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How to create different Critical Path

5 replies [Last post]
Andrea Giordano O...
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Joined: 21 Jul 2008
Posts: 22

hi everybody,

  I would like to do 2 critical path in the same schedule, for 2 different unit in the same plant , how is possible to apply on P6 ?

 

thanks in advance

Andrea  

Replies

Zoltan Palffy
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the other option is to change the float value range that determines when something is critical.

In P6 

open your project 

got to the Projects directory and make sure your project is highlighted

Click on the Settings tab

under the section Define Critical Activities

Select Total Float Less than or equal to and then on the right put in the number of days that you want to set that threshold at.

The default is 0 days. 

Anoon Iimos
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Joined: 22 Sep 2006
Posts: 1422
The problem with CPM is that: It only knows one thing, and it is all about "Floats" (and nothing more). Andrea, if you want to see or present all your activities as critical, then the very simple solution is to impose or define criticality as or say: If you got 1000 days of float, Then it is still critical for you. Perhaps this shall make all your activity bars RED. Or simply put date constraints to those activities that you wanted to finish on your desired time and select "free float" option when you run your schedule.
Andrea Giordano O...
User offline. Last seen 1 year 39 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 21 Jul 2008
Posts: 22

Sorry , i wasnt clear, the fact is that i have one critical path based on activity relationship and duration linked to the scope of work and milestone (for one unit) the problem is for the other unit,that is even critical but  finish before (so i have an higher total float)and i have to show up the critical path on the schedule , for now i just solved putting one constrain on the mileston and linking fs to the other that finish after.

thanks

Anoon Iimos
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It is very important to consider that schedules are resource-constrained. Having determined floats and criticalities based on activities-sequencing, durations or even date-constraints are never enough to project true schedule criticalities. Schedules are always dependent to assigned resources. Or schedules are of course resource-driven. Yes, you can determine criticalities based on activities-sequencing only, but the moment you start thinking of your available resources, then that would be another or different story.
Santosh Bhat
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Andrea, you do not "make a critical path". The criticality is determined by the inputs to your schedule of

  • activity durations,
  • logic between activites,
  • calendar work periods and
  • any constraints placed upon activity dates.

CPM calculates the total flioat for all activties in the schedule network, and criticality is determined by the value of the resulting total float for activities.

If the critical path that is created is not what you expect it to be, you need to check how you've built the schedule based on the items I've listed above. IF you need to drive criticality through a certain path, it may be that you need to apply a date constraint to the additional path - which is indicating that you need to have completed that sequence of tasks by a fixed date.