Description

The Critical Path Method

Think of your project as a quest map where you need to complete different missions (activities) to win the game. Here’s how to play The Critical Path Method:

Level 1: Set Up Your Quest Map

• Draw all your missions (activities) as nodes on the map
• Connect them with arrows showing which missions must be completed before others can start
• Write down how long each mission takes (duration)

Level 2: Forward Pass (Early Dates)

• Start at level 1 with 0 days on the clock
• For each mission, add up the time it takes to reach it through different paths
• Always pick the longest path to reach each mission (because you can’t start until all previous missions are done)
• Write down the earliest possible start time for each mission

Level 3: Backward Pass (Late Dates)

• Start from the final mission, using the total project time
• Work backwards, subtracting mission durations
• For each mission, find the latest time it could start without delaying the final mission
• Write down the latest possible finish time for each mission

Level 4: Find Your Critical Path

• Look for missions that have no wiggle room (zero float) between their early and late dates
• These zero-float missions form your critical path
• This path is like your game’s “speed run route” – any delay here will delay your entire project

Power-Ups (Float):

• Total Float: Extra time a mission can take without delaying the project
• Free Float: Extra time a mission can take without affecting the next mission
• Missions on the critical path have zero float – no power-ups available!

Boss Battle Tips:

• Your critical path is the shortest possible time to complete the project
• Watch out for near-critical paths that have very little float
• You can crash (speed up) activities on the critical path to reduce project duration

Victory Condition: Successfully manage your critical path to complete the project in the minimum possible time while keeping all missions coordinated!

Check out our other products

https://learnmar.com/shop/

Interested in more ideas? Try out these sites

https://www.leansimulations.org/

https://www.polleverywhere.com/

1.17: Let’s practice! Logic Model puzzle