Multiple Critical Path

Hi, Ahmed.

Of course, it's rarely enough to simply filter the network to the specified activity/milestone; you also should want to know the Drag on each activity on that milestone's "critical path", so that you can "pull in" the milestone if you need to.

The Sumatra Project Optimizer (an add-on to MSProject that, among other things, computes Critical Path Drag), allows the user to specify any activity/milestone as the last milestone, filter just its "ancestors" and then compute the Drag for each of the items on that milestone's critical path.  So, for example, if in the middle of a thirty-month schedule, you have a delivery scheduled with 150D of float, but now your customer wants that deliverable two months earlier, you can focus on that delivery by making it the "sink" activity, filter out everything that's not an ancestor, compute the Critical Path Drag to it, and see where you can crash/fasttrack to pull the schedule in for that delivery.

I don't know if it still works, but the link to download a free copyof the Sumatra product was:

http://sumatra.com/projectoptimizer/projectoptimizer.htm

Oh, and if you want to know more about Critical Path Drag, try the article "The Drag Efficient" in the Jan/Feb issue of Defense AT&L Magazine:

Fraternally in project management,

Steve the Bajan

Ahmed,

I presented a paper at the AACE Annual Conference in 2005 describing a simple technique to perform the task that you describe.  The paper is called, “Managing Multiple Milestones” and can be found on-line at http://www.ronwinterconsulting.com/published.htm.  Good luck!

Hi Ahmed,

There is a very neat way or trick of showing the critical path and you have to pay me for this (joke).

First off, you need to make sure that your schedule does not have any loose ends and that the logic and the relationships are correct and properly link to the right predeccesors and successors.

The trick is to filter the end milestone, so that it is the only activity or milestone left in your schedule, then go to your relationship tab, on the left side of the screen is your predecessors screen, look for and click the driving activity and then press the "Go To" tab below, the preceding activity driving your end milestone will appear on your screen, do this repeatedly until you have trace back the critical path or longest path. Nice trick right!

Best regards,

Daniel

Hi Hakim

Use of Must finish by constraints is bad planning practice and should be avoided.

If you want to know the critical path on any particular section then use Asta PowerProject which will generate a critical path view of any individual branch or view and then toggle back to the whole project.

Best regards

Mike Testro

Ahmed,

I'll explain you a trick that I often use it.

First, you've to make a filter for a choosen section (let say section 1 and that contains finish milestone 1).

Second, add a "Mandatory Finish Constraint" to your finish milestone 1, without changing the calculated finish date, just tick the box :

      Constraints -> tick "Mandatory" and so tick "Finish"

Like this your finish milestone 1 will appear as the end of the project. All total floats or critical activities will be according to this finish date.

Hakim

you can show the critical path for each building by having three separate schedules; by the way, are the 3 buildings sitting on one foundation? if so, then that's another story

Hi Ahmed

I am not sure what you are requesting.

"Actualy the TF of FM2 =Finish(FM1)-Finish(FM2)""" 

Is TF Total Float?

So the total float of FM2 is the diference in the completion date between the early finish and the late finish.

This is excactly as it should be.

Unless there is a genuine reason to create a logic link between the two sections you should leave well alone.

You can determine the critical activities in FM1 by putting a temporary Must End milestone on the last task but do not keep it when updating.

In my experience as a delay analyst when I see multiple critical paths I know that the programme has been rigged.

Best regards

Mike Testro