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The critical path of a schedule is determined by the task or combination of dependent tasks that impact the finish date of the schedule. Simple schedules may have a single critical path. Complicated schedules can have multiple critical paths, if there are multiple tasks, any one of which can change the finish date.
To determine the critical path, PPM identifies the last task(s) in the schedule, and works backward, based on task dependencies and lag. If multiple tasks are scheduled to be completed on the finish date, there will be multiple critical paths. Note: If PPM is unable to calculate the critical path, the Show Critical Path option is disabled. For more information, see Troubleshooting Tasks.
Some tasks may be able to change without adversely impacting the schedule. For example, tasks scheduled at the start of the workspace with no dependencies are unlikely to affect the workspace finish date. Conversely, tasks scheduled near the end of the workspace with dependencies can jeopardize the completion of other tasks and impact the schedule.
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