Network Path
In project management, a network path is a straight line from the beginning of a project to the end. It doesn’t have any branches or loops. In a project network diagram, it shows the shortest path or the most important path.
A network diagram is a picture of a project schedule that shows the order of tasks, how they depend on each other, and how long each task will take. The network diagram helps project managers see the whole project and find the critical path. The critical path is the longest chain of tasks that must be done on time for the project to be finished on time.
The critical path is important because any delays or changes to activities on the critical path will directly affect the project schedule and may cause delays or cost overruns. By figuring out what tasks are on the critical path, project managers can focus on them and take steps to make sure they are done on time.
Project managers use methods like the forward pass and backward pass to figure out the critical path. These methods involve figuring out when each activity in the network diagram can start and end as soon as possible and as late as possible. Then, the sequence of activities that takes the most time is used to find the critical path.
In a project, there may be other network paths that are not as important as the critical path but still need to be tracked and managed. These non-critical paths may have some wiggle room, which means that they can be delayed without affecting the overall project schedule. But project managers still need to keep an eye on these paths to make sure they don’t take too long or become too important.
Usage
It is used in schedule management