1. We increase probabilities of success by targeting a tight schedule with a finish somewhat before contract delivery date. In the absence of Schedule Risk Analysis our hands down approach is to use a schedule that is 20% shorter.
2. We avoid/reduce claims for concurrent delays when we do not show delays.
3. Pacing is usually claimed by the other party as a contractor’s delay.

Being said so our strategy considers mitigating concurrent delays as follows.

• We use two versions of the schedule in our jobs, the baseline meeting all contractual conditions and a tight schedule.
• We use the baseline schedule as our reference for contract/claim administration that shows longer activity durations than our tight schedule.
• On site use the tight schedule to manage our activities.
• We avoid pacing as suggested in the following reference, please click the hyperlink.
• Pacing Delays  – “Contractors seeking to maximize recovery due to compensable delay should not attempt to pace an owner delay”.
• In this way we avoid/minimize the possibility of apparent concurrent delays that might jeopardize valid claims. 

This is a very good point you have raised for discussion.

Thank you

The link is on slide 16 and it is working, you must open the presentation and when in slide 16 click on it.  For your convenience I am pasting the link as follows.

http://www.spiderproject.com/

Be reminded longest path gets broken as soon as the schedule model must deal with multiple calendars and all sort of constraints, it soon becomes useless.  

I would not recommend switching scheduling and resource management software in the middle of such a big job.  P6 longest path and float values might be unreliable but you can still perform what-if analysis.  I do not expect P6 early dates to be flawed. Then within available time learn and explore Spider Project. 

Take a look at the following image I got from the web, P6 free float calculations seems to be equally unreliable.

A1020 is critical but shows free float, no matter what it is weird, very weird ...

I use Spider Project, the link is on the presentation, just click the hyperlink.

The longest path is broken when activities are no longer driven by relationships, it has come of age, it is time to let it rest.

Project schedule constraints include resource constraints, finance and supply constraints, calendar constraints and imposed dates. The critical path in the projects with imposed dates and different activity and resource calendars can consist of only one final activity. Managing project schedules, one should pay more attention to activity floats. The activities with shorter floats are more critical than the activities with longer floats. However the float should be calculated with all schedule constraints as well as the network logic taken into account.

Activity float is a quantitative measure of criticality.  That some software cannot deal with it is another thing.  It is better to switch to software capable of yielding reliable activity float values than to add patches to the software hoping the bandage will cure the cancer.

P6 users should not assume that P6 will always produce a reliable critical path even if the poor scheduling practices are avoided.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/primaveratitis-critical-path-identification-disorder-wail-menesi-phd/?trackingId=olTYas1sw237ZApRAb%2BaTw%3D%3D

If the software cannot reliably identify 1^st longest path for simple models do not expect 2^nd, 3^rd and so on will be reliable.  As you add complexity such as multiple calendars and date constraints to name a few we can expect longest path calculations to be less reliable even if you use Schedule Analyzer Logic League.

Under resource leveling P6 Longest Path calculations are flawed, even if you could make P6 to disclose reliable resource leveled float values.

• The longest path is broken when activities are no longer driven by relationships

Longest Path Theory was devised before the 1970's.  Longest Path calculations as currently implemented cannot deal with date constraints, cannot deal with leveling renewable resources, leveling consumable resources, spatial resources, financial resources and a long list of schedule model enhancements not considered 50 years ago. 

Have you ever wondered why the controversial AACE International Delay Analysis RP does barely mention resource constraining and gives no guidance at all with regard to this issue?  Maybe they are so much into Longest Path that they can't see the forest for the trees.

Resource allocation can affect the results of a delay analysis, performing a schedule analysis without considering resource allocations may increase the owner’s or contractor’s risk of assuming delay responsibility which is not his or her fault.

I am curious about for what purpose do you need to know several longest paths and how it is to be used.  Please enlighten me with your knowledge about longest path theory and how you use it. 

Sean,

The Longest Path Value module in Schedule Analyzer Software (http://scheduleanalyzer.com/sa_brochure.htm) might be useful.  I understand it works directly in the P6 database.  Combining LPV with the Logic League module of the same software might give you the resource-leveled longest and near-longest paths.  I say "might" because SA promises to do this stuff, but I'm not an SA user nor do I know any users who have successfully exploited these two modules in a modern P6 schedule.

Besides the linked reference above, Longest Path Value is described in AACE Recommended Practice 49R-06, Identifying the Critical Path.  Longest Path Value and Multiple Float Path analysis are the only two non-float-dependent analysis methods included in another relevant AACE Recommended Practice: 92R-17, Analyzing Near Critical Paths.

You haven't spelled out your problems with MFP analysis in P6.  Are you using the Free float option, as recommended?  Unfortunately, MFP can choke on concurrent branches to the Longest Path when multiple calendars are in play; it also chokes on ALAP-constrained predecessors that are not driving.  When these exist, then you need some manual checking.  In the end, you can always manually-define the relevant paths by click-tracing through the schedule network using the GoTo button - paying close attention to relationship free float and relationship successor free float.

Good luck, tom