Learn in the textbookSchedule Planning and the Arrow Diagram
DefinitionCritical path analysis (クリティカルパス分析) finds, among the paths from start to finish on an arrow diagram, the one with the largest total of days (the critical path), and uses it to find the shortest possible overall duration.
ExplanationA project is not complete until the tasks on every path are done, so the days on the longest path become the overall duration. If a task on the critical path slips, completion of the whole project slips by the same number of days, so these tasks get close attention. Every other task has some days it can be delayed without lengthening the overall duration, called its float.
AnalogyWhen several people split up the cooking and start at the same time, dinner is not fully on the table until the most time-consuming dish is ready. That dish's steps decide when the whole meal is done.
Memory hookCritical here means decisive. A delay on this path decides the completion date, which the word itself reminds you of.