WORKING WITH CRITICAL PATH IN MS PROJECT 2010

Working with CRITICAL Path in Project 2010

The critical path is the series of tasks (or even a single task) that dictates the calculated start date or finish date of the project. If a single task is late on the critical path, the end date of the entire project will also be late. Viewing project information in this manner is also known as the critical path method of project management.

To change the sensitivity of critical tasks, click the File tab, click Options, and then click Advanced. In the Tasks are critical if slack is less than or equal to list, enter the number of days of slack under which a task is considered critical.

There is no point in analyzing the critical path if you can't see it. You can show the critical path in the Detail Gantt view.

HIGHLIGHT THE CRITICAL PATH

1. Click the View tab. 
2. In the Task Views group, click the arrow beneath Gantt Chart, and then click More Views.
3. In the More Views dialog box, in the Views list, select Detail Gantt, and then click Apply. By default, the critical task Gantt bars and link lines are red
4. This format change overrides any direct formatting changes that you might have already made to bar styles or individual bars. This formatting of critical tasks only applies to the current Gantt Chart view in the current project. To save this formatting, click Organizer in the More Views dialog box.

 SHOW ONLY THE CRITICAL PATH

1.  Go to a Gantt Chart view, if you are not in one already.
2.  On the View tab, in the Data group, click the Filter list and then click Critical.
3.  To display all tasks again, in the Filter list, click No Filter.
4. To quickly see the list of tasks on the critical path, on the View tab, in the Data group, click the Group list and then click Critical. The critical path tasks are listed together under the heading Critical.