Critical Path Analysis
The critical path is the sequence of activities that determines the project completion date — any delay to a critical activity delays the project. Deltime builds, monitors, and defends the critical path on live projects and uses it as the evidential backbone of delay analysis when disputes arise.
Building a Genuine Critical Path
Many construction programmes show a critical path that is not genuine — it exists on paper but does not reflect the real driving logic of the project. Deltime builds programmes from first principles with full predecessor/successor logic, ensuring the critical path is real, defensible, and understood by the project team.
Float Identification & Ownership
Float is the time buffer between an activity's earliest and latest completion without delaying the project. Identifying who owns float — Contractor or Employer — is critical under JCT and NEC. Deltime establishes float ownership in the programme narrative at the outset and tracks it through the project lifecycle.
Near-Critical Path Monitoring
Activities with small amounts of total float are near-critical — they can become critical quickly if a delay event occurs. Deltime tracks near-critical activities alongside the critical path, providing early warning of emerging critical path shifts before they impact the Completion Date.
Critical Path Shift Analysis
When delay events occur, the critical path can shift to different sequences of work. Deltime analyses critical path shifts contemporaneously — identifying when the critical path changed, what caused it, and what the net impact was on the forecast Completion Date. This is essential evidence in any EOT claim.
Critical Path in Delay Analysis
In delay analysis, only delays to the critical path at the time they occurred can give rise to EOT entitlement. Deltime's delay analysis identifies the as-built critical path — not just the planned one — and demonstrates which delay events affected it, in what sequence, and to what extent.
Reporting & Visualisation
Deltime produces critical path reports in formats accessible to non-specialist readers — colour-coded Gantt extracts, critical path logic diagrams, and narrative explanations — so that project managers, clients, and contract administrators can understand the critical path position without needing to read the full P6 or Asta file.
Critical Path Shift Analysis — Residential Tower, London
Representative figures from a critical path analysis produced by Deltime in support of an EOT application on a JCT Design & Build contract.