Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) schedules projects using the Critical Path Method of scheduling. This is a scheduling method that uses an algorithm to calculate when each activity should start and finish, based on their durations and relationships. In CPM schedules, it’s useful to track the project using its critical path. The critical path is the sequence of critical activities within the schedule. Critical activities are those with no total float. In other words, they need to start and finish on time to ensure the project isn’t delayed. When used correctly, the critical path will show how long the project will take.

Depending on the View you’re using, the critical path display may differ. Typically, the critical path will show as a sequence of red bars tied together on the Gantt Chart. By default, only one critical path will display – this is what’s known as the most critical path. These critical activities are vital to the project. If these activities are delayed, the project completion will be delayed as well.

However, you may sometimes need to track additional float paths as well. For ever changing projects, you may want to analyze the near critical paths as well. Luckily, you can do this in Oracle Primavera Cloud using the Calculate Multiple Float Paths feature.

This article will cover how to calculate multiple float paths in Oracle Primavera Cloud. First, we’ll go over how to set up a View to analyze multiple float paths. Then, we’ll look at how to adjust the Schedule options to calculate these paths effectively. This tool is available for any OPC user assigned the Schedule Cloud Service license type.

Adding Columns for Multiple Float Paths

When you calculate multiple float paths in Oracle Primavera Cloud, your project data won’t change. The data seen in the Activity table and in the Gantt Chart will stay exactly as it is. Instead, you’ll see information about multiple float paths within certain columns in the table. Before adjusting the schedule settings, you may want to add some columns to the table to see this information.

To start, open a project and navigate to the Activities screen. To add columns, select the + button to the right of the table. Within the search bar, search for Float Path. Two column options should appear: Float Path and Float Path Order. Add both of these columns to the table by selecting the eye icon next to them.

The Float Path column will eventually display which float path the activity is a part of. The Float Path Order column will show where the activity is within its specific float path. By default, these columns will be blank – as the program is currently only accounting for one critical path. Once you adjust the settings to calculate multiple float paths, these columns will fill in.

If it’s not already displaying, it’s also recommended to add the Total Float column to the table. This will help you make sense of the information that will appear in the other Float Path columns.

Adjusting the Schedule Settings

With the columns added, you now can set the schedule settings to account for multiple float paths. To do this, select the Schedule button at the top of the Activities table, or use the keyboard shortcut of F9. Within the Schedule window, select the Multiple Float Paths tab.

First, select the check box to Calculate Multiple Float Paths. By default, OPC will only calculate information for the most critical path. Checking this option will allow the program to account for other float paths as well.

Free Float vs. Total Float

Next, you can choose to calculate multiple float paths using either Free Float or Total Float.

Free Float is the amount of time you can delay an activity before it delays the start of its successor. This type of float is primarily concerned about the relationship between two activities, rather than the project as a whole. With Free Float, the schedule tool will calculate critical float paths based on the longest path. After calculating the most critical path, the program will calculate the remaining sub-critical paths.

On the other hand, Total Float is the amount of time you can delay an activity before impacting the project’s finish date. This float type is about the relationship between an activity and the project’s completion. With Total Float, the schedule tool will first identify the activity relationship with the most critical float value. Using this relationship as the starting point, the program will then determine which activities have the most critical total float values among all possible paths, until it reaches an activity with no relationships.

In this example, I’ll choose Total Float, as I’m more concerned about the activity’s relationship to the project completion date.

Ending Activity and Number of Paths

Next, you can choose how to calculate these paths by selecting an ending activity and a number of paths.

Typically, the ending activity for multiple float paths will be the last activity in your schedule. In this case, I’ll select my last activity by selecting the ellipsis button, choosing the activity, and pressing Select.

As for the number of paths, I’m working on a very small project with 3 clear float paths. In this case, I’ll set the number of paths to 3 to match. However, with larger projects and less clear float paths, you may want to increase this number.

After adjusting these options, select Schedule Now to schedule the project.

Viewing Multiple Float Paths

After scheduling the project, the columns within the Activities table will fill in with data. The Float Path column will determine which float path the activity is on. I chose to calculate 3 float paths – so each activity has a number 1-3 within the Float Path column. The Float Path Order column will show where the activity is within its float path. In this project, activity A is the first activity on the most critical path – so it has a Float Path of 1 and a Float Path Order of 1. Activity B, on the other hand, is the second activity on the most critical path, so its Float Path is 1 and its Float Path Order is 2.

Grouping by Float Path

With these columns displaying, you can now choose to group, sort, and filter by this data. To differentiate between these values, you may want to group activities by their float path. To adjust the grouping bands in the Activities table, select the View menu > Manage Views.

In the Manage Views window, select the current view, or press Add to create a new view. With a view selected, select the Grouping tab at the top of the window. Under Group By, select Float Path from the dropdown menu. Then, press Apply.

Now, each activity will display grouped by its float path both in the Activities table and in the Gantt Chart. These float paths will organize based on how critical the activities are within the project. The first float path is the most critical and only includes activities with 0 days of float. The activities within the second float path each have 1 day of float. At the bottom of the table, we can also see the activities within the 3rd float path, each with 2 days of float.

It can be useful to view the different float paths in this manner, especially if delays or risks may occur. If project changes occur, any of these activities could become a part of the most critical path. You may want to monitor paths that are near critical, along with the critical path. When dealing with delays, this can help ensure that your activities don’t lose too much float or impact the project’s completion.

Summary

In Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC), the critical path is the sequence of critical activities. These activities must start and finish on time to ensure that the project is able to complete on time. By default, the critical path will display in the Gantt Chart as a series of connected red bars. Beyond the most critical path, you can choose to display multiple float paths as well. By adjusting the View and the Schedule settings, the program will calculate the near critical paths along with the most critical path. As your project progresses, it’s useful to look at not only the most critical path, but the near critical paths as well. This will help you keep your project on track, even as delays occur.

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Lauren Hecker is a Microsoft Project, Primavera P6, and Oracle Primavera Cloud Instructor who teaches onsite and virtual scheduling courses. To see her next open enrollment course, please visit our calendar. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!