Unlocking Project Efficiency: Understanding Critical Path Analysis and Gantt Charts

In this document we will discuss about Unlocking Project Efficiency and below are the summary points of this document:- Critical Path Analysis (CPA) is used to analyze and plan complex projects with dependent activities, while a Gantt chart visually represents a project schedule but lacks task dependencies and critical path information. PERT chart (Project Evaluation Review Technique) and Critical Path Analysis are both important tools for scheduling and managing complex projects, evolving simultaneously as scientific management tools. The critical path of a project is the sequential order of tasks that determine the shortest duration to complete the project, considering dependencies and earliest possible start and end dates. Slack time is determined by the difference between the latest start time and early start time, indicating how long an activity can be delayed.

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1. What's the relationship between Critical Path Analysis and a GANTT chart?
Critical path analysis in business project management is the method by which projects
which are specifically complex are analyzed and planned where several activities needs to be
done which are dependent on preceding activities. The main objective of CPA is to identify
the lengthiest path of a plan which enables one to figure out the shortest possible time a
project can be completed. A Gantt chart on the other hand is the visual representation of a
project schedule which shows all the tasks and their relationships. While using Gantt chart the
main disadvantage is that it does not provide the dependencies of the tasks and also does not
show the tasks that are critical to finish the project on time ( Vanhoucke, 2014). Herein lies the
relationship between critical path analysis and Gantt chart. While the Gantt chart fails to
reflect the dependencies of the task, the critical path analysis helps in providing detailed
analysis of the tasks.
2. What's a PERT chart and how has that method evolved into modern Critical Path
Analysis?
PERT chart or Project evolution review technique, shows the order of the activities
and their dependencies with other activities. It has three time estimates for each activity which
includes optimistic time, most likely time and the pessimistic time. Critical Path analysis and
pert chart are authoritative tools that help in scheduling and managing projects that are
complex in nature. Pert and Critical analysis method evolved near about in the same period of
time and gradually grew as the important scientific management tool for project management.
3. What's the critical path of a project?
A critical path in a project management is the arrangement of the activities in the
project network that are combined to the overall duration of the project. It is the sequential

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order of tasks that represent the extended path to the project which determines the shortest
duration to complete the critical task. In determining critical path, two important things need
to be kept in mind one is the earliest possible start date and the other is the earliest possible
end date. While determining the criticalness of a path it is important to determine the
dependencies of one task with the other before starting off with the project.
4. How is slack time determined?
While going through a process flow, there exists a variety of different activities which
are on different paths through the flow. Some of the activities does not require immediate
attention while some need so. This can be determined by the critical path analysis of the tasks.
Thus slack time is defined as the difference between the latest start time and the early start
time. A slack time shows how long an activity can be delayed before it has to be done. In
order to determine the slack time, critical path analysis method is used where a forward pass
is taken through the flow diagram to determine when all the activities can start and finish
(Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). In the next step a backward pass is taken between the flow
diagram to determine the latest start and finish time of an activity. In the final step these two
passes are compared to figure out the difference between them and to find out the slack time.

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Reference:
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning,
scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Vanhoucke, M. (2014). Integrated Project Management and Control. Springer. doi, 10, 978-3.