When this helps
- You're trying to pull a deadline forward
- You need to know where to add people for the most effect
- Everything looks urgent and you need to prioritise honestly
- You want to explain to a stakeholder why one delay matters and another doesn't
How Akievo calculates it
From your task durations and dependency links, Akievo works out the longest chain through the project. That chain is the critical path: shorten it and you finish earlier, delay it and you finish later.
Where you see it
The critical path is highlighted on the timeline and in the dependency graph, with slack shown on the tasks that have room to move.
Example: an office move
- 1Add durations and dependencies to every task
- 2Open the critical path view
- 3See that the lease signature — not the furniture order — sets the date
- 4Focus effort there and pull the move-in date forward
Critical path builds on dependencies and the timeline, included from Starter ($5/mo) upwards. Full plan details. Last reviewed: September 2026.