Critical Path Method (CPM) – Online Learning App
Class 5 Simulation: Find the longest path (critical path) by clicking.
1. What is CPM? (Very Simple)
Imagine your project is like a trip from Start to Finish. There are many stops (tasks) on the way. Some trips are shorter, some are longer.
CPM = Critical Path Method helps us find:
• All possible trips from Start to Finish.
• Add the days on each trip.
• The longest trip = critical path.
The critical path is important because:
• It tells the minimum time the project needs.
• If any task on this long line is late, the whole project is late.
2. Our Story: Building an Online Learning App (LMS)
A software company is making an online learning app for a university. Here are the tasks and how long they take:
| Act | Task | Duration (days) | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Requirements Gathering | 5 | — (Start) |
| B | System Design | 7 | A |
| C | Front-end Development | 10 | B |
| D | Back-end Development | 12 | B |
| E | Database Setup | 6 | B |
| F | Integration | 5 | C, D, E |
| G | Testing | 8 | F |
| H | Deployment (Go Live) | 3 | G |
3. Network Diagram (Idea Picture)
In CPM, we draw a network diagram. It is like a map:
• Boxes/letters (A, B, C…) are tasks.
• Arrows show which task comes next.
Real CPM diagram would show arrows from B to C, D, E and from C/D/E to F.
For Class 5, remember:
• First we do A, then B.
• From B, we can build C (screens), D (server), and E (database).
• Then all join to F (integration), then G (testing), then H (go live).
4. Try It! Add the Days on Each Path
Each path is one possible way from Start (A) to Finish (H). Click the buttons to see how we add the days.
A → B → C → F → G → H
A → B → D → F → G → H
A → B → E → F → G → H
5. Teacher / Student Log
This box explains what you just did in words. Reading it helps understand CPM deeper.