Critical path, slack, and time line


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Critical path, slack, and time line


Especially when you have a complex project plan, details like the critical path or lag time between dependent planning elements can increase transparency and help you retain a good overview.

Topics

Show critical path in Gantt chart

Show slack

Show timeline in project plan

Show critical path in Gantt chart


The critical path marks those planning elements that are crucial in keeping your deadline. Delays along the critical path can lead to scope creeps and possibly derail your scheduled project deadline.

If you want to show the critical path in your plan, you must already have planning elements that are connected with each other.

  1. Open the project and the Gantt-chart.
  2. Click on the tab View.
  3. Click on Show Critical Path.

The planning elements along the critical path are marked in red in your Gantt-chart and in your planning list.

Show slack


InLoox shows you how far you can move a planning element before this affects the planned duration of the project and, for example, shifts the completion date.

To do this, follow the steps:

  1. Go to the tab View.
  2. Under the group Details, click on Show Slack.
  3. Select a planning element. The time distance in days is then displayed directly in the planning.

Show timeline in project plan


In each project planning, you can visually highlight individual planning elements that you want to have a closer look at in a timeline.

  1. Open the project planning and first display the field with the pin in the planning list.
  2. Under View, click on Show Timeline. An empty timeline now opens under the ribbon.
  3. Select the planning elements that are to be visualized in the timeline by clicking on the icon with the pin in the respective line. Alternatively, you can select the planning elements and then go to the Edit tab and under Action click on Add to Timeline.
  4. The planning elements added to the timeline are now marked in the planning bar.
  5. You can use the sliders to enlarge or reduce the section displayed in the timeline, as well as to drag the timeline itself up or down.
  6. If you want to remove planning elements from the timeline again, click on the pin symbol in the planning bar again and the respective element will be removed from the timeline.
  7. You can also copy the timeline to the clipboard and send it by e-mail, for example, or save it as an image. To do this, right-click in the timeline and then click Copy to clipboard.