing Canada. Tom most recently received the Toronto Construction Association’s 2020 Chancellor’s Award for “helping his peers become more ethical, knowledgeable and professional.” A champion of change management, Tom takes pride in helping students and businesses navigate uncharted territories, take calculated risks and rise above the status quo. Some of the companies he’s worked with include Mattamy Homes, EllisDon, BIRD Construction, MCA, Maple Reinders, and Tucker HiRise, University of Toronto Project Managers.

[@speedman223344]

You made my day. A separate task calender made my critical path disappear prior to the task.

[@TomStephensontraining]

Great, yes it’s frustrating if you don’t know why it does these things. Happy that I was able to help you!

[@augustoremollino7527]

Hi Mr. Tom, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise in MS Project and CPM. I learned a lot and now my understanding of this is getting deeper and deeper. God Bless sir

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks so much Augusto, all the best!

[@jacobraphalane2837]

Thank you very much again Prof.

[@TomStephensontraining]

You’re welcome Jacob, thanks for watching the videos and leaving comments. Very appreciated

[@richbatton9683]

Excellent video! Great troubleshooting tips. This still didn't fix my problem, but I learned a few things. I found out that one more way your critical path can disappear is if it goes through a task that's "inactivated". I have RISK line items that I inactivate or activate depending on whether they need to be deployed and this unfortunately eliminates the critical path. Shoot.

[@TomStephensontraining]

Did you try linking the predecessor to the the successor of the inactive activity Rich. Just curious now. Thanks for the kind words

[@richbatton9683]

@@TomStephensontraining​​⁠yes sir. My boss won’t accept a project schedule with any predecessors or successors un-linked. All were linked and auto scheduled to soonest possible. Using what I learned in your video I traced back to the point the critical path dropped off and it was an inactive “risk” line item.

[@KT-io3jh]

Hi Tom, I am working on a project on P6, and there is quite a lot of float in it. Client wants to see critical path, I am not sure how to generate critical path if the float is above 0, can you point me in the right direction please? Thanks

[@najamkhan3781]

Thank you sir

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks for watching

[@danielhrp1]

thanks for the clear explanation. one question, for the tasks with 100% progress, can it be still shown as critical task while previously it was (as planned).

[@TomStephensontraining]

Hi Daniel if It is done it won’t show critical. If it is partially done even 99 percent it will still show critical. Once done it cant move therefore not critical

[@TomStephensontraining]

Thanks for watching

[@danielhrp1]

@@TomStephensontraining thanks for the explanation!

[@EraVeronica]

Hi Tom .. On Ms Project 2016, Baseline Cost and Total Contract same Price .. but why on Cost not same, has different Price. Thank you

[@TomStephensontraining]

Im not sure where you are looking but if you have a baseline and anything changes it will affect any variable costs by either adding or lowering the total cost. You should then see the variance on the cost sheet

[@antonyjuwono2079]

Prof, how to calculate manpower which need in a project and implement it to ms project

[@TomStephensontraining]

Hi Antony, estimating durations is a big topic that requires education, experience, collaboration. There is data that can be purchased through RS Means and others, but really I would such taking some project management, site management and estimating courses and combining that with real world experience coupled with ongoing accurate historical data which MS Project will provide you with when used properly. Also, things always take more time then you expect so have a management reserve and a contingency reserve. Checkout my Site Management playlist for assistance. Hope that helps.

[@esmashkurti6626]

Hii,I created a gant chart and network diagram and I don’t know why every single action is red ,can you please help me?

[@TomStephensontraining]

Likely you have done everything finish to start so everything is on the critical path. If something’s are concurrent and have different durations then some will be blue, non critical.

[@bryonpotter558]

I just started a trial period on MS Project and mine doesn't like this at all. The top tool bar is missing completely. It looks very simplified down to just task lists in the grid, board, timeline and chart views. There is no plethora of tools and no excel chart to inform the timeline and critical path the way you're showing here. Do you know the reason?? Did they completely change the design of MS Project recently?

[@TomStephensontraining]

Were you able to figure it out Bryon?