6. Critical Path Analysis (CPA)

This is a useful Project Management Tool which enables managers to calculate the minimum length of time a project will need to be completed.

The idea behind it is that in order to complete a project some activities are dependent on other activities being finished in a certain order.

For example, if you are cooking Sunday lunch, you can't carve the meat up until you have cooked it and removed it from the oven.

CPA helps to identify every stage of a project and exactly how long each stage will take. The critical path of a project is the longest path from start to finish.

Once the critical path is known, the project manager can then plan staff and resources to ensure that the project does not fall behind schedule.