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Scheduling & Critical Path

How to turn a work breakdown structure into a realistic, trackable project schedule: sequencing, duration estimating, the critical path, float, baselining and schedule compression. For planners, engineers and anyone who owns delivery dates.

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52m
Total time
4
Competency levels
12
Lessons

What you'll learn

  • Explain how activities and milestones are derived from a work breakdown structure
  • Apply the finish-to-start, start-to-start and finish-to-finish dependency types to sequence work correctly
  • Estimate activity durations and distinguish transparent contingency from hidden padding
  • Calculate the critical path and float for a small network and explain what they mean for delivery
  • Baseline a schedule and track progress against it honestly
  • Evaluate crashing and fast-tracking as compression options, including their cost and risk trade-offs

Curriculum

Progress through each competency level in order.

1

Awareness

  • Why projects run on schedules
    Knowledge
    3m
  • From WBS to activities and milestones
    Knowledge
    2m
  • Awareness check: schedule basics
    Assessment
    7m
2

Knowledge

  • Sequencing work: dependency types, leads and lags
    Knowledge
    2m
  • Estimating durations — and the padding trap
    Knowledge
    2m
  • Knowledge check: logic and durations
    Assessment
    8m
3

Skill

  • The critical path and float — a worked example
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Build and calculate a real schedule
    Assignment
    3m
  • Skill check: critical path and float
    Assessment
    8m
4

Mastery

  • Baselining, tracking and schedule compression
    Knowledge
    3m
  • Baseline, track and compress a live schedule
    Assignment
    3m
  • Mastery check: running the schedule
    Assessment
    8m

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