Notes on method.
Written for the people who have to act on a schedule rather than admire one. No case studies, no client names, and nothing here that we would not say in a meeting.
What the Critical Path Method actually is
Almost everyone in construction uses the phrase. Rather fewer could say what the calculation does, why the critical path moves, or what it is that float actually measures.
Total float, and the question of who owns it
Float is the most valuable asset on a construction schedule and the least likely to be addressed properly in the contract. When it runs out, the argument about who spent it is rarely amicable.
What a DCMA 14-point assessment actually catches
Fourteen quantitative checks that take about a minute to run and reliably find the things that make a schedule unreliable. Also, importantly, the things they miss entirely.
More to come. If there is something you would find useful written up properly, tell us and we will consider it.