According to the PMBOK® Guide (Project Management Body of Knowledge), specifically the Project Schedule Management knowledge area, the Critical Path is the sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible project duration.
To find the duration of the critical path for the provided diagram, we must calculate the sum of the durations for every possible path from START to END:
Path 1: A → B → D → G
Calculation: $1 + 3 + 6 + 4 = 14$ days.
Path 2: A → B → E → G
Calculation: $1 + 3 + 2 + 4 = 10$ days.
Path 3: A → C → E → G
Calculation: $1 + 7 + 2 + 4 = 14$ days.
Path 4: A → C → F → G
Calculation: $1 + 7 + 5 + 4 = 17$ days.
Conclusion:
Comparing the totals (14, 10, 14, and 17), the longest duration is 17 days. Therefore, the sequence A-C-F-G is the Critical Path.
In PMI standards, activities on this path have zero total float. Any delay in an activity on the critical path (such as Activity C or F) will result in a direct delay to the project completion date.
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