Advantages of Critical Path Method (CPM) : Disadvantages of CPM

In this article, we discuss the Advantages of Critical Path Method.

The critical path method (CPM) has been used to schedule and plan construction project management. Various users have different views on the usefulness of CPM. While some contractors believe that the critical path method can be a waste of both time and money, others may find it to be beneficial.

With time, the usage of project management methods has enhanced with experience. Most probably, the unsuccessful uses of CPM resulted from attempting to employ a level of detail far too complex for practical usage, the schedule was created by an outside firm with no real input by the user, or the CPM diagram was not checked and updated during the project.

  1. Advantages of Critical Path Method  

Experience with the application of CPM on several projects has revealed the following advantages of the Critical Path Method:

1. CPM encourages a logical discipline in the planning, scheduling, and controlling of projects.

2. CPM promotes a more comprehensive and strategic approach to project planning, with a focus on long-term goals and detailed implementation strategies.

3. All project personnel get a complete overview of the total project.

4. CPM provides a standard method of documenting and communicating project plans, schedules, and time and cost performances.

5. CPM helps identify the crucial components of a plan, bringing management’s focus to the 10-20% of the project that has the most impact on schedule.

6. Evaluating the impact of technical and procedural changes on project schedules is made easy by CPM.

7. CPM enables the most economical planning of all operations to meet desirable project completion dates.

An essential point to recognize is that CPM is an open-ended process that permits various degrees of involvement by management to serve their different requirements and purposes. In other words, you can employ CPM at whatever level of detail you feel is required.

However, one must never forget that you only get out of it what you put into it. It will be the responsibility of the user to choose the best technique. They are all good and can be used effectively in the management of construction projects; pick the one best liked and use it.

  2. Disadvantages of CPM  

The disadvantages of CPM are as follows:

a. The CPM does not control the scheduling of personnel.

b. In CPM, evaluating an activity’s completion period is challenging.

c. The critical path is not forever straightforward in CPM.

d. For more essential projects, CPM networks can be problematized too.

e. It even does not control the scheduling of the resource allocation.

f. In CPM, the critical path requires to be estimated exactly.

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