Critical path
The critical path is the sequence of dependent construction activities that determines the minimum time to complete a project. Delays on it delay practical completion.
Ask Chalkline about this →The critical path is the longest chain of dependent activities in a construction programme. Any delay to a task on the critical path delays practical completion by the same amount. Activities off the critical path have float (spare time) and can slip without affecting the end date.
Understanding the critical path matters for EOT claims. To prove that a delay event (weather, supply hold-up, approval wait) actually extended the project, a builder needs to show it hit a critical path activity, not just any task on site. A week of rain that only delayed landscaping, which had two weeks of float, does not justify a one-week EOT.
In a residential build the critical path typically runs through: slab pour, frame erection, roof sarking and battens, lock-up, first-fix services, linings, then second-fix and finishes. Any hold on those core activities propagates directly to the finish date.
Also known as: critical path method (CPM)
Category: Practical / on-site
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Last updated: 2026-05-07. Verified: 2026-05-07. Quarterly review for currency.