Critical Path

Purpose

Release a prototype as quickly as possible.

Scope

Identify dependencies to complete a finished product, and make sure the “critical path” these items define is minimized.

Critical Path Process

The “critical path” is the longest list of dependencies to completing a project. To find this, work back from the goal.

For example, if the goal is to build a web applicaton, the critical path is something like this:

• We want to build a web application.
• To do that, we need to validate with users (usability test).
• To complete that, we need to understand the full requirements.
• To do that, we need to show all stakeholders a prototype.
• To do that, we need to build the prototype.
• To do that, we need wireframes.
• To do that, we need to write user stories.
• To do that, we need to understand the purpose of the app.
• To do that, we need to do discovery (user research).

So, to deliver the project as quickly as possible, all these steps should be completed as early as possible because they block your teammates. The time the project takes is the sum of all these critical path steps. There is plenty of other work to be done, but typically other items can be deferred and worked on asynchronously. The items on the critical path are the bottlenecks.