Control · C33
Identify the marketing critical path
Which sequences have no schedule margin?
Direct answer
The critical path connects tasks and validations whose delay moves the final date, while showing the available margin elsewhere.
01Protect the resources and decisions that condition the date.
02The rule, the evidence and the next review date stay visible.
How to use this
Move from the question to the deliverable.
Which sequences have no schedule margin?
Protect the resources and decisions that condition the date.
Critical path
Calculation · SQ-11
Calculate a critical path of 19 days
The critical path is the chain of activities without float. Delaying one of them moves the final date, unless the network changes.
Simplified costed case: seven activities preparing a launch.
- 01Network
Link each activity to its direct predecessors.
- 02Move forward
Calculate the earliest start and finish from the first activity.
- 03Move backward
Calculate the latest start and finish from the final date.
- 04Deduce
Identify the activities whose total float is nil.
CPM network of the launch
The path A → B → C → G sets a minimum duration of 19 days. D, E and F have limited float.
Total float = latest start − earliest start| ID | Activity | Duration | Predecessor | Early start | Early finish | Float | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Research | 5 d | — | 0 | 5 | 0 | Yes |
| B | Messaging | 4 d | A | 5 | 9 | 0 | Yes |
| C | Creative | 8 d | B | 9 | 17 | 0 | Yes |
| D | Landing page | 5 d | B | 9 | 14 | 3 d | No |
| E | Tracking | 3 d | D | 14 | 17 | 0 | Co-critical |
| F | Legal | 6 d | B | 9 | 15 | 2 d | No |
| G | Launch | 2 d | C, E, F | 17 | 19 | 0 | Yes |
01A, B, C and G have no float at all.
02The D → E branch consumes all its float if the landing page exceeds five days.
03Shortening F by one day does not change the final date; shortening C by one day brings it to 18 days.
Teaching example. The calculation assumes deterministic durations and does not replace a risk analysis.
Coherence controls
Minimum conditions before validation.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
Usable deliverable
Critical path
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