ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to describe the concept of critical path scheduling, which is the most frequently used time-scheduling technique in the construction industry. The critical path method (CPM) will be defined first, followed by a brief history of its development. The original format of the CPM, known as the ‘arrow method’, will only briefly be discussed. It is a later version, the ‘precedence method’, that will be described in detail, including calculation of forward and backward paths, identifying the critical path, and the computation of ‘float’. An alternative computational method known as the ‘link lag method’ will also be presented.
