Successful projects require careful planning and efficient execution. Critical paths are important features of a project management system, with the former determining the minimum completion time and the latter being a snapshot of the project plan. With ZohoProjects' Gantt charts, projects can be clearly managed, ensuring on-time delivery and improving customer satisfaction.
Zoho Projects' Gantt chart provides an exhaustive view of the timeline where tasks and dependencies are clearly defined and plotted. Because nothing is perfect and delays are inevitable, we've introduced two new features to help you predict when tasks will be completed and when delays are likely to occur, so you can plan ahead.
1. The concept of critical path and baseline
In project management and execution, the critical path and baseline are two crucial concepts.
Critical path
What is the critical path in project management?
The critical path determines the minimum completion time of a project, and it is a collection of task sequences one after another. At the same time, the critical path is the longest path in each project, and it is a path composed of many tasks, and once these tasks are delayed, it will directly affect the completion date of the entire project.
Based on this premise, by identifying and managing the critical path, project managers can more effectively monitor project progress, keep tasks completed on time, and deliver projects ahead of schedule.
Project baseline
What is a baseline in project management?
A baseline is a snapshot of the project plan. This is a very vivid metaphor for the baseline, because the baseline represents the project plan, since it is a plan, it represents not the actual project progress, and the baseline is represented by a gray line, so it can be understood as a "snapshot".
Baselines represent the status of a project at a specific point in time, such as project plan, project cost, and project scope. Once the baseline is established, it can be used as a reference point to measure the progress of the project. If there is a deviation from the baseline during the project execution, the project team can quickly take action and adjust the plan to ensure that the project objectives are met.
2. Set a baseline in the project management system
Project Baseline – Metrics
The project baseline is the reference point by which you measure all your progress. Once the plan is complete, set a project baseline that will serve as your reference point. Once the project has started, you can see if the current progress is in line with the original plan. A gray bar next to the task bar indicates whether you're ahead or behind schedule, or if everything is going according to plan.
This real-time visual comparison gives you insight into which tasks need to be sped up or which resources need to be reallocated. Over time, you can set multiple baselines and compare progress over time.
The Gantt chart also shows the amount of slippage, which is the difference between the baseline start date and the current start date, and the end deviation, which is the difference between the baseline end date and the current end date of the task. A positive red value indicates a delay, while a negative green value indicates that you are ahead of schedule.
End deviation in baseline
Ideally, your tasks will align perfectly with the initial baseline, but if not, setting and comparing baselines regularly will help you understand how future timelines and resource allocations can be done better.
3. The critical path in the project management system
Sometimes, some tasks may be more likely than others to cause project delays. This brings us to our next function: the critical path.
Critical Path—The cornerstone of completing a task
The critical path follows the key tasks in the project that are the cornerstone of the project's on-time completion. In the Gantt chart, the path with the longest duration is plotted as the critical path. This path could be a single task, a set of interdependent tasks, or even multiple sets of tasks. Any delay of any number of days on this path will have a direct impact on the entire project.
Critical path analysis
The red progress bar helps you keep an eye on key tasks and make sure they don't exceed deadlines. However, while you're focused on keeping your critical tasks on track, don't neglect the others! Non-critical tasks have a floating timeline, which is an acceptable range of latency. They also become mission-critical if they last longer than this floating time.
The combination of project baseline and critical path in project management can ensure that the project direction is not on track, and the milestones and tasks are completed on time until the project goals are achieved, and customer satisfaction is improved!