Critical Path P6

Hi Ben

Check where the critical bar is placed in the listings in the bar window. The bar listing is hierarchical. If your critical bar is higher in the list than your remaining work bar, the critical won’t be shown. Use the "shift down" button to move the critical bar lower than the remaining work bar.

Hope that helps/makes sense.

Regards
Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the reply, I have checked the bar setting and the critical is below the remaining bar already. So it hasn’t made a difference.

My schedule activities are all physical, on a 24/7 calendar, and like I said mostly all activities follow from the previous.

I have played around with the Schedule F9 options and ticked the box, "Make open ended activities critical" and "calculate multiple float paths" this now makes the schedule show critical path...though I dont think it makes sence.

Critical path activities should really only be activities which are crucial to the project finish date.

Now basically everything is RED!!

Hope you can help me.

Cheers

The next thing I would be checking are constraints, both on activities & project finish constraints in the projects screen, both of these can cause issues with float calculations...

Without knowing any further details that’s about all I can suggest for the time being...

Cheers
Mark

Ben,

1) Try again scheduling in default settings:
Schedule Option (F9), in General tab click default button.

2) Click View Menu > Bars > check if the Critical Remaining Work is ticked for Display and Preview color is Red.

Also, in Schedule options tick log to file and check the schedule report, I think you have many open-ended activities to fix.

Let us know then.

R. Catalan

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. I have double checked the displace and preview colour is red and box is ticked.

I have come to the conclusion that there is to much float in the schedule which is why nothing is showing as critical.

There are a number of open ended activities, though this is because they have no sucessors.

I will argue to client that critical path is not shown due to high amount of total float on project.

Cheers

I mean IS due to high amount of Total Float!

Ben,

I would advise you to resolve first the open-ended activities if it is still possible. This is the reason why you have high amount of TF.

Normally, you have only 2 open-ended activities:
Project Start - no successor
Project Finish - no predecessor

Regards,
R. Catalan

Just send me your email address. I will provide you my layout ( schedule common reporting)and later you just need to open it.

Hey Izam,

My email is benjamin.hall@per.jpkenny.com

My schedule is aprox 1500 activities in length, so might be a tad tricky incorporating a new layout. But please send it regardless.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers.

I have just given the open ended activities a successor activity, though because they still have so much lag they are not affecting the total float.

Therefore the total float remains the same and no critical path is established.

Its a highly detailed schedule and is very large. A lot of overlapping and constraints due to client specified dates etc.

I do agree with your theory though.

Cheers

When in the project view, look at the settings tab and check at what level of total float do activities show critical. Also check that you have not got a must finish by date in the box on the dates tab.