The Critical Path - Right Thinking, Right Decisions

Failure, in most endeavours, is a matter of effort. If that doesn't strike you as odd then you are one of the few who sees that while success is a matter of effort, so is failure. Look around you and you are likely to see a number of examples where projects, people, or companies purposefully fail. It isn't their fault, they just don't understand that their efforts can dig their graves as easily as build a foundation for success.

Chopping Wood

The first time I heard this term was during my first year at university.  The professor who extolled the virtues of hard work cautioned us against working hard without also working smart.  In his analogy he used, as an example, woodsmen.

Two woodsmen go out, each with the same type of axe, in the same forest, and each select a tree of comparable size.  The first woodsman comes to his tree and begins chopping at a furious pace.  No preparation needed, just slam at the tree with the axe and keep going in hope that, at some point it will be felled.  The second woodsman comes to his tree and the first thing he does is look at the way it is shaped, which side it is weighted on, and then he does something unexpected - he sharpens his axe. Quickly felling the first tree he moves on to a second, and then a third - returning to the lodge reconciled with the accomplishments of the day.

Which do you think achieved the better result?  In truth they both felled trees, but the first woodsman returned back to the lodge well after dark having sent chips flying everywhere with a single tree felled.  Exhausted, he sees the first woodsman relaxing and is nonplussed by the fact that he worked so hard to accomplish a lesser goal.

The purpose behind this professor's story (and one that I have never forgotten) was to provide students with a fundamental truth - preparation for the task has an impact on the overall success of the task.  Merely tackling the work is not a guarantee of success, and we can see that the definition of success is relative - clearly each of the woodsmen felled trees, but the second had a far better outcome.

The Road Not Taken

In 1915 Robert Frost wrote a poem called "The Road Not Taken" in which he described how following the road less travelled made all the difference.  It is one of my favourite poems and is an expression of unbridled individualism. What does this have to do with finding the critical path?  It has everything to do with it.

Many of us feel more comfortable treading the same path that others have taken - in most cases it has more to do with the perception that we are building on the success of others.  In reality it gets us accustomed to being the next mule in the train, rarely thinking and often just duplicating the work of others.

While it isn't a requirement that you be a trailblazer in order to create (or identify) the critical path, you cannot be afraid of it.  In fact, you have to be willing to embrace it.  Part of being successful on any mission is finding ways to do things that have never been done before - that is how technology has advanced so rapidly in the last 150 years.  Innovation can follow only two paths - finding a way to do something better than anyone has ever done it, or creating something new that nobody has ever seen, considered, or tried.

The Critical Path - Defined

So what is this critical path - I suppose that it is important to define what we are discussing, but most of you (if you have been in technology for any length of time) know what I am talking about.  The critical path, put simply, is the chain of events - from beginning to end - where all of the crucial markers exist.  It is like a journey of sorts - if you miss a key milestone you end up taking a detour that prolongs the journey.  Such a prolonged journey diverts vital resources from other endeavours - money, time, personnel, equipment, and so on.

Sometimes the milestones are not clearly visible.  A keen manager is aware of this fact and pursues the identification of such markers.  Seasoned project managers (and the ones most valued in any organisation) are experts at seeing the road signs hidden among the thickets.

Consistency of Purpose

At school as a boy I read a quote by Benjamin Disraeli that set my path in life (http://www.britannia.com/bios/disraeli.html) - "The secret of success is consistency of purpose."  This applies perfectly to The Critical Path.  The goal should define the purpose which in turn defines the actions one takes.  It is, after all, a chain of events that defines life, but in a less general way ultimately defines success for any task. Stray too far from The Critical Path and you find a jungle teeming with unknown perils.  That doesn't mean that you have to follow the same path as everyone else, and it does not mean that The Critical Path is the most safe.  What it does mean is that The Critical Path is the most efficient as well as the most productive chain of events in the process of task completion.

Staying on this path is difficult, and so Right Thinking is crucial.  So what are the keys to Right Thinking:

1. Know your own patterns of thought - some of us are quick on our feet, others require pondering to make good decisions.  Understanding how you think will help you make better decisions.
2. Be aware of what you are truly being asked to do.  Understanding the ultimate goal is fine, but understanding the subset of goals is just as important.  Break down a task into key components and prepare your tools for each.
3. Every stage is important. Think of flying an aeroplane - you took off safely, had a perfect flight, but the landing was terrible and everyone dies. Two thirds of the flight went perfect, but that doesn't mean you were 67% successful.
4. Borrow a brain.  You cannot be expected to know everything, and thinking this way is not only arrogant but it often ends up in self destruction.  Bring people on board who can add value and mental resources to accomplish an individual or overall goal - and don't be stingy with credit for good ideas.

Synopsis

There is no easy road to victory. Polybius (http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/L138.html) said it best more than 2000 years ago - "Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories."  As true today as it was then, your critical path is not just the road to success or victory, it is the methodology by which you build on one success after another.

Succeeding at one point along the way doesn't mean ultimate victory - it is merely one milestone toward ultimate success. The Critical Path in any project is not only the whole, but the sum of all the parts.