The sequence of tasks in a project that determines the minimum time needed for completion. Any delay in critical path activities will delay the entire project.
Developed in the 1950s by DuPont and Lockheed for project management, combining 'critical' from Latin 'criticus' (decisive) and 'path' from Old English 'pæth'. Originally created for complex construction and manufacturing projects.
The critical path can actually change during a project - what seems non-critical today might become critical tomorrow if other tasks speed up or slow down. Smart project managers monitor multiple potential critical paths simultaneously.
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