The critical path is essential to determine before starting a project because any changes or delays will further delay the completion of the project. You calculate this time constraint by answering two questions: what is the earliest and the latest time to complete the project? Once the starting point has been identified, activities can be added until the endpoint is found. Forwards Times lets us know how early the entire project can be finished, and Backward Pass subtracts time from the late start time. Projects where a critical path would be irrelevant, would be under circumstances where sensitivity is more open. Free slack allows projects to be delayed without delaying the actual completion of the project. Critical paths are essential to any project. Any project that can be flexible on a crucial path wouldn't be a significant factor in maintaining. For instance, organizations with specific time constraints, like the military, require a critical path. Writing an educational paper or doing a school project doesn't necessarily need a critical path, although it may be recommended. Think of it in terms of outlines that cover major points you need to hit in a paper. The baseline is that projects where deadlines are flexible or do not exist, would make a critical path irrelevant. Hartshorne, D. (2023). Understanding critical paths in project management. Monday Blog. Retrieved from https://monday.com/blog/project-management/critical-paths/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20i