LEADERSHIP

SUPERPOWER PLANNING TOOLS • 111
passed, you’ve got some rethinking, renegotiating, or retreating
to do!)
On the other hand, let’s assume you want to answer the
question, “When can we be finish if we start on _______?” In
this case, use the proposed start date as your Start No Earlier
Than (SNET) planning constraint and do a forward pass
through the workflow. Beginning with the first task, note the
ES with the project’s SNET, add the duration, and fill in the
task's EF date. Use this first task’s EF as its successor task’s ES,
add the duration, and so forth, until you’ve identified every
task’s ES and EF. The EF of the last task on the critical path
constitutes the project’s EF. Like I said earlier, schedules are
easy to create—it's just a lot of third-grade coloring and
(thankfully) second-grade math!
Step 5: Settle on your baseline dates. Make sure your team
understands their roles and responsibilities. Now, get out
there and save the planet!
Superpower Points
• The Critical Path Method combines tasks, durations,
workflow, and resource availability into a powerful
communication and analysis tool.
• Total project duration is determined by the longest
workflow path—the Critical Path.
• The task’s (or project’s) Early Finish is calculated by
adding the estimated Duration to the Early Start date,
aka.: the Forward Pass.